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Alabama National Parks

Russell Cave National Monument
Russell Cave National Monument
Little River Canyon National Preserve
Little River Canyon National Preserve

 

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park - On the morning of 27 March 1814, General Andrew Jackson and an army of 3,300 men consisting of Tennessee militia, United States regulars and both Cherokee and Lower Creek allies attacked Chief Menawa and 1,000 Upper Creek or Red Stick warriors fortified in the "horseshoe" bend of the Tallapoosa River.  In a peace treaty signed after the battle, both the Upper and Lower Creeks were forced to give the United States nearly 20 million acres of land in what is today Alabama and Georgia. The victory here brought Andrew Jackson national attention and helped him to be elected the seventh President of the United States in 1828. This 2,040-acre park preserves the site of the battle.

Little River Canyon National Preserve - Little River flows for most of its length atop Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama. The river and canyon systems are spectacular Appalachian Plateau landscapes any season of the year. Forested uplands, waterfalls, canyon rims and bluffs, stream riffles and pools, boulders, and sandstone cliffs offer settings for a variety of recreational activities. Natural resources and cultural heritage come together to tell the story of the Preserve, a special place in the Southern Appalachians.

Russell Cave National Monument - Russell Cave National Monument is an archeological treasure containing evidence as to how prehistoric Indians lived in the Southeast for almost 10,000 years. Virtually, no other place in the region holds such a rich record offering clues to how prehistoric Indians fed, clothed and protected themselves.

Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail - In an effort to dramatize the need for voting rights legislation, a peaceful non-violent march from Selma to Montgomery was planned. On March 7, 1965 the march set out from Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama. Once the marchers reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were brutally beaten by law enforcement officers. The event was televised all across the nation. Two days later, Dr. King led a second march from Brown Chapel towards Montgomery; this march was peacefully turned around at the point of confrontation. On March 21, 1965 a third march under the protection of the National Guard began at Brown Chapel once again and successfully made its way to the State Capital in Montgomery in five days, after walking 54 miles. This monumental event captured by news media brought the struggle of voting rights of African Americans to the forefront of this nation's conscious. As a result, Congress rushed to enact legislation that would guarantee voting rights for all Americans. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965.

Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site - In 1881, Booker T. Washington became the first principal of a newly formed Normal School for Negroes in Tuskegee, Alabama, at the age of 26. This began a lifelong quest for excellence that over saw the Growth of Tuskegee Institute.

Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail - In 1838, the United States government forcibly removed more than 16,000 Cherokee Indian people from their homelands in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia, and sent them to Indian Territory (today known as Oklahoma). The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail commemorates the removal of the Cherokee and the paths that 17 Cherokee detachments followed westward. Today the trail encompasses about 2,200 miles of land and water routes, and traverses portions of nine states.

 

For more information visit the National Park Service website