Jeremy

Sheffield, Alabama is considered a part of the Shoals region of Northern Alabama, also comprising Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Florence. It is located along the Tennessee River, from which the region draws its name, though the exact reason—whether because of its mussel-rich shallows, bicep-shaped curve, or strength-demanding rapids—is said to be uncertain.

The region was originally home to the Cherokee, Yuchi (who described the river as “singing”), and Chickasaw, and later the Shawnee and Chickamauga. The Chickamauga separated from the pro-American faction of the Cherokee and conducted frequent raids in the area, preventing the establishment of settlements for much of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Indeed, the area was the focus of many land disputes between peoples, nations, and states, including an unauthorized cessation obtained by Andrew Jacksonduring the War of 1812, which wasn’t officially recognized until his own administration enforced it under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Sheffield provided the embarkation point for the Trail of Tears, located at the present-day Spring Creek Boat Launch.

The organized settlement of the region was initiated by the Cypress Land Company, which laid out Florence in 1819 on the high plateau of the north bank of the Tennessee River, hoping to avoid flooding while capitalizing on the intersection of Jackson’s military road and the end of the Muscle Shoals rapids. During World War I, the US War Department began construction of a dam to power nitrate manufacturing, but it was not completed until 1924. The river was extensively developed to provide hydropower by the Roosevelt administration under the Tennessee Valley Authority during the Great Depression. Notable people from the area include W. C. Handy (Florence), Hellen Keller (Tuscumbia/Sheffield), and four senators (three from Sheffield alone).

Today, the quad cities of the Shoals are home to 147,287 people, 82% of whom are white and 14% of whom live below the poverty line. Though Florence is the site of the University of North Alabama (the oldest college in Alabama), the region is primarily known for its contributions to music during the mid-twentieth century owing to the cross pollination facilitated by the “colorblind” perspective of many musicians and businessmen. This led to the creation of several important recording studios here, including FAME studios, founded by Rick Hall above a drug store in Florence (now located in Muscle Shoals), and the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, founded in Sheffield by FAME veterans The Swampers in an old coffin showroom. Recording studios in the Shoals have hosted an astounding number of recording artists including (selections based on my personal taste/knowledge) Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd(“Now Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers…”), Levon Helm, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, etc., etc. The region is steeped in music to this day.

Sources: Native Land, Wikipedia, the City of Muscle Shoals, the Florence Times Daily, Song Facts, Census Reporter

The Maumelle, Arkansas region was originally inhabited by the Caddo and Tunica peoples, and later by the O-ga-xpa (Quapaw) and Osage. European explorer Hernando de Soto in 1541, observed extensive farmsteads and sprawling villages along the Arkansas River, then spent two years brutally extracting food and other resources from the population during a drought. When the region appeared in the logs of explorer Jaques Marquette in 1673, the villages were much smaller and many communities had disappeared. The area was sparsely settled by French traders throughout the 18th century, before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 led to a series of treaties with the United States that eventually saw the area overrun with displaced Muscogee, Cherokee, Choctaw, Coushatta, Lenape, Shawnee, and other native peoples (see the Trail of Tears), as well as American settlers. By end of the 19th century, the 1887 Dawes Act had effectively ended Native American presence in the region.

The nearby “petit rouche” along the Arkansas River was named by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe in 1722 and used as a landmark by river travelers. A city was founded near this little rock as Arkopolis in 1821, but is now known as Little Rock. Maumelle, to the west of Little Rock (and a satellite city thereof), was named after the French name for the mountain in view across the river, which resembles a breast and is today called Pinnacle Mountain. The first farming settlement named Maumelle was established here in 1842. In 1941, the area became the site of the Maumelle Ordnance Works. With the assistance of the Federal Government through the National Urban Policy and New Community Development Act of 1970, insurance executive and Arkansas businessman Jesse Odom established a planned community here in 1974 that was incorporated as the City of Maumelle in 1985.

Today, the city is about 12.02 square miles in area and home to 19,251 people, 69% percent of whom are white. It is notable for its warehousing and manufacturing industries, one of the most extensive municipal bike/walking trail systems in Arkansas at 13 miles in length, and Lake Willastein Park, which contains bunkers remaining from the Maumelle Ordnance Works.

Sources: Native Land, Wikipedia, The Central Arkansas Library System Encyclopedia of Arkansas (1) and (2)

The Arnaudville, Louisiana area was originally the site of an Atakapa-Ishak settlement; these people were largely wiped out by diseases introduced by Europeans. Previously called La Murière, then La Jonction (after the junction between Bayous Teche and Fusilier), is it named after one of the earliest settlers, Jacques Arnuad, who arrived in the mid nineteenth century and donated land to build a Catholic Church. One of the oldest European settlements in St. Landry Parish, it served as a trading center between merchants traveling Bayou Teche from New Orleans and farmers in the surrounding area. It is currently about 0.7 square miles in size and home to 1,041 people. A small, quiet town, its known for its arts and Cajun culture. Notable sites include the Bayou Teche Brewery, the Little Big Cup restaurant, and the NUNU Artist Collective.

Sources: Native Land, Wikipedia, Gladys Lagrange De Villiers Acadian Home