Mon Louis Island

Mon Louis Island, originally known as Isle aux Maraguans, is an island on the coast of the U.S. state of Alabama, south of Mobile. Located in southeastern Mobile County, it has an average elevation of 7 feet (2.1 m).^[1] Roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) wide and 6 miles (9.7 km) long, it is bounded by Fowl River on the north and west, Mobile Bay on the east, and the Mississippi Sound on the south.^[2] Mon Louis is traversed by Alabama State Route 193, which travels in a north to south direction along the eastern edge of the island. The unincorporated communities of Alabama Port, Heron Bay, and Mon Louis are located on the island.^[1]

History

Mon Louis Island was first settled in the early 18th century by French Louisiana colonists. A land grant was made to Nicholas Baudin, Sieur de Miragouane, on November 12, 1710. Baudin was from Mont-Louis, France. He established a settlement on the northern end of the island known as Miragouane. The island eventually came to be called Mon Louis, in honor of his native town. By the 19th century, the island was populated by people originally from various countries of origin and Creoles, along with a mix of ethnic groups.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mon Louis Island
2. ^ ^{a b} Blair Bateman. "Mon Louis Island". Mobile Bay National Estuary Program. http://www.mobilebaynep.com/site/news_pubs/news/Documents/State%20of%20Bay%20Report/MON%20%20LOUIS%20%20ISLAND.pdf. Retrieved 25 April 2010. ^{[dead link]}