William Bartram, America’s most famed naturalist, visited what is now Alabama in the summer and fall of 1775 during a four-year odyssey of discovery through the American South. The landscapes, plants, animals, and people he encountered were truly remarkable, and he was particularly impressed with what he found in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. In 1791 he published a book, commonly called Travels, that recounts his adventure. Through detailed descriptions and colorful prose, Bartram’s work opens a vibrant window into a world that may seem quite alien to us today, but one which you can glimpse if you’re looking in the right places!