Did You Know? Alabama

How did Alabama get its name?
The state of Alabama was named after the river. The Alabama River was named by early European explorers after the Indian tribe that lived in the territory, and first appeared in 1540 spelled as “Alibamu”, “Alibamo” and even “Limamu” in the journals of the Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto (c.1500-1542). In Choctaw, “Alba” means vegetation, herbs, plants and “Amo” means gatherer or picker. “Vegetation gatherers” would be an apt description for the Alabama Indians who cleared much land for agricultural purposes.