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Huntsville History: Selected Resources: Native American History

Explore selected reading and archival materials that showcase Huntsville history.

Native American Resources

Archeologists have placed indigenous Americans in this  area as early as the Paleoindian period (prior to 3,000 BCE). However, it is actually the Mississippean Period (1,000-1550 CE) that more culturally defines how we think of North Alabama indigenous peoples.

Want to dive deeper? Check out our Native American Genealogy Resource Guide.

Selected Books

Selected Archival Collections

Records, or rolls, of the Five Civilized Tribes (Creek, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Seminole) are available in print form and microfilm at the Downtown Huntsville Library.
Keyword searchable versions of the rolls are available through Ancestry.com, which you can access for free at any library branch.

The Map Collection contains numerous maps depicting tribal territories in the Southeastern United States. Maps range from the colonial period through the Trail of Tears.
The Map Collection is accessible in the Archives at the Downtown Huntsville Library.

Over a 1.2 million original records concerning Native American are available through Fold3.com.
Fold3.com is accessible through any library branch, and from home with a library card number.

The Prehistoric Artifacts Collection contains points (arrowheads), tools, and pottery from several archaeological periods: Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian.
The Prehistoric Artifacts Collection is accessible in the Archives at the Downtown Huntsville Library.