Mon Louis Island, originally known as Isle aux Maraguans, is an island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 on the coast of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

, south of Mobile

Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...

. Located in southeastern Mobile County

Mobile County, Alabama

Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...

, it has an average elevation of 7 feet (2.1 m). Roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) wide and 6 miles (9.7 km) long, it is bounded by Fowl River

Fowl River

Fowl River is a brackish river in Mobile County, Alabama. It originates near Theodore and then splits into the East Fowl River and the West Fowl River. The East Fowl River discharges into Mobile Bay south of Belle Fontaine. The West Fowl River discharges into the Mississippi Sound east of Coden...

 on the north and west, Mobile Bay

Mobile Bay

Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...

 on the east, and the Mississippi Sound

Mississippi Sound

The Mississippi Sound is a sound along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It runs east-west along the southern coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, from Waveland, Mississippi, to the Dauphin Island Bridge, a distance of about 145 kilometers...

 on the south. Mon Louis is traversed by Alabama State Route 193

Alabama State Route 193

State Route 193 or SR-193 is a long route that serves as the primary travel route into Dauphin Island through southern Mobile County. South of its intersection with Laurendine Road, SR-193 is known as Dauphin Island Parkway, with the northern half of Dauphin Island Parkway routed along State...

, which travels in a north to south direction along the eastern edge of the island. The unincorporated communities

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 of Alabama Port

Alabama Port, Alabama

Alabama Port, also sometimes known as Port Alabama, is an unincorporated community on Mon Louis Island, in Mobile County, Alabama.-Geography:Alabama Port is located at , on the western shore of Mobile Bay, and has an elevation of ....

, Heron Bay

Heron Bay, Alabama

Heron Bay is an unincorporated community on Mon Louis Island, in Mobile County, Alabama.-Geography:Heron Bay is located at and has an elevation of ....

, and Mon Louis

Mon Louis, Alabama

Mon Louis is an unincorporated community on Mon Louis Island, in Mobile County, Alabama.-Geography:Mon Louis is located at and has an elevation of ....

 are located on the island.

History

Mon Louis Island was first settled in the early 18th century by French Louisiana

Louisiana (New France)

Louisiana or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682–1763 and 1800–03, the area was named in honor of Louis XIV, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle...

 colonists. A land grant was made to Nicholas Baudin, Sieur de Miragouane, on November 12, 1710. Baudin was from Mont-Louis

Mont-Louis

Mont-Louis is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.In 2008, the citadel and the city walls of Mont-Louis were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as part of the "Fortifications of Vauban" group....

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan 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 Creole

Louisiana Creole people

Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...

s, along with a mix of ethnic groups.