Where exactly was the old Wolf Trail from early Alabama history?

Way back in early November, local history buff Bill Hart stopped by The Courant office to show me a copy of a new book called “The Old Federal Road in Alabama: An Illustrated Guide” by Kathryn H. Braund, Gregory A. Waselkov and Raven M. Christopher. Published last year in conjunction with the 200^th anniversary of Alabama statehood, this 164-page book is billed as a “concise illustrated guidebook” to the Old Federal Road, which in large part makes up the border between Conecuh and Monroe counties.

I finally got my hands on a copy of this book last Thursday and while flipping through the index, I noticed an entry for the “Wolf Trail.” I’ve always been interested in reading about these old Indian trails, and the old Wolf Trail is said to have passed right through Conecuh County. This old trail was actually mentioned by name as far back as June 1799 by U.S. Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins, who made a note of it in his journals.

According to “The Old Federal Road in Alabama,” the Wolf Trail was a major path to Pensacola that Hawkins passed three minutes below Burnt Corn Spring. With that said, most sources agree that it ran through Conecuh County on its way from the Montgomery area to Pensacola. However, not all sources agree which leads one to wonder where exactly this path was located.

The writings of Conecuh County historian B.F. Riley said that this “famous” Indian trail ran from Claiborne on the Alabama River through Belleville to the Chattahoochee River on the Alabama-Georgia line. Other sources say that this trail follows the route of present-day U.S. Highway 29, which will carry you from Brewton to Pensacola.

Many sources note that the Wolf Path was heavily used by Creek Indians, who would travel to Pensacola to trade with Spaniards, who were in charge of Florida until 1821. Probably the most significant thing to happen along this path in the past 250 years was the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek,” which kicked off the Creek Indian War. During this attack, soldiers ambushed Indians on the path as they made their way back from Pensacola.

According to an Alabama Highway Department report titled, “Indian Trails to Interstates: The Story of Alabama’s Road System” by Don Dodd and Gary Reeves, the Wolf Trail was also known as the Great Pensacola Trading Path and served as a “Creek horse path between the Alabama towns in the central part of the state and Pensacola in Florida. The railroad from Montgomery to Pensacola later retraced the old Wolf Trail, on which the Battle of Burnt Corn was fought.”

Last, but not least, another source, “Alabama Encyclopedia, Vol. 1: Book of Facts” says that the “Burnt Corn Fight, which marked the beginning of the Creek War, 1813-14, [took place] near the county line at the crossing of Burnt Corn Creek and Pensacola Trail, which was also known as Wolf Path and was a great trading path used by the Indians, Creeks, English and Spaniards long before the Revolutionary period.” This source also notes that there’s a large “absence of aboriginal remains” in Conecuh County and that the “only Indian town known to have existed within its limits seems to have been a village on Old Town Creek.”

In the end, I’d like to hear from anyone in the reading audience with more information about the Wolf Trail or any other Indian trails in Southwest Alabama. Also, if anyone out there has ever seen a reliable map of the old Wolf Trail, please let me know. It would be nice to lay to rest this minor local mystery by settling the question once and for all.