I want to express my strong support for the St. Clair County Commission in its recent purchase of land along the Coosa River that is associated with the historic Fort Strother site. Our county’s landscape has undergone significant change in the past decade, so I am always pleased when our elected officials make an effort to conserve important parcels of land.

The Fort Strother site will provide a glimpse into Alabama’s early history. It connects us with a time before Alabama was even a state, when Native American tribes still walked the forests. Although the Creek War of 1813-14 is not as well-known as other eras in our state’s history, this site can potentially aid the local economy by drawing in both tourists and scholars.

I hope the County Commission will take measures to prevent the site from being looted by unscrupulous relic hunters looking to make a quick buck. The history that this site represents is the common heritage of all Alabamians, as are the 200-year-old artifacts which may be contained therein.

For this reason, our county government must enact a policy to ensure that any material remains at the site end up in a museum, and not in the hands of a wealthy, private collector.

— Wayne Gaston, Moody