Long before sunscreen and beach chairs, Alabama’s Gulf Coast was a gathering place for Native tribes, seafaring explorers, and even the occasional pirate crew. In this episode, Pearl and Sandy take listeners on a journey through time to uncover the legends and real-life history that still shape Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
From ancient shell middens left behind by the Muskogee Creek tribes to tales of mysterious pirate captains burying chests of gold beneath the sand, these stories remind us just how deeply rooted this coastline really is.
But it is not just folklore. Pearl and Sandy explore the real moments of transformation, such as the wooden masts of European ships, the booming pine tar industry, Civil War battles at Fort Morgan, and the devastating impact of Hurricane Frederick in 1979. Each chapter changed the coast and eventually gave way to the modern era of tourism, family-owned fishing camps, and the high-rise condominiums that now define the skyline.
They also share how Brett Robinson helped pioneer a new style of coastal living that made beach vacations more accessible to everyday families, and why so many visitors still return year after year to make new memories along these historic shores.
Whether you are walking the beach with a metal detector, exploring Fort Morgan, or simply enjoying a sunset from a condo balcony, you are standing on a coastline shaped by centuries of stories and maybe even a little buried treasure of your own.
