Before statehood, travelers to the future state of Alabama faced a formidable task as they threaded their way through the vast wilderness down paths of what was then mainly Native American land.Until 1806, rivers and Native American trails were the only means of communication in the Alabama region, but in that year Congress provided for the construction of the first two roads, the Natchez Trace and the Federal Road.Alabama Footprints: Settlement is a collection of lost and forgotten stories of the first surveyors, traders, and early settlements of what would become the future state of Alabama.Read about: A Russian princess settling in early AlabamaHow the early settlers traveled to Alabama and the risks they tookA ruse that saved immigrants lives while traveling through Native American TerritoryAlliances formed with the Native AmericansHow an independent republic, separate from the United States was almost formed in Alabama