by The Blackwhydah

Created on: December 27, 2007

Who Killed Don Diego?

Not much of a title is it? In this case, getting right to the point is the best approach. This is a true mystery, though not widely known locally. This little bit of history will not be found in history books either; still it can prove to be most interesting as you will learn!

In an area of North Mobile County, Alabama there is a city named Saraland.(Oddly enough, this city is named for Don Diego Alvarez's daughter-in-law Sara.)I have lived in Saraland for some 40 years now and became interested in the local history and folklore after learning that my husband, at that time, was actually a descendant of the Alvarez's.

Saraland was first settled in the late 1600's by Don Diego Alvarez through a Spanish land grant. Spain owned most of the southern coastal territory at that time and would, upon approval by their court, grant large tracts of land to their people who wanted to establish residence in the area. And so, after petitioning the King and court, his petition was granted and soon thereafter, he wed. He immediately set about establishing a ferry service across a local river allowing travelers easy access to the city of Mobile. He had no hired help and ran the ferry himself. He also built his home along the river bank. The old piers used in the ferry service still exist, though nothing remains of the house. It has been said that one person has actually found the old foundation for the house, but there are no photos or other proof available.

There are several points to be observed in this mystery besides the information about Don Diego and his business and the establishment of the land grant.
One has to consider many factors which we will now learn.

There was an Indian tribe living nearby who, for the most part, were quiet and peace loving people. They occasionally caused trouble, but only occasionally. It was a rare event indeed for them to go on any rampages or raids.

A local pirate, Jean Lafitte, was known to frequent the area having had a local physician adopt his only child. (Lafitte's wife died in route to the states from 'childbirth fever', a complication that seemed to take many women's lives back then. There are many different versions of this tale, but the most prominent is the one it is said Lafitte told. His wife had the child and took a fever and shortly after the ship sank just offshore of land. He and his infant daughter survived.)
Lafitte used the ferry service run by Don Diego on a regular basis.

The night Don Diego died is surrounded

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