About Ditto
It was sometime around 1802 to 1804…James
(John) Ditto came around the ‘Great Bend’ of the Tennessee River
and the point of Chickasaw Island (now Hobbs Island). He landed
among friendly Chickasaw Indians in the area known as the Chickasaw
Old Fields…today’s Ditto Landing. Ditto established a trading
post in 1805 and a ferry in 1807…the same ferry that transported
Andrew Jackson and Davy Crockett across the Tennessee River on their
way to the Creek Indian War.
Around 1824, this area became known as Whitesburg,
named for James White, a salt trader. Ditto’s Landing became one
of the first inland ports of entry for the United States, a hub of
trade and economic activity for the Huntsville area into the
1840’s. |
