SPANISH FORT, Ala.—Pre-historic American Indian mounds hidden in the remote backwaters of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta and accessible only by boat will be explored this month by visitors aboard the Blakeley State Park’s eco-tour boat, The Delta Explorer.

Mound Island features 18 mounds, some rising as high as nearly 50 feet, once inhabited by Mississippian Indians from 1250 to 1550. The mounds were ceremonial sites but also offered protection from rising waters during spring flooding.

Dr. Gregory Waselkov, director of the University of South Alabama Center for Archaeological Studies, and his staff will narrate the tour Sunday, Oct. 19 beginning at 9:30 a.m. and leaving from Lower Bryant Landing near Stockton in north Baldwin County.

Because of seasonal flooding of the Delta around the Bottle Creek area, tours to the Indian site are practical only in the fall, winter and very early spring before the waters rise.

The Delta Explorer will pick up passengers at Lower Bryant Landing just off of State Highway 225 near Stockton at 9:30 a.m. and return about 12:30 p.m. At the Bottle Creek site passengers will leave the boat and take a guided walking tour of the island. Some strenuous walking is required and all visitors are urged to wear appropriate clothing and shoes.

Seating is on a first come-first serve basis but reservations may be made and tickets purchased using major credit cards by calling 626-5581. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for children. Seating is limited to 50.

The Delta Explorer is a large, covered pontoon boat with restroom facilities. The boat and its pilot are licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard. Blakeley Park owns and operates the boat out of its Tensaw River dock. Regular, two-hour walk-on tours of the lower Tensaw area are scheduled for Oct. 11 and Oct. 25. For more information on charters for groups with a minimum number of passengers call Blakeley Park at 626-0798, e-mail to blakeleypark@aol.com or go to www.blakeleypark. com.