The document from this link is one of the most informative I have found on the history of the mouth of Mobile Bay. It is a Ph.D. thesis that tells the story of the VIRGINIA, a two-masted fishing schooner built in Baldwin County near Fish River in 1865. Built 152 years ago, VIRGINIA is today preserved and in storage but the story of this boat in many ways is the big part of Dauphin Island's story since 1865. Many of you will appreciate the history of Mobile Bay's oyster industry which begins on about page 24. The illustrations are SUPERB!
http://thescholarship.ecu.edu/bitstream/handle/10342/4308/Wittig_ecu_0600M_11094.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y