Gators in the antebellum South. In reading about the antebellum South,

[raccoon]

Gators in the antebellum South. In reading about the antebellum South, I have never seen any mention of gators. As far as I know they should've been living in about the same areas as they live in now.

Understandably, if you're reading the diary of a plantation mistress, she probably wouldn't have much interaction with gators. Same as with a man of that class. But I don't remember reading anything about gators in the narratives of slaves either. Granted I haven't read a whole lot of those. Anybody else ever run into gators in the antebellum South in their reading?

[nolabear]

1. ...

[raccoon]

2. Yeah, 😂 but that's fiction. Nt

[nolabear]

3. LOL! You sure?

Having come from the Gulf Coast I know a lot of apocrypha about settlers and gators but most of the overt reportage has to do with the possible horror of slave babies being used as bait for them. It's horrific enough that I don't go there.

There's this though:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4r5ipp/what_did_european_settlers_think_of_the_alligators/

[raccoon]

4. Thanks for that link.

Tell me it's not true what you said.

[nolabear]

5. I'd like to hope not. No Snopes back then.

We get caught up in the horrors of today and forget how horrible things have been. I don't know if it's just stories but they've been around for a long time.

[Solly Mack]

6. Read up on the Great Dismal Swamp and the Maroons in the Americas.

Really, in several states with swamps in America. (Ga. FL. AL. SC. LA. NC. VA.)

Runaway slaves lived in the swamps among the alligators and there exist written stories of their life in the swamp.

Also lived in caves, mountains, etc.. - hidden from white people.