Etowah County was created by the Alabama legislature on 1866 Dec. 7, and was originally named Baine County in honor of Gen. David W. Baine, a Confederate soldier from Lowndes County. The county was abolished on 1868 Dec. 1 by the Constitutional Convention and re-established on the same day, under the name of Etowah, which is from the Cherokee language. Etowah county is located in the northeastern section of the state, in the southern Appalachians. It is bordered by Marshall, DeKalb, Cherokee, Calhoun, St. Clair, and Blount Counties. It currently encompasses 542 square miles. Sand Mountain and Lookout Mountain are located in Etowah County. Gadsden is the county seat, named after Col. James Gadsden, distinguished soldier, diplomat, and railroad president. Other towns and communities include Attalla and Rainbow City.

Authorities:
Acts 1868, no. 20, pp. 359-61.

Owen, Thomas McAdory. History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1921.