Spanish West Florida

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Spanish West Florida was a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. Its capital was Pensacola. At its largest, the colony covered parts of today’s Florida Panhandle, southern Mississippi and Alabama, and some Louisiana parishes.

Origins and borders
After Britain returned Florida to Spain in 1783, Spain kept the two Florida provinces, East Florida and West Florida. In 1785 Spain moved West Florida’s eastern boundary from the Apalachicola River to the Suwannee River to take land from East Florida. Pensacola served as the main military town for the area.

Population and life
The civilian population of Pensacola began around 300 people and slowly grew, reaching about 1,000 by 1810 and over 3,000 by 1813. Between settled areas and American colonies lay Native lands held by the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek nations. The Spanish allowed freedom of religion, but public worship was Catholic.

Governance and events
West Florida had its own colonial governors, such as Arturo O’Neill (1783–1792) and José María Callava (1819–1821). In the wider period, Spanish forces under Bernardo de Gálvez captured Baton Rouge, Natchez, Mobile, and Pensacola during the American Revolution (1779–1781). The 1783 Paris Peace Treaty returned Florida to Spain, but West and East Florida remained separate states under Spanish rule.

End of the colony and after
In 1821 Spain ceded West Florida to the United States, and Florida became a U.S. territory in 1822. At its greatest extent, West Florida included parts of what is now Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. The Spanish also supported Cajun migration from Acadia to Louisiana (1783–1785), helping shape Cajun culture.