Sam Dale (1772-1841) was a scout, trader, Indian trader, and wagoner who explored the Alabama wilderness, was called Big Sam "Tholocco" by the Indians, and later led settlers from Georgia to lands in the Tombigbee and Alabama River basins. As General Sam Dale, an Indian fighter and Alabama militia captain, he and two men defeated eleven Indians in hand-to-hand combat while fighting in canoes on the Alabama River on November 13, 1813. As Hon. Samuel Dale, he delivered dispatches to General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1814, and as a member of the Alabama Legislature he was honored when Dale County was named for him on December 22, 1824.