For centuries, what is now Northwestern Alabama was part of the Chickasaw homelands - along with Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. The Natchez Trace was first the Chickasaw Trace, and as it grew into a national roadway, the Chickasaws operated numerous stands (inns), stables and other businesses serving travelers. Also, the prehistoric citizens of Moundville are believed to be ancestors of the Chickasaws and other southeastern tribes.