[3] The county is the base of the state's only federally recognized Native American tribe, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

They have developed gaming casinos and a hotel on their reservation here, but also a much larger business extending to locations in other states and the Caribbean.

The name "Escambia" may have been derived from the Creek name Shambia, meaning "clearwater",[4] or the Choctaw word for "cane-brake" or "reed-brake".

[5] Historic American Indian tribes in the area included the Muskogean-speaking Creek, Choctaw, and Alabama, who had inhabited the lands for centuries and had many settlements.

Many of their members had close working relationships with traders and settlers moving into the area in the early 19th century.

Most of these nations were forced to cede their lands to the United States and to remove in the 1830s to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River.

Escambia County was organized and established after the American Civil War, on December 10, 1868, during the Reconstruction era.

In the 20th century, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians organized to gain recognition as a tribe, and established a government under a written constitution.

Since the late 20th century, they have developed three gaming resorts to generate revenues for tribal health and welfare.

In addition, Alabama has recognized nine tribes, generally descendants of Choctaw, Creek, and Cherokee Native Americans who had historically lived here.