Traveling from Marianna, FL to Las Cruces, NM, Part II: Natchez Trace, Natchez, MS and the Grand Ole River itself.

Marianna to Las Cruces. Part II

Natchez Trace, Natchez, MS and the Grand Ole River

Our next stop was to explore a bit of the Natchez Trace and Natchez, MS. First, a bit of a history lesson. The Natchez Trace is a travel corridor that has been used for hundreds of years, first by the indigenous peoples, later by traders, circuit rider preachers, militia and settlers between the area of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers in Tennessee and Kentucky down to Natchez, New Orleans and the gulf. This was an important land route between the established country of the US to the newly acquired southern coastal areas of Mississippi and Louisiana. In the 1800s people in the north, (often referred to as Kaintucks) would make their way to the Mississippi River, load their trade goods on flatboats and float down to Natchez. Once in Natchez, they would sell their goods, even the lumber from dismantling their flatboats. Then they would turn around and hike back home along the Trace, which from Natchez back to Nashville was about 450 miles. There were several inns, commonly referred to as stands, where they could get food and a place to stay, but since the stands were always overcrowded, they often slept on the floor, porch or even in the yard. Now the Trace is a parkway, (similar to the Blue Ridge Parkway along the Shenandoah) that goes from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS, a lovely roadway that follows much of the original Trace with interesting scenic and historical stops.

That brings us to Natchez, MS, a modern small city, with well preserved ante-bellum mansions and historic “town homes” for the privileged gentry, (ie. landowners ie slave owners) built in the 18th and 19th century featuring greek revival and federal, as well as other architectural styles, scattered throughout the city. It was one of the few “charming southern cities” that did not suffer damage during the Civil War as the union quickly took control and used many of the homes as lodging and headquarters. The houses were fascinating and we enjoyed walking about. But, truth be told, many were built at a time when faux finishes were all the rage, and I found that either the original faux finishes (or perhaps the restoration of them) didn't quite meet my “current” aesthetics.

What did meet my expectations though was the sight of the mighty Mississippi River. It was huge! It looked like it was at least a mile wide (though it probably wasn't), and was brown and full. It was carrying a lot of water right down to the Gulf of Mexico.

That brings me to another observation that I noted while traveling through Mississippi. I'm sure most of you know, Mississippi typically ranks near the bottom in any type of measure of education. It was noticeable in the towns and cities that we drove through that there was a significant lack of investment in the schools. They were old, small, boxy in style, several with permanent “temporary trailers" for additional space. The grounds had little green space, landscaping or sport fields. I'm sure Mississippi has some nice schools, surely, but we didn't seem to go by any like we have in other states.

Our children are our future and it saddened me to see that lack of support.

On to pics:

The Natchez Trace

The remains of one of the first schools of higher education for women in the state of Mississippi, Elizabeth Female Academy, opened in 1811 and closed in 1845 when the capitol moved to Jackson.

One of the Stands.

Mississippi was very humid while we were there, but it was also a beautiful bright lush green with gorgeous flowers all about.

We hiked for a couple of miles on the Trace. This pic shows how the thousands and thousands of footfalls along the Trace has caused it to become a sunken gulch in some areas.

And in others, just a slight depression.

And in another area, there was a cypress swamp..

After exploring the Trace, we went into Natchez to see what there was to see …

This house, Rosemont, was a National Park Historic Site.

Here's an older house built more along the lines of those found in New Orleans, with its ironwork railings

The Rosalie, classic ante-bellum Greek revival style

(this is one that if you zoom in on, the exterior stone you can see the faux painting …)

I know this is a bit dark, but I loved the way the landscaping fit around the house

we've dropped down to a lower socio-economic neighborhood as we approached the river, haha

Natchez is more than just historic homes. It has a strong French and Spanish history and while it may seem incongruous to those of us who consider “the south” to have mostly evangelical protestant leanings, Natchez is home to St. Mary's Basilica, the oldest Catholic building in use in Mississippi. It has been restored and maintained like many of the homes and is beautiful.

While Natchez was known for its great homes, its wealth, its gentility and its cotton market, it was also known for its slave market. There was a moving memorial to that market which included signage and a sculpture. In poetic justice, the newly created US Colored Unit in the army during the Civil War, many of whom had been enslaved and sold as property at this very market, were given orders to help tear it down and destroy it.

Rosemont, the national park historic site, included in its display on slavery, signage highlighting changing the language we use when referring to enslaved people. For example:

traditional language - slave. preferred term - enslaved. traditional language - master. preferred term - enslaver. traditional language - fugitive, runaway, escapee. preferred term - freedom seeker. traditional language - discipline, punishment preferred term - torture traditional language - slave trade preferred term - human trafficking, kidnapping. etc.

I thought about this a lot. What did it mean? Did the change in language make me look at it in a different way? With a greater depth of understanding? Less understanding? Did it matter?

I can't help but think that it is always worthwhile considering things from a different perspective.

The “Ole Man River” itself