History on the Trace

Rocky Springs was an old town right near some springs (surprising, eh?).  The town did well (population 2,616 in 1860) but eventually yellow fever, boll weevils, and land erosion took out the town.  All that is left now is the church (still used occasionally), a cemetery, and two safes.  Funny to see safes in the woods!

This is the equipment to make sorghum molasses.  The turnstile broke down the juice from the stalks while the oven cooked the juice into molasses.

This one is hilarious.  We saw in all the brochures that you should see Tupelo National Battlefield.  Turns out it’s a street corner with a flag, two cannons, and a monument with no parking lot.  Wow!

 

This is recent history but I was surprised.  This waterway with multiple locks was completed in 1985 between the Tennessee River and the Tombigbee that runs to Mobile and the Gulf of Mexico.  I thought canals were only used in the past and disappeared after trains starting running.  This barge had mulch on it but all types of commodities are shipped.  I know that trains are much more energy efficient than trucks.  I wonder if boats are even more efficient.

 

This is a swinging bridge built in 1939 at Tishomingo State Park.

I consider this one either outrageous or funny.  George Colbert (half-Scot and half-Chickasaw Chief) operated a ferry across the Tennessee River.  During the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson needed to cross here.  Colbert charged Jackson $75,000 to ferry the army across the river.  I’m sure it would have taken several crossings, but that equivalent to $1.4 million in today’s dollars!

Iron ore was mined in open pits along the trace in Tennessee.  It was hard to see anything here, but we did see some of the dirt and stone along the pit walls. Phosphate was mined in these shafts near the same area.  The phosphate was used for fertilizer.

 

Iron works were located along the Buffalo River.  This isn’t the trace, but a mill race to bring water to run the machinery.  The sides of the mill race had slag pieces left, but nothing is left of the furnace.

Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) died here in Tennessee.  We visited here before, but this time the park museum was open and there was more information.  It appears that he did commit suicide, but it is difficult to understand his reasoning.  Either he was upset about financial difficulties due to political problems with a new President, or he was ill without modern medical help and was essentially out-of-his mind at the time.  He was only 35 when he died.  The broken column signified his short life.  Yet, it is amazing how much he did in that short life.

Tobacco drying in the barn.  Nearby was the site of Sheboss Stand.  From the sign, “The widow Cranfield operated an inn here with her Indian second-husband who spoke little English. According to legend, when travelers approached with questions about accommodations, he would only point to his wife and say, “She boss”."

While not directly on the Natchez Trace, we visited Stones River National Battlefield.  The battle here resulted in over 24,000 casualties (dead or wounded).  That was approximately one-third of all the soldiers involved in the battle.