NACHEZ TRACE

For centuries Native Americans travelled the Natchez Trace Trail for transportation, trade, food and social gatherings. Approximately 440 miles long it connected Nashville Tennessee  with Natchez Mississippi. Rivers of the Midwest were of vital importance to the natives and this area was no exception. The Natchez Trace Trail connected the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers allowing growth in the area. Today the trail is honored by a picturesque parkway, without commercial traffic, through one of the oldest history laden parts of the country. 

I crossed the Mississippi River under the cover of darkness, sounds like a search-and-destroy mission, and pulled into a rest and welcome center and went to sleep for the night. When I woke up I was in Greenville Mississippi. 

I thought it was dreary-on-Lake Erie when I pasted but Greenville Mississippi was not a place I wanted to be. I washed my face, freshened up, and headed out. Oh, don't drink the water it was brown.

I hit the road heading southwest in search of the infamous Natchez Trace Trail and within a couple of hours I was following a historic well travelled route. Once just a worn out dirt path the trail meandered through both rich and poor neighborhoods. This was not a hiking trail but an exercise in Native American history and the building of a nation. Today I look and learn.

Beautiful tree lined streets.

Terminals on the river.

Cotton ready for picking.

Halloween decorations using local foliage, cotton.

Wealthy estates.

Poor neighborhoods. 

From the country pride.

Shady Lane, country living.