THE NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY
How does The Natchez Trace tie in
with Lewis County?
This is the story of
people on the
move, of the age-old need to get from one place to another.
It is
a story of Natchez, Chickasaw, and Choctaw Indians following
traditional ways of life, of French and Spanish people venturing into a
world new to them, and of people building a new nation. At
first
the trace was probably a series of hunters paths that slowly came to
form a trail from the Mississippi over the low hills into the valley of
the Tennessee. By 1733 the French knew the land well enough
to
map it and showed an Indian trail running from Natchez to the
northeast. By 1785 Ohio river Valley farmers searching for
markets had begun floating their crops and products down the rivers to
Natchez or New Orleans.
Because they sold their
flatboats for
lumber, returning home meant either riding or walking. the
trail
from Natchez was the most direct. Growing numbers of
travelers
tramped the crude trail into a clearly marked path. By 1810
many
years of improvements had made the trace an important wilderness road,
the most heavily traveled in the Old southwest. As the road
was
being improved other comforts, relatively speaking, were coming to the
trace. Many inns-locally called stands--were built.
By 1820
more than 20 stands were in operation, though most provided no more
than basic food and shelter. Mount Locust and the Gordon
House
were substantial, well-known establishments. Even with these
developments the trace was not free of discomforts. thieves
added
an element of danger to a catalog of hazards that included swamps,
floods, disease-carrying insects, and sometimes unfriendly Indians.
A new chapter in transportation dawned in January 1812 when
the
steamer New Orleans arrived in Natchez. Within a few years
steamboats were calling regularly at St. Louis, Nashville and
Louisville. Travelers liked the speed and comparative safety
of
steamboat travel more than the slow pace of going overland.
Soon
the bustle of the trace had quieted to th peacefulness of a forest lane.
These parkland preserve
important
examples of our nations natural and cultural heritage.
Started in
the late 1930's, the modern Natchez Trace Parkway parallels the old
trace. In 1995, in recognition of its historic significance
and
scenic qualities, the National Scenic Byways Program designated the
parkway an All-American road. Today the parkway is complete,
giving present-day travelers an unhurried route from Natchez to
Nashville.
At milepost 385.9 in 1809
at Grinders
Inn, Meriwether Lewis, co-captain of the Lewis and Clark expedition and
one-time governor of Louisiana Territory, died of gunshot wounds. The
Meriwether Lewis Monument designed as a broken shaft marks his grave.
Here are a 32-site campground, pioneer cemetery, picnic
tables,
ranger station, exhibits, restrooms, and trails. Camping and
pick
nick supplies and gasoline are available seven miles west of the
parkway on U.S. 412 in Hohenwald.
Area attractions in and
near Lewis
County include:397.4, the Old Trace. This marked the
boundaries
of Chickasaw lands ceded to the United States in 1805 and 1816.
392.5, Swan View Overlook. 391.9, Fall Hollow.
385.9
Meriwether Lewis monument and camping area. 382.8, Metal Ford
where travelers crossed the Buffalo River on Limestone Slate Bottom;
an ironworks and McLish's stand were nearby. 381.8,
Napier
Mine. This open pit was worked in the 19th century.
377.8, Jacks Branch, picnic area and restrooms.
375.8, Old
Trace Drive. This 2.5 mile road follows the original trace
route.
Several overlooks provide views of the countryside.
SEE OTHER RELATED
ARTICLES: Napier Iron Works, Meriwether Lewis Death, etc.
How does the Natchez Trace tie in with Lewis County? The
county
was named after the Famed Explorer Meriwether Lewis whose remains lie
buried along the Trace in Lewis County, Tn.
Information copied from the Natchez Trace brochure available at
visitors stations along the trace.
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