Natchez Trace – Traveled For Thousands of Years

For millennia, the Natchez Trace has served as a vital artery through the American Southeast. Today, this historic route is commemorated by the 442-mile Natchez Trace Parkway, a scenic byway that gracefully meanders through the states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. More than just a road, the parkway offers a captivating journey through time, unveiling layers of American history and natural beauty that span thousands of years. The Natchez Trace Parkway allows tourists to witness exceptional scenery and American History.

The story of the Natchez Trace begins long before European contact. The earliest known users of this forested path were the Mississippi Mound Builders, a sophisticated culture that flourished from approximately 800 A.D. to 1500 A.D. These resourceful people, adept at hunting and gathering, followed the trails initially forged by bison, deer, and other large game animals as they navigated the dense undergrowth. These animals unknowingly created the first rudimentary paths that would later become the foundation of the trace. The Mound Builders, however, did more than simply follow animal trails. They were also skilled engineers and builders, constructing roads, establishing cultural centers, and erecting impressive earthen monuments. Many of these monuments served as burial sites and temples, testaments to their complex social and religious structures. Several of these significant archaeological sites are preserved and accessible to visitors along the Natchez Trace Parkway, offering a tangible connection to this ancient civilization.

In later centuries, the Natchez Trace became a familiar route for the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez tribes, who considered the region their ancestral homeland. These Native American tribes utilized the trail for hunting expeditions, trade missions, and intertribal communication. The well-worn path facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultural practices among the various groups inhabiting the area. By the time the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto arrived in the 16th century, the trace was already a deeply established thoroughfare, a testament to its enduring value and strategic importance. The Mississippi Mound builders were gone and De Soto encountered a well-worn trail.

Following in de Soto’s footsteps, other European explorers and, eventually, frontiersmen and pioneers adopted the Natchez Trace as their own. The path became known as a "wilderness road," a crucial link between the settled areas of the eastern United States and the burgeoning settlements of the Old Southwest. This "wilderness road" provided passage for explorers, frontiersmen and pioneers. The Natchez Trace was a vital path to the new territories.

Among the most frequent travelers of the Natchez Trace were the "Kaintucks," a collective term for farmers and boatmen hailing from the Ohio River regions of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. These industrious individuals utilized flatboats to transport agricultural products and other supplies downriver to the bustling ports of Natchez, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana, during the early 1800s. After selling their goods, they faced the arduous journey back north. The Natchez Trace provided the most direct overland route, though it was often fraught with challenges.

The Natchez Trace also played a role in the lives of several prominent historical figures. Meriwether Lewis, famed for co-leading the Lewis and Clark Expedition, met a tragic end along the trace in 1809. While en route from Missouri to Washington D.C., Lewis died under mysterious circumstances at a small cabin in Tennessee. He was buried near the site, and his final resting place remains a somber landmark along the parkway. General Andrew Jackson, later to become President of the United States, also traversed the trace with his troops during the War of 1812. His experiences on the trail, particularly during a grueling march in 1813, contributed to his image as a tough and resilient leader, earning him the nickname "Old Hickory."

While efforts to improve the Natchez Trace began as early as 1801 under the direction of the U.S. Army, it was the War of 1812 that truly highlighted the strategic importance of the route. As fears of British naval incursions along the Gulf Coast grew, the path through Choctaw and Chickasaw lands became a critical artery for military transportation and communication. General Andrew Jackson, having previously traveled the trace on various occasions, relied on it extensively to move his troops and supplies. In 1813, his cavalry rode north to Washington, Mississippi, a town situated just north of Natchez. Later that same year, the entire 2nd Division of the Tennessee Regiment endured a difficult march along the trace after being released from duty without seeing battle. Despite being the best available option, the road presented numerous obstacles, including knee-deep mud, debilitating heat, the threat of rattlesnakes, and torrential downpours. According to soldier A.J. Edmundson, the troops were subjected to "a heavy a shower of hail and rain that ever fell upon poor soldiers in the world." It was during this arduous journey that Andrew Jackson cemented his reputation for toughness, earning the enduring moniker "Old Hickory."

From mid-1813 to mid-1814, Jackson and his troops were engaged in the Creek War in Alabama. During this campaign, Jackson enlisted the services of John Gordon, a recent arrival to the Natchez Trace region. Captain Gordon, a resident near the intersection of the Natchez Trace and the Duck River, became the leader of one of Jackson’s companies of "spies," or scouts. Gordon’s contributions to the Creek War solidified his status as a Tennessee hero. Following the conclusion of the Creek War, Jackson and his forces once again turned their attention to Great Britain and the Gulf Coast. By 1815, the hardships of the 1813 journey along the trace were likely overshadowed by the celebratory atmosphere that followed the end of the war.

Whether they were famous figures, notorious outlaws, or simply anonymous travelers, those who used the Natchez Trace depended heavily on this wilderness road as it wound its way through a diverse landscape of swamps, rivers, and rolling hills. The trace served as a road home, a path of exploration, and a vital link to the growing population of the Old Southwest. The Trace provided connection to people and places.

As time passed, new roads were constructed, population centers shifted, and steamships began to navigate the rivers, carrying people and supplies upstream. The Old Trace gradually fell into disuse, its importance diminished by the advent of modern transportation. However, the trace was never entirely forgotten. Its rich history, the legends and lore that had accumulated over centuries, and the stories of the many people who had lived and traveled along its path continued to captivate the imagination of those who lived in the region. Tales of buried treasure, ghost stories, outlaws, witches, and other mysteries became inextricably linked to the Natchez Trace, adding another layer of intrigue to its already compelling narrative.

The Natchez Trace was officially re-established as a unit of the National Park Service in 1938. Decades later, in 2005, the Natchez Trace Parkway was completed, stretching from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. Today, the parkway not only connects population centers but also provides modern travelers with the opportunity to explore and discover the history and culture of earlier generations. The parkway incorporates numerous visitor stops that highlight historical, natural, and archaeological points of interest, including several Mississippi Mound sites. The Tupelo Visitor Center serves as a central hub for interpreting the archaeology and history of the Natchez Trace, offering exhibits, programs, and information for visitors. The Natchez Trace allows modern travelers to discover the history and culture of earlier generations.