Trace elements: from natural wonders to Native American relics, a new guide offers insights for exploring the Natchez Trace Parkway.When Francis Bailey completed a trek along the Old Natchez Trace Natchez Trace, road, from Natchez, Miss., to Nashville, Tenn., of great commercial and military importance from the 1780s to the 1830s. It grew from a series of Native American trails used in the 18th cent. by the French, English, and Spanish. in 1797 he undoubtedly felt lucky to be alive. The journey probably lasted 20 to 30 long, grueling days. Along the crudely defined trail, Bailey had to pass through thick forests, climb steep ridges, and cross swamps and creeks. He saw enough wolves and bears to warrant burning a fire all night long, and the abundant poison ivy poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, woody vines and trailing or erect shrubs of the family Anacardiaceae (sumac family), native to North America. caused his legs to swell so badly that he had to make moccasins to replace his boots. If the natural threats weren't enough, bandits known to prey upon Trace travelers, stealing their horses or even killing them and taking their money. But even with these difficulties, Bailey found the overall experience a life-enriching one. "Surrounded on each side with a deep wall of woods, I enjoyed the serenity of the evening in silent meditation," Bailey wrote in a journal of his travels. "Everything I saw and heard taught me a lesson which required not the powers of oratory oratory, the art of swaying an audience by eloquent speech. In ancient Greece and Rome oratory was included under the term rhetoric, which meant the art of composing as well as delivering a speech. to embellish it." Driving up the smoothly paved Natchez Trace Parkway Natchez Trace Parkway: see National Parks and Monuments (table). today in an air-conditioned car, it can be difficult to imagine this journey as it was for Francis Bailey so long ago. But the emotions he so eloquently expressed can't be all that different from those of the many travelers who experience the Trace's natural majesty more than 200 years later. "... Many of the vistas have not changed substantially," writes F. Lynne Bachleda in the new Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway. "Ultimately, this is the affirming power of the Trace: along this distance, powerfully strong human and natural links still exist across time." Bachleda's Guide is a richly detailed resource for anyone who wishes to take that journey back in time. Balancing practical information with historical anecdotes and vivid landscape descriptions, the book helps modern-day travelers make the most of the 444-mile trip from Natchez to Nashville. The Guide begins with a history of both the old and new Natchez Traces, from ancient times when it was little more than a path worn by animals headed toward the salt springs in present-day Tennessee, to the turn of the 19th century when the U.S. government established a postal route through these Indian territories Indian Territory, in U.S. history, name applied to the country set aside for Native Americans by the Indian Intercourse Act (1834). In the 1820s, the federal government began moving the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw) of the , to the 1930s New Deal plan that sparked a survey of the Old Trace and the construction of a new parkway along its route. The drive itself is beautiful, but only by stopping along the way can visitors get a sense of all this place is and was. Bachleda helps drivers determine where to turn off by separating the 100 milepost stops along the Trace into categories: the Trace Top Twenty outlines places the author and the National Park Service believe are must-see spots, while other lists highlight early Native American mounds and burial grounds Burial Ground Aceldama potter’s field; burial place for strangers. [N. T.: Matthew 27:6–10, Acts 1:18–19] Alloway graveyard where Tam O’Shanter saw witches dancing among opened coffins. [Br. Lit. , remnants of the Old Trace, natural wonders like waterfalls and wildflower wildflower Any flowering plant that grows without intentional human aid. Wildflowers are the source of all cultivated garden varieties of flowers. A wildflower growing where it is unwanted is considered a weed. meadows, and more. The heart of the book is a chapter devoted to "Sightseeing by Milepost." For each stop, the author gives an idea of what visitors will discover there, how long it might take to explore its trails or scenery, and why it is historically or naturally significant. Walk across a cypress swamp and watch for herons and alligators at milepost 122.0 near Canton. Visit the graves of 13 unknown Confederate soldiers The Unknown Confederate Soldier is located in a tomb in Harrison County, Mississippi dedicated to a Confederate soldier in the American Civil War. The tomb is marked with a marker reading, "Known but to God", which records the death of the soldier. north of Tupelo tupelo, in botany tupelo: see black gum. Tupelo, city, United States Tupelo (t  `pĭlō, ty at milepost 269.4. See the oldest prehistoric site on
the Trace, Bear Creek Bear Creek may refer to: Communities
Beginning in May, visitors will be able to drive the entire length of the Trace uninterrupted, as the final segments are completed after 67 years of construction. The new segments include a spot in what is now Ridgeland (milepost 100.0) where Silas Dinsmore worked as Choctaw agent, a sort of liaison between the Indians and the U.S. government, in the early 1800s, as well as the family cemetery of Cowles Mead Cowles Mead (October 18, 1776 - September 12, 1844) was a United States Representative from Georgia. He was born in Virginia. He received an English education and then became a private practice lawyer. Mead had a controversial stay in the United States Congress. (milepost 93.0), who as acting governor in 1806 ordered the arrest of former vice-president Aaron Burr burr (bur) bur. burr n. Variant of bur. burr 1. a plant seed capsule carrying many hooked structures which catch in animal coats thus promoting dissemination of the plant. for treason treason, legal term for various acts of disloyalty. The English law, first clearly stated in the Statute of Treasons (1350), originally distinguished high treason from petit (or petty) treason. Petit treason was the murder of one's lawful superior, e.g. . In case there's time for a side trip, Bachleda provides details on interesting sights not far from the parkway. There's plenty of other useful information, from the best places to dine--King's Tavern in Natchez or Loveless Cafe in Nashville--to camping and lodging options and advice on traveling the Trace by bicycle. Whether you're just passing through or making a vacation of the drive itself, Guide to the Natchez Trace Parkway helps ensure that the trip will be a memorable one. Writes Bachleda, "It is a truly special place that willingly reveals itself to you if you meet it with an expansive imagination and the gift of your time." # Ceremonies celebrating the completion of the final segments of the Natchez Trace Parkway will be held May 21, 71 years to the day after Congress approved an act to have the Old Natchez Trace surveyed. The new segments--a southern terminus Terminus (tûr`mĭnəs), in ancient Rome, both the boundary markers between properties and the name of the god who watched over boundaries. at Natchez and a stretch from Clinton to Ridgeland--mark the end of 67 years of construction. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. at the Natchez Trace/Liberty Road junction in Natchez. Other highlights include a caravan of 67 cars from the Clinton-Ridgeland segment to Natchez and a reception at Melrose Plantation in Natchez. All events are open to the public. For a schedule, call 800/305-7417 or see www.nps.gov/natr. GUIDE TO THE NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY By F. Lynne Bachleda. Paperback, $14.95. Published by Menasha Ridge Press, distributed by The Globe Pequot Press; 800/243-0495, www.menasharidge.com. |
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