The Natchez Trace Parkway is a national parkway in the

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern po ...

that commemorates the historic

Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee, and Mississippi rivers. ...

and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 444 miles (715 km) from

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, ...

, to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

. Access to the parkway is

limited Limited may refer to: Arts and media *''Limited Inc'', a 1988 book by Jacques Derrida *Limited series (comics), a comic book series with predetermined length Businesses *Limited Brands, an American company - owners of Victoria's Secret, Bath & Bo ...

, with more than fifty access points in the states of

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

. The southern end of the route is in Natchez at its intersection with Liberty Road, and the northern end is northeast of Fairview, Tennessee, in the

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separa ...

community of Pasquo, at an intersection with Tennessee State Route 100. In addition to Natchez and Nashville, larger cities along the route include Jackson and Tupelo, Mississippi, and

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It is situated along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest college in the ...

.''The National Parks: Index 2001-2003''. Washington: U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service
Natchez Trace Parkway Fact Sheet
February 25, 2010

Maintenance

The road is maintained by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...

and has been designated an All-American Road. Commercial traffic is prohibited along the entire route, and the speed limit is , except north of Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, and Ridgeland, Mississippi, where the speed limit is reduced to . The total area of the Parkway is , of which are federal, and are non-federal. The Parkway is headquartered in Tupelo and has nine district offices: Leipers Fork, Meriwether Lewis, Cherokee, Tupelo, Dancy, Kosciusko, Ridgeland, Port Gibson, and Natchez. The Parkway also manages two battlefields: Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site and Tupelo National Battlefield.

History

Footpath

The gentle sloping and curving alignment of the current route closely follows the original foot passage. Its design harkens back to the way the original interweaving trails aligned as an ancient salt-lick-to-grazing-pasture migratory route of the American

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North ...

and other game that moved between grazing the pastures of central and western Mississippi and the salt and other mineral surface deposits of the Cumberland Plateau. The route generally traverses the tops of the low hills and ridges of the

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

divides from northeast to southwest. Native Americans, following the "traces" of bison and other game, further improved this walking trail for foot-borne commerce between major villages located in central Mississippi and middle

. The route is locally circuitous; however, by traversing this route the

, and later humans, avoided the endless, energy-taxing climbing and descending of the many hills along the way. Also avoided was the danger to a herd (or groups of human travelers) of being caught en-masse at the bottom of a hollow or valley if attacked by predators. The nature of the route, to this day, affords good all-around visibility for those who travel it. At all times the road is on the high ground of the ridge dividing the watersheds and provides a view to either see or catch the scent of danger, from a distance great enough to afford the time to flee to safety, if necessary. Old Natchez Trace (sign)

By the time of European exploration and settlement, the route had become well known and established as the fastest means of communication between the Cumberland Plateau, the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

, and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

settlements of

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ...

, and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

period of America's (south) westward expansion, the Trace was the return route for American flat-boat commerce between the territories of the upper and lower

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, and

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

valleys. The Americans constructed flat-boats, loaded their commerce therein, and drifted upon those rivers, one-way south-southwestward to New Orleans, Louisiana. They would then sell their goods (including the salvageable logs of the flat-boats and including enslaved people), and return home via the Trace (for the middle section of their return trip), to as far away as

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania. Improved communications (steam boats,

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

lines, and railroads) and the development of ports along the rivers named above (e.g., Natchez;

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

; Paducah, Kentucky;

; and

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

) made the route obsolete as a means of passenger and freight commerce. As a result, no major population centers were born or developed along the Trace, because of its alignment, between its termini Nashville and Natchez. The two cities of note, near or on the Trace's alignment (

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

and Tupelo, Mississippi), developed only as a result of their alignment along axes of communication different from the Trace. Thus the Trace and its alignment are today almost entirely undeveloped and unspoiled along its whole route. Many sections of the original footpath are visible today for observing and hiking the Parkway's right-of-way. The Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail includes five sections of hiking and horse riding trails.

Civilian Conservation Corps

Entrance sign to Natchez Trace, Adams County, MS IMG_6997

Construction of the Parkway was begun by the federal government in the 1930s. The development of the modern roadway was one of the many projects of the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part o ...

during the Great Depression. The road was the proposal of U.S. Congressman

T. Jeff Busby Thomas Jefferson Busby (July 26, 1884 – October 18, 1964) was a U.S. Representative from Mississippi. Born near Short, Mississippi, Busby attended the common schools of his native city, Oakland College, Yale, Mississippi, and Iuka Normal I ...

of Mississippi, who proposed it as a way to give tribute to the original Natchez Trace. Inspired by the proposal, the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promot ...

began planting markers and monuments along the Trace. In 1934, the

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

administration ordered a survey. President Roosevelt signed the legislation to create the parkway on May 18, 1938. Construction on the Parkway began in 1939, and the route was to be overseen by the National Park Service. Its length includes more than 45,000 acres (182 km²) and the towering

Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge The Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge is a concrete double arch bridge located in Williamson County, Tennessee, from the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway. It is long and carries the two-lane Natchez Trace Parkway over State Route ...

Williamson County, Tennessee Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 247,726. The county seat is Franklin, and the county is located in Middle Tennessee. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, ...

, completed in 1994 and one of only two post-tensioned, segmental concrete arch bridges in the world. The Emergency Appropriations Act of June 19, 1934, allocated initial construction funds and established it as a parkway under National Park Service by the act of May 18, 1938.

Gaps and completion

Natchez Trace Parkway seen from Twentymile Bottom Overlook

For many years in the later 20th century, most of the trace had been complete, but, owing to a lack of funds, two gaps remained. One, a several-mile-long bypass of Jackson, Mississippi. These final two segments, between Interstate 55 and

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Bet ...

(in Ridgeland and Clinton, Mississippi, respectively); and between Liberty Road in the city of Natchez, Mississippi and U.S. Highway 61 near

Washington, Mississippi Washington is an unincorporated community in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Located along the lower Mississippi, east of Natchez, it was the second and longest-serving capital of the Mississippi Territory. History This area along th ...

, were finally completed and opened on May 21, 2005. In 2013 a new law required the

(NPS) to convey about 67 acres of property in the Natchez Trace Parkway to the State of Mississippi. It also adjusted the boundaries of the parkway to include 10 additional acres. The two pieces of land in question originally belonged to Mississippi and were donated to the National Park Service when the NPS was trying to determine where to end the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Historical sites

There are numerous historical sites on the Parkway, including the

Meriwether Lewis Museum Meriwether may refer to: People * Meriwether (name), includes a list of people with the name * Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), American explorer, soldier, and public administrator Places * Meriwether, Louisville, a neighborhood in Kentucky, Unite ...

, the refurbished

Mount Locust Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

stand
Historic French Camp, MS
and the Mississippi Craft Center in Ridgeland, Mississippi, which focuses on promoting Mississippi's native art. Between the Parkway and Old Port Gibson Road is the ghost town of Rocky Springs that thrived in the late 19th century. The old Rocky Springs Methodist Church, the cemetery, and several building sites still exist and are accessible from the Parkway. Cypress Swamp is located at Mile Post 122. There are also several cascading waterfalls to view; for access, some require a bit of hiking from the parkway. Besides, parts of the original trail are still accessible. The history of the Natchez Trace, including the Parkway, is summarized at the Natchez Trace Visitor Center in Tupelo, Mississippi. Emerald Mound, the second largest Native American ceremonial mound in the United States, is located just west of the Trace and north of Highway 61 near Natchez. It offers a unique look at the ingenuity and industry of native culture. Two smaller mounds rise from the top of the main mound and rise above treetops offering a wide view. Travelers can reach Emerald Mound with a five-minute detour from the main trace highway. Emerald Mound measures by at the base and is in height. The mound was built by depositing earth along the sides of a natural hill, thus reshaping it and creating an enormous artificial plateau. The Ackia Battleground National Monument (established August 27, 1935 and now called Chickasaw Village) and Meriwether Lewis Park (proclaimed as Meriwether Lewis National Monument February 6, 1925 and transferred from the War Department August 10, 1933) were added to the parkway by the act of August 10, 1961.

Parkway highlights

Highlights include:

Natchez to Jackson

*Milepost 10.3 Emerald Mound *15.5 Mount Locust *41.5 Sunken Trace *54.8 Abandoned Town of Rocky Springs

Jackson to Tupelo

*Milepost 105.6 Ross Barnett Reservoir Overlook *107.9 West Florida Boundary *122.0 Cypress Swamp *203.5 Historic settlement of Pigeon Roost *232.4

Bynum Mounds The Bynum Mound and Village Site ( 22CS501) is a Middle Woodland period archaeological site located near Houston in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The complex of six burial mounds was in use during the Miller 1 and Miller 2 phases of the Miller ...

*261.8 Chickasaw Village Site

Tupelo to Tennessee state line

*Milepost 266 Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center *269.4 Old Trace *286.7

Pharr Mounds Pharr Mounds is a Middle Woodland period archaeological site located near Tupelo in parts of Itawamba and Prentiss counties in northern Mississippi. This complex was made of earthwork mounds. The complex of eight dome-shaped, tumulus burial mound ...

*327.3 Colbert Ferry, also site #12 on the

North Alabama Birding Trail The North Alabama Birding Trail is a wildlife trail that is not really a "trail", but a series of sites that have been chosen for their great birdwatching opportunities. The trail has 50 sites located in 13 counties in North Alabama. History The t ...

*330.2 Rock Spring Nature Trail, also site #10 on the

Tennessee

*Milepost 385.9 Meriwether Lewis Monument and Grave Site *391.9 Fall Hallow Trail *401.4 Tobacco Farm and Old Trace Drive *404.7 Trail to Jackson Falls and Baker Bluff Overlook *438 Bridge at Birdsong Hollow

Exit list

Mileage based on physical mileposts along the parkway.

Gallery

File:Natchez Trace Parkway bridge.jpg,

over SR 96 in Tennessee File:Biketrip2005 0038a.jpg, Rocky Springs Methodist Church File:biketrip2005 0036a.jpg, Rocky Springs Cemetery File:biketrip2005 0044a.jpg, Cypress Swamp File:biketrip2005 0070.jpg, Scenic waterfall File:Meriwether Lewis National Monument and Gravesite.jpg, Meriwether Lewis National Monument and gravesite File:Mount Locust 537.jpg, Mount Locust

References

External links

* * * *

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...

Maintenance

History

Footpath

Civilian Conservation Corps

Gaps and completion

Historical sites

Parkway highlights

Natchez to Jackson

Jackson to Tupelo

Tupelo to Tennessee state line

Tennessee

Exit list

Gallery

See also

References

External links