Trotter Landing (also Trotter's Landing) is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States. Once an important port on 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 f ...

, nothing remains of the original settlement.

History

The town was founded in 1820 by C. L. Moore, who operated a ferry to Helena, Arkansas, located on the opposite side of the river. The site was called "Glendale Landing" until 1846, when Captain John Trotter bought land there and changed the name to "Trotter's Landing". Trotter Landing was a busy riverport where agricultural products were produced and transported downriver. The town's importance, however, did not grow beyond that of a riverport. In 1870, the ''Ohio Statesman'' reported that the steamboat ''Kenton'', traveling from Cincinnati to New Orleans, struck a snag at Trotter Landing and was lying on its side on the river bank. The steamer was "probably a total loss". Trotter Landing was the terminus of a branch of the now-abandoned

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, constructed in the 1870s. The line traveled west to Trotter Landing from

Lula, Mississippi Lula is a town in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 204. Geography Lula is located near the northern border of Coahoma County. U.S. Route 49 passes southwest of the town, and U.S. Route 61 pass ...

. The 1910

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—an annual cross-county driving event sponsored by the

American Automobile Association American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 m ...

—crossed the "Father of Waters" at Trotter Landing. The Board of Trade in Helena sent large barges to the town to carry all the vehicles, and a portion of the levee had to be temporarily cut away. In 1915, the ferry from Trotter Landing to Helena was included as part of the route of the Southern National Highway.

Decline

Factors contributing to the demise of Trotter Landing's included the widespread construction of railways following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, which greatly reduced the reliance on the Mississippi River as a method of transportation. The need for ferry crossings on the river was also impacted by bridge construction, such as the Frisco Bridge in nearby Memphis, opened in 1892. The Mississippi River, moreover, changed course and moved west of the Trotter Landing, leaving the town some distance inland from the river.

Today

Trotter Landing is significant to canoeists and paddlers on the Mississippi River. The town was located at the entrance to "Old River Chute", a historic oxbow lake described as "a primeval world ", accessible by small water craft from the Mississippi River.

References

{{authority control Former populated places in Tunica County, Mississippi Former populated places in Mississippi Mississippi populated places on the Mississippi River