The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad (Y&MV) was incorporated in 1882 and was part of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

system (IC). Construction began in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

, and continued to

Yazoo City, Mississippi Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river' ...

. The line was later expanded through the Mississippi Delta and on to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of 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 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. In 1886, the IC purchased the

Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad The Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad was an American railroad constructed in the 1850s, connecting Memphis, Tennessee with Grenada, Mississippi. In Grenada, the line connected with the Mississippi Central Railroad. History The railroad was ...

. In 1892, the IC bought the Memphis to New Orleans line, forming the

Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railway The Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railway was built between 1888 and 1890 and was admitted to the Illinois Central Railroad system in 1892. It ran between Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, through Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Baton ...

. These lines were merged into the Y&MV. Main lines included Memphis to New Orleans via Vicksburg and Baton Rouge, Memphis to Tutwiler, Clarksdale, MS to Yazoo City, Clarksdale to Jackson, MS, and Jackson to Natchez. Between 1945 and 1946, the IC began to absorb its subsidiaries. The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad ceased to operate as an independent railroad. Later railroad restructuring ended passenger service on this line.

Blues music

The railroad - or its predecessor, the Yazoo Delta Railway ( Moorhead- Ruleville) - is featured in a number of blues songs by African-American artists as the Yellow Dog Railroad. According to

W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

, locals assigned the words "Yellow Dog" to the letters Y.D. on the freight trains which they saw passing. The Mississippi Blues Commission placed a historic marker at the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad depot site in

Rosedale, Mississippi Rosedale is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,873 at the 2010 census, down from 2,414 in 2000. Located in an agricultural area, the city had a stop on the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, which car ...

, designating it as a site on the

Mississippi Blues Trail The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) ...

. The marker commemorates the original lyrics of legendary blues artist

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

's "Traveling Riverside Blues," which traced the route of the Y&MV. It ran south from Friars Point to

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

, with stops including Rosedale; and north to

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. The marker emphasizes a common theme of blues songs of riding on the railroad, which is seen as a

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

for escape.

References

External links

Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Chapter NRHS

Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Company Ledger(MUM00497)
at the University of Mississippi, Archives and Special Collections. {{DEFAULTSORT:Yazoo Mississippi Valley Railroad Defunct Mississippi railroads Former Class I railroads in the United States Predecessors of the Illinois Central Railroad Railway companies established in 1882 Railway companies disestablished in 1946 Defunct Tennessee railroads Defunct Louisiana railroads Defunct Arkansas railroads

Blues music

See also

References

External links