Day Trip

After two days of sitting around we were determined to get out and about so we set off for the historic town of Natchez. Natchez sits on the Mississippi River with views all around. Natchez is where the Natchez trail starts obviously, and goes some 400 miles up to Tennessee. This trail was originally a trail that was used by buffalo to transport goods, most likely the path of least resistance from one point to another, then the Indians used it as a trade route. It slowly grew and became one of two roads across the wilderness. The reason you can still see sections of it is that it was used so frequently that the trail in places sits 5 feet below normal ground level! To stand on the trail and think about what has passed the point you stand is very thought provoking.

Some of the old houses of Natchez are fantastic.


Following a similar path is the Natchez trail pathway, a road that is closed to commercial traffic, so cars only and a speed limit of 50 mph this follows a similar line as the original trail. Here we stopped at the ranger station and we were met by a volunteer park ranger. The national parks employ a lot of volunteers, people who generally live up north, head south for the winter and supplement the Parks service. They are not paid but are given a site for their trailer, power, water and in some cases propane in exchange for 3 days a week work.
The ranger was dressed in period costume.


This ranger was so knowledgable of the trail and the area we spent 30 mins talking. She then directed us to the restored house a short distance away which was originally the the residence for the 1200 acre property. We walked up to the house and we were met by here husband, dressed up in period costume for the time. We then given a guided tour of the house, not a big house, just a 16 x 20 ft timber cottage. To make extra money the wife of the original owner of the property took in travellers at 25 cents a night. This is because travellers walked this trail to head back home to Tennessee after taking their goods south by boat. (Keep in mind they had no way of travelling up river as steam boats had not been invented at the time). So they sold the boat and walked home and did it all again the next year, truly amazing. This place even has a cemetery where a number of slaves now rest, truly humbling experience of a time not so long past.

A visit to Vicksburg would not be complete without a tour of this historic battlefield. We arrived at the ranger station and we were pleased to be able to use our yearly pass that we bought before we left Australia, so no entry fee. The visitors centre had a great fibre optic display of how the battle took place and you have to keep in mind what we take for granted ie crossing the very wide Mississippi by a bridge they had to walk hundreds of miles to find a crossing point and then do battle!

The obelisk in the distance was the Confederate lines.


We purchased a CD and we drove the battlefield, each track coincides with a point on the drive, it then goes on to explain the events that took place at that point. The distance between the trenches in some places no more than 50 metres. As both sides exchanged bloody fire across no mans land one woman's house which overlooked the battle refused to leave, so she literally sat in her house as the battle raged below her, she was eventually moved to a cave lower down. The residents of Vicksburg also dug caves to escape the artillery bombardment from the Union army. The Union laid siege for some 40 days until the Confederate army surrender.

The battlefield view from the hose where the woman stayed, the battlefield is the cleared area.


This "iron clad" battleship was sunk by a mine laid by the Confederate army. It was raised from the mud 98 years later!


Vicksburg is also famous for something else not so bloody, and this is because the building where coke a cola was first bottled still stands in the older part of town. Before bottling of soft drinks the only was way to have one was at the drug store poured from a soda fountain. This building houses a small museum and shows how at the time each bottle was filled by hand one at a time! As we know the rest is history.

Where coke was first bottled.


- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Natchez and Vicksburg Mississippi