The Trace

The Natchez Trace, a 440-mile-long path extending from Nashville to Natchez, on the Mississippi River, once linked the Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers. It was a traditional Indian trail and was later also used by early European explorers as both a trade and transit route in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It actually started as a rough track made by bison moving north in search of salt... Now its a 'parkway' rolling through some fine country with forests and rivers and is really a snapshot of what this part of the country looked like way back when it all belonged to the Chickosaw. The trail itself has a long and rich history, filled with brave explorers, dastardly outlaws and daring settlers. Parts of the original trail can still be seen.

Also known as the Nachos Trace by a certain young traveller..I think that one might head further south tho.

Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark fame) , met his mysterious end while traveling on the Trace. Lewis had stopped here at Grinders Stand inn for rest. Extremely depressed by the state of his financial affairs (he was deeply in debt), he became drunk as he had many times during the trip. He asked the owner of the stand for gunpowder. Intimidated by his behavior, she gave it to him. A few hours later, two shots rang out in the night—Lewis had apparently shot himself twice (highly improbable, given the difficulty of reloading muzzle-loading firearms, especially after being wounded). His death went unquestioned as a suicide for many years. As time passed, more details and questions emerged—had he also been stabbed? Had one of his rivals, particularly Robert Grinder, owner of the stand, killed and robbed him? Or was it a more politically motivated killing, an assassination of the governor of the Louisiana Territory?

Being a major fan of the Lewis and Clark story, it was fascinating to come across this part of the saga.

Along the way we also noticed the work of the tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstrium, for all the entomologists.. exceptional in that the larvae build no tent at all, aggregating instead on silken mats that they spin on the leaves or bark of trees.

Stayed with the Trace south thru Tennesee and Alabama and into Mississippi where we stopped off briefly in Tupelo..an unremarkable town with a small slice of fame coming its way via the birth there of Elvis Presley. There's a small industry revolving around that fact, but Tupelo needs something more these days to halt its decline.

We headed instead for Oxford Mississippi, fifty miles to the west, and home of the University of Mississippi... 'Ole Miss...................

"Oxford Town, Oxford Town

Ev'rybody's got their hats bowed down

The sun don't shine above the ground

Ain't a-goin' down to Oxford Town.

He went down to Oxford Town

Guns and clubs followed him down

All because his face was brown

Better get away from Oxford Town

Oxford Town around the bend

He comes to the door, he couln't get in

All because of the color of his skin

What do you think about that, my frien' ?

Me and my gal, my gal's sonWe got met with a tear gas bomb

I don't even know why we come

Goin' back where we come from.

Oxford Town in the afternoon

Ev'rybody singin' a sorrowful tune

Two men died 'neath the Mississippi moon

Somebody better investigate soon."

....That's Bob Dylan on Oxford ..and the controversial uni enrolment of black student James Meredith in the early 1960's which caused huge ructions and violence in the town and across the country.

Things appear to have changed somewhat but its so hard to tell being a visitor.. Oxford feels like a relaxed oasis of sanity among the fried chicken, evangelical christians and pickup trucks of northern Mississippi.

We opted for the Ajax Cafe...

We will hear a lot more about Ole Miss later this year, as it has been selected as the venue for the first of three Presidential Debates, this one to be held on September 26. http://media.www.thedmonline.com/media/storage/paper876/news/2007/11/26/News/Preparations.Begin.For.08.Pres.Debate.At.Ole.Miss-3115165.shtml