Entering the Natches Trace We’re heading home, but we are still enjoying the wonders of our country. This week it is The Natchez Trace taking us south from Tennessee down into Mississippi.
The Natchez Trace is a 444 mile long highway that dates back centuries. Originally an Indian trail, the Trace was made into a post road by Thomas Jefferson in 1801. It allowed mail delivery all the way from Natchez, MS to Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road at Nashville, TN. It was a major north-south route for travelers, but it soon became secondary as steamboats on the Mississippi River became a faster way to travel. Today’s Natchez Trace follows the original road, and there are many places where the Old Trace can be seen and walked.
The Natchez Trace is a 444 mile long highway that dates back centuries. Originally an Indian trail, the Trace was made into a post road by Thomas Jefferson in 1801. It allowed mail delivery all the way from Natchez, MS to Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road at Nashville, TN. It was a major north-south route for travelers, but it soon became secondary as steamboats on the Mississippi River became a faster way to travel. Today’s Natchez Trace follows the original road, and there are many places where the Old Trace can be seen and walked.
The Natchez Trace Parkway
No Signs, No Buildings, No Trucks, No Traffic
No Signs, No Buildings, No Trucks, No Traffic
Traveling the Trace is a pure joy. Still going from Nashville to Natchez, it is a two lane highway with a leisurely 50 mph speed limit and no commercial vehicles. Since the Trace is essentially a national park, there are no buildings or billboards to distract from the beauty or peacefulness of the journey.
Merriwether Lewis Memorial We had already driven the Trace from Natchez to Jackson, Mississippi on a previous trip, so this year we started up at Nashville and drove down to Jackson.
One of our stops was at Merriwether Lewis’ grave. It seems Lewis was traveling the Trace and apparently committed suicide one night while staying at Grinder’s Stand (inn). He was buried right there along the Natchez Trace. Merriwether Lewis was only 35 when he died. The memorial to Lewis is really pretty ugly. It is a sort of truncated obelisk to symbolize a life cut short. But it really just looks as though it was broken and never repaired.
One of our stops was at Merriwether Lewis’ grave. It seems Lewis was traveling the Trace and apparently committed suicide one night while staying at Grinder’s Stand (inn). He was buried right there along the Natchez Trace. Merriwether Lewis was only 35 when he died. The memorial to Lewis is really pretty ugly. It is a sort of truncated obelisk to symbolize a life cut short. But it really just looks as though it was broken and never repaired.