Natchez Trace MM386 - Meriwether Lewis

Meriwether Lewis is considered one of the world's greatest explorers and his death along the Natchez Trace is one of the great American mysteries. The leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition is buried on the Old Natchez Trace near Hohenwald, TN, where a monument marks his grave.

In 1803, U.S. President Thomas Jefferson selected Lewis to lead the first American expedition across then unmapped continent.  Upon Lewis' return, Jefferson appointed Lewis governor of the vast upper territory west of the Mississippi River where Governor Lewis found himself at the center of a national struggle for control of the new territories and surrounded by ruthless political enemies.

On Oct 11, 1809, while traveling to Washington to meet President James Madison and carrying expedition journals, Lewis died of gunshot wounds at Grinder's Stand (a tavern with lodgings) on the Natchez Trace.  Varying historic accounts of the cause of the gunshot wounds range from suicide to shots from Mrs. Grinders husband to a robbery gone bad to murder by his political enemies. 

Whatever the source of the gunshots, his sudden and tragic demise at an obscure place in a remote wilderness ended the career of one of the nation's most noted explorers under a shroud of mystery.

The monument over his grave.

When you stand at the monument and look outward, you see lines of grave markers radially outward; each radial line being a family group.  This area is known as "Pioneer Cemetary."

  The stone outline foundation of the original Grinder House is at the left of the picture.

A replica of the original Grinder House has been built on the site just to the left of the original location.

Behind the Grinder House is a restored section of split-rail zigzag fence that edged the original Natchez Trace.  (The "Old Natchez Trace" a historic travel corridor used by American Indians, "Kaintucks," European settlers, slave traders, soldiers, and future presidents. The Trace connected Nashville, TN at its north end to Natchez, MS on the Gulf.)

Natchez Trace MM365 - MM 405

Branch = a river or stream.

Ford = a place where a stream or river is shallow enough to be crossed.

Stand = an inn or trading post that served travelers passing through the area.  Stands began appearing on The Trace in the 1800s and the various indian tribes agreed to give travelers safe passage along The Trace as long as the Stands, located a day's travel apart, were operated by Indians.

Along The Natchez Trace (we only traveled 40 miles of it)...

MM365 Glenrock Branch

It was a short walk down to a natural limestone amphitheater and a slow, shallow stream.  Although Sweetwater Branch is farther south, both streams are known for their purity and "sweet taste" due to the natural filtration through the limestone.

MM382 Steele's Iron Works / Metal Ford / McLish Stand

This location on the Buffalo River was referred to as Metal Ford because the bottom of the river was smooth stone and reminded travelers of the stone-surfaced or "metaled" roads of the day. You can still see where The Trace crossed.

Just downstream from the ford stood the Steele Iron Works.  

Just upstream from the ford was McLish Stand at the point where the water race was dug to feed the iron works.  President Andrew Jackson was often received here as a guest and used his relationship with McLish to convince the Chickasaw Indian Tribe to give up their lands peacefully and move to Oklahoma.

These are the steps leading down into the water race near McLish Stand.

The water race is still clearly visible (and has now been dammed at its upper end)

MM383 - Napier Mine

Napier Mine was an open pit mine which provided most of the ore for the nearby iron making operations (Steele's Iron Works). John Catron, circa 1786 to 1865 was a principal promoter of the activities here in the 1820s and 1830s. Catron later became the Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The mine took its name from Catron's predecessors, the Napiers.

Looking down into the open pit as it is today.

MM386 - Burial Site of Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark)

See separate post.

MM391- Phosphate Mines

There are only remnants of the late 1800s phosphate mining town of Gordonsburg.  A short walk (needed good hiking shoes) lead to the mouth of several abandoned mine shafts.

MM392 - Fall Hollow

A path and a set of wooden bridges take you across the small creeks before they begin their tumbling descent. The easy part of the path ends at an observation deck where you can look down at the largest waterfall. Past this point the path becomes very rocky and steep. As the sign says, 'Proceed with Caution'.  It's easy to see why this was a favorite stopping spot along The Trace.

Smooth rock-bottomed stream above the first falls.

The upper falls.

Middle falls.

A side path to a falls on a feeder stream.

The STEEP natural rock stairs leading down to the lower falls.

MM406 - Sheboss Stand

The 444 mile Trace transversed a sprawling wilderness where only Indians, outlaws and wild animals were at home. Travelers needed a place to find food, supplies and rest. At government request, the Chickasaw tribe permitted an establishment of inns or stands at one day intervals through their lands, but only if Indians were the proprietors. One such stand was known as Sheboss once operated near this crook in The Trace.  

A widow operated the inn here with her Indian second husband who spoke little English. According to legend when travelers approached with questions about accommodations he would only point to his wife and say, "She boss."

MM 405 - Jackson Falls

Another series of beautiful falls along The Trace.

Natchez Trace

The Natchez Trace Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville, TN in the north to Natchez, MS on the Gulf.  The parkway follows and connects a series of ancient trails used by animals and people as they traveled through this area to find food, to hunt, to travel from place to place, to settle new territory, to march to battle, and to crate communities.  You won't find any billboards, travel plazas, or businesses as you drive the Trace - just natural beauty, fresh air, and historical markers along the way.  Don't be in a hurry - the two lane road has a 50 mph speed limit and that seems too fast for all that there is to see.  We were in our truck but the Trace is a favorite of bicycle groups.

We were camped in Hohenwald, TN and spent a day exploring only a short 40 mile segment of the Trace.  Several of our stops are posted separately.

(The Trace is the green road.)

Trust your GPS?

In Under The Tuscan Sun when Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) is riding with Marcello (Rauol Bova) in his little red sports car headed to the coastal town where he and his family make limoncello, she asks him about traffic lights as he speeds his way around other cars and blasts through an intersection.

Frances: Do traffic lights mean anythng around here?
Marcello: Sure. Green light - avanti, avanti. Yellow light - decoration.
Frances: What about red light?
Marcello: Just a suggestion.

...and sometimes the database supplied to your GPS makes you wonder.  On this day in Park City, KY, our's was set to 50' long, 9' wide, 13' tall, and 22000 pounds.

We are still traveling so obviously we made it.