As one progresses north at 50 mph - careful, not a smidgen faster - along the immaculately maintained Natchez Trace Parkway, beside densely wooded forests in southern Mississippi and over the rolling hills of Alabama and Tennessee, the primary sensation is serenity.
Could there possibly be a more soothing travel experience? And is there any wonder that this 434.2-mile, two-lane connection between Natchez, Miss., and Nashville, Tenn. - introducing an ever-changing panorama of scenic, recreational and cultural treasures - was selected as one of the first six All-American roadways by the Department of Transportation?
At milepost 350.5, etchings on a signpost in Tennessee describe the same basic route as it existed two centuries ago: "This early interstate road building venture produced a snake-infested, mosquito-beset, robber-haunted, Indian-pestered forest path. Lamented by the pious, cussed by the impious, it tried everyone's strength and patience."
Thus, a tale of two paths. And two eras.
No, a tale of many eras.
The stories all are woven together beautifully along the Natchez Trace Parkway, created by an Act of Congress on May 18, 1938, to roughly follow the route of the original trail; it is supervised by the National Parks Service.
Traverse the parkway today, pausing at any or all of more than 100 designated landmarks, and you'll witness a microcosm of American history - a saga, as assessed in the main Parks Service guide, "of human beings on the move; of the age-old need to get from one place to another; of Natchez, Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians following traditional lifeways; of French and Spanish settlers venturing into a new world; and of Americans building a new nation."
The forerunner of this two-lane parkway was a crude dirt path carved through the wilderness by buffalo and other wild animals and by the Choctaw and Chickasaw.
We know it today as the Old Trace, and 184 segments of varying length remain. Many intersect the parkway. Several sections, including one 24.5-mile trail near the northern terminus, are maintained by the Parks Service and accessible to hikers and/or equestrians. Two short segments in Tennessee are open to motorists.
Why is it called "trace"? It's a French word for "trek" or "track," signifying a line of footprints, and the footprints run deep here.
Evidence exists that one village beside the Old Trace was occupied by hunters as early as 8000 B.C. Artifacts recently recovered from the Pharr Indian Mounds in northern Mississippi may date to 100 A.D.
The real heyday of the Old Trace began when English-speaking settlers in Natchez revolted against Spain in 1781 and when the 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution, establishing the Mississippi River as the western boundary of the United States.
For the next 30 years, the Old Trace represented the most important thoroughfare from Natchez to Washington, and other points north.
During this period, thousands of boatmen floated merchandise down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers toward New Orleans. Though known as "Kaintucks," because many hailed from Kentucky, they came from Pennsylvania and Virginia and all over the fledgling nation.
Traveling south with the current was no problem. But returning ++ on the river was impossible. So the boatmen would not only unload the iron and flour and tobacco and other goods they had brought, but also tear apart their flatboats and sell the lumber.
The trace offered the most direct route home on foot or horseback from Natchez, situated along the river in southwest Mississippi. But the journey was fraught with danger: Travelers endured killer insects, swamps, floods and other natural adversaries; and when the trail became too water-logged to continue, they cut new paths through nearby woods.
Indians didn't take kindly to trespassers on their lands, and as word spread of individuals carrying huge sums of money obtained in exchange for goods, bandits known as highwaymen found new prey.
The U.S. government recognized the importance of the trace, however. In 1801, both the Chickasaw and Choctaw agreed to allow operation of a road through their lands. Additional clearance was ordered, and inns - called stands - were built to provide overnight shelter along the route.
Soon thousands more joined the boatmen on their journey. Some treks became legendary.
And while Andrew Jackson "took a little trip down the mighty Mississip" to fight the Battle of New Orleans, he returned to Nashville with his troops along the Old Trace, where he accrued the nickname "Old Hickory."
By the 1820s, steamboats were plying the rivers. These vessels were strong enough to overcome the current and make round trips, replacing the trace as the usual method of travel to the North.
But during the Civil War, the trace regained prominence and practicality as troops from both the Union and Confederacy marched along the old path.
Interpretive signs, exhibits and information centers along the parkway bring all this into focus. More recent history is covered, too: Designated stops are as diverse as a working rural tobacco farm and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, a man-made canal built in the 1970s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to link the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers and provide a direct route to the Gulf of Mexico.
The lure of this parkway, too, is that it appeals to so many other tastes - to birders, boaters and campers, or to those who simply relish gazing for hours upon nature's wonders.
As an All-American roadway, the parkway shares the highest distinction in the National Scenic Byways program with the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia, the Trail Ridge Road and San Juan Skyway in Colorado, the Pacific Coast Highway in California and the Selma to Montgomery March Byway in Alabama.
The Park Service helps ensure a leisurely exploration by restricting maximum speeds to 50 mph - 40 mph in a few stretches. Violators are punished, too. Many individuals or groups traverse the parkway on bicycle.
Because only one service station and no lodging facilities - and nary a billboard - are located directly along the parkway, travelers also are encouraged to detour into nearby towns and to other landmarks. So many enticements beckon that the drive from Natchez to Nashville merits a full week.
David Crockett, Elvis Presley, W.C. Handy, Helen Keller, President James Polk and Oprah Winfrey are among those who were born or lived within a half-hour's drive of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Military historians will treasure side trips to Vicksburg and Shiloh in Mississippi and to Franklin, Tenn.
Recommended stops along the parkway
Large, brown signs identify more than 100 major points of interest - including historical sites, nature exhibits, hiking trails and campgrounds - along the 434.2-mile Natchez Trace Parkway.
Additionally, mile-by-mile posts are located on the east side of the road beginning at its temporary southern terminus 8.1 miles north of Natchez, Miss.
An essential reference for maximum appreciation is the official Natchez Trace Parkway map and guide, published by the National Parks Service. This foldout guide offers insight into each designated site, giving milepost locations to the tenth of a mile. It includes details about camping and safety and provides mileage listings for restrooms and information areas.
The publication is available at no charge by writing: Superintendent, Natchez Trace Parkway, Rural Route 1, NT-143, Tupelo, Miss. 38801-9718. Or call 800-305-7417.
Some highlights:
* Natchez: Plan to spend a night or two here; it's a perfect location to whet the appetite for a leisurely drive along the parkway.
* Mile 8.7, Old Trace: This is the first of several places where the parkway intersects with a preserved section of the original Natchez Trace; exhibits trace the development of the Old Trace.
* Mile 10.3, Emerald Mound: This ceremonial mound, second-largest of its kind in the nation (surpassed only by Monk's Mound in Illinois), covers nearly 8 acres and was built 600 to 700 years ago by ancestors of the Natchez Indians. These mounds served as focal points of villages. A trail leads to the top. Marked access also is available to Natchez State Park, where picnic and camping facilities are available about two miles east of the parkway.
* Mile 15.5, Mount Locust: This is the only surviving inn along the original trace.
* Mile 18.4, Bullen Creek: This first of 14 nature trails along the parkway leads through a mixed hardwood-pine forest. Moss-draped live oak trees abound. The walk takes about 15 minutes.
* Mile 30, Windsor Ruins: Detour from the parkway to the west on Highway 552 for about six miles to Canemount Plantation and another four miles to Windsor Ruins, the remains of an elegant 19th-century mansion.
* Mile 39.2, Port Gibson: Exit onto U.S. Highway 61 for a brief detour into Port Gibson, Miss., a community deemed so beautiful by Gen. Ulysses Grant that he ordered it spared during the Civil War. Among eight churches on Church Street (also U.S. Highway 61), the best-known landmark is atop the First Presbyterian Church: a spire topped with a gold hand pointing to the heavens in tribute to a gesture favored by a beloved former pastor. Several bed-and-breakfasts are located here. Call 601-437-4351 for information.
* Mile 87, detour: With the next 14.5 miles of the parkway under construction, this is the only required detour before exiting just south of Nashville. Follow signs and travel east on Interstate 20 for about five miles; then proceed north (exiting I-20 from the left lane) on Interstate 220 (a bypass around Jackson) for about 12 miles to its termination at Interstate 55. Merge onto I-55, stay in the right lane and take the first exit clearly marked for resumption of the parkway at milepost 101.5.
* Mile 87, Jackson: Continue east on I-20 past the junction of I-220, and signs soon point the way to the capital city of Jackson, Miss. The Convention and Visitors Bureau can provide information about a wide range of enticements: call 800-354-7695 or write to P.O. Box 1450, Jackson, Miss. 39215.
From April 1 through Aug. 31, Jackson's Mississippi Arts Pavilion will be host of the Splendors of Versailles exhibition, the largest presentation ever from France's Versailles chateau, recently selected as the top U.S. event for 1998 by the American Bus Association. Write to P.O. Box 2447, Jackson, Miss. 39225-2447 for information about this event.
* Mile 87, Vicksburg: Turn west on I-20, and Vicksburg is about 35 minutes away. Here, a National Military Park commemorates one of the most pivotal Civil War battles: It culminated July 4, 1863, with Grant's troops securing the Mississippi River for the Union. A 16-mile drive within the 2,000-acre park is traversed by about 1 million visitors annually. Call 800-221-3536 or write to P.O. Box 110, Vicksburg, Miss., for brochures and other information.
* Mile 102.4, Mississippi Crafts Center: A "dogtrot" cabin (with a passageway between two parts of a building), located directly beside the parkway, serves as headquarters for exhibits and sales of area crafts, including items made by the Chocktaw Indians. Demonstrations and festivals are scheduled on surrounding grounds on weekends except in winter. The center is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Call 601-856-7546 for information.
* Mile 122, Cypress Swamp: One of the most unusual and intriguing nature trails along the parkway follows a bridge, then a footpath through swampland where alligators and other wildlife occasionally are visible. The walk takes about 30 minutes.
* Mile 160, Kosciusko: A complex adjacent to the parkway serves as an information center for the parkway and the Kosciusko area. This is a good place to pick up free literature or to ask questions of park rangers. Several motels are located here. (Campers may want to proceed another 33 miles to the 18-site Jeff Busby campgrounds.) Call 601-289-2981 for information.
* Mile 180.7, French Camp: French Camp Academy, established in 1885, is a Christian boarding school for children with family problems. The academy operates craft and gift shops, the latter situated beside the parkway in a "dogtrot" cabin, so named because dogs trotted through open walkways between two sections of the building. French Camp is renowned in this area for handmade quilts, fresh breads, jams and preserves, and for sorghum molasses made on the premises in September. The Council Cafe, in a cabin adjacent to the gift shop, serves broccoli slaw, potato soup, enormous sandwiches and Mississippi Mud Pie 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. A bed-and-breakfast is nearby.
* Mile 259.7, Tupelo: Exit here to visit the Elvis Presley Birthplace Inn. Tupelo also is recommended as an overnight destination.
* Mile 261.8, Chickasaw Village: Walk among the foundations of former Chickasaw homes - rectangular in summer; circular and sturdier in winter - and on a nature trail that requires about 15 minutes. Printed signs and recordings give background on village life.
* Mile 266, Parkway Headquarters and Visitors Center: This is the most visited site along the parkway. Separate exhibits focus on nature, history, geology, scenery, land usage and early settlers along the Old Trace. Indian artifacts are displayed. During autumn, foliage reports are posted. A slide presentation is shown by request. Rangers are available to answer questions. Books, tapes and other references can be purchased.
Two hiking trails start here: a paved loop, walkable in about 20 minutes, and a seven-mile path to Chickasaw Village.
* Mile 286.7, Pharr Mounds: Some artifacts discovered within eight dome-shaped mounds date to 100 B.C.
* Mile 293.2, Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway: This man-made canal, constructed in the 1970s, links the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers to create a direct, navigable route to the Gulf of Mexico. Take the Bay Springs Lake exit just beyond (at mile 293.4) to get a good look at the Bay Springs combination lock and dam, where the drop is about 90 feet.
* Mile 327.3, Colbert Ferry: Half-Scot and half-Chickasaw, George Colbert was characterized by a traveling preacher as "shrewd, talented, wicked." He owned an inn in this northwest corner of Alabama and also operated a ferry across the Tennessee River from 1800 to 1819. According to legend, Colbert charged Andrew Jackson $75,000 to ferry his troops across the river on their return from the Battle of New Orleans.
* Mile 337, Exit to Florence and Tuscumbia: Detour here to the east on Highway 20 to Florence and Tuscumbia, Ala., where museums honor blues great W.C. Handy and Helen Keller, respectively.
* Mile 350.5, Sunken Trace: Visitors here see three distinct sections of the original road, illustrating how the Old Trace footpath was relocated to avoid mud holes.
* Mile 369.8, exit to David Crockett State Park and Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
* Mile 375.8, Old Trace Drive: This 2.5-mile stretch of the Old Trace has been cleared enough that most automobiles - but not travel trailers or recreational vehicles - can easily negotiate the winding route through a thick forest. Drive slowly and the rewards are plentiful, especially in autumn when colors are vivid, and in spring when azaleas and dogwood blossoms line the road.
* Mile 392.4, Fall Hollow Waterfall: A short, paved walkway leads to a deck with benches overlooking this cascade. Use caution: The path is easy enough to negotiate but can be slippery. A much steeper trail provides access to the base of the waterfall.
* Mile 401.4, Tobacco Farm/Old Trace Drive: Exhibits make this one of the most intriguing stops along the upper parkway. Barley tobacco hangs to dry within an open barn, just as it has since 1932. Billy Coleman, who has grown tobacco here for 40 years, explains in a recorded message how the process works. A two-mile drive along the Old Trace begins near the barn. Most RVs can negotiate the distance.
* Mile 403.7, Old Trace footpath: A 2,000-foot section of the Old Trace follows a ridge above the Duck River and is popular with hikers.
* Mile 404.7, Jackson Falls: Arriving at the base of these lovely falls requires a strenuous walk on a steep 900-foot trail. The cascade is named for Andrew Jackson, who traversed the Old Trace frequently.
* Mile 407.7, Gordon House and Ferry Site: At the start of the 19th century, John Gordon, a friend of Andrew Jackson, made an agreement with the Chickasaw Indians to operate a trading post here and a ferry on the Duck River. He constructed one of Tennessee's first brick homes in 1817, and the restored two-story edifice is one of the few buildings along the Old Trace still standing.
* Mile 407.9, Columbia: Exit here on State Highway 50 west to Tennessee's antebellum home capital. Dozens of homes in Columbia date to the early and mid-1800s. Most celebrated are the ancestral home of President James Polk, constructed in 1816, and the Gothic Revival-style Athenaeum, built in 1835 for Polk's nephew. It was later the site of a prestigious girls' academy for 52 years. Both are located near downtown and are open for tours.
Travel about eight miles south of Columbia on U.S. Highway 243 to Rattle 'n' Snap Plantation, which dates to 1845 and serves as the centerpiece of a beautiful farm.
Lunch is served at Rattle 'n' Snap by reservation only; call 800-258-3875. Call 800-381-1865 for information about Columbia.
* Mile 423.9, Tennessee Valley Divide: When Tennessee was admitted to the Union in 1796, this represented the boundary between the United States to the north and the Chickasaw nation to the south. The parkway reaches its highest point near here, with elevations of about 1,100 feet.
* Mile 426.3, Old Trace: A short section of the original trace, ideal for hiking, was first cleared by the U.S. Army in 1801.
* Mile 427.6, Garrison Creek/Old Trace: A 24.5-mile trail, the longest single accessible segment of the Old Trace, begins behind a picnic shelter at Garrison Creek and winds back to the south. It extends to State Highway 50 near its intersection at Mile 407.9 of the parkway.
* Mile 437.6, Franklin: Exit on State Highway 96 to this captivating city, now a thriving Nashville suburb and the site of one of the bloodiest Civil War battles. At the Carter House complex, a small but well-documented museum recounts how more than 2,000 Federal troops and 6,000 Confederates - including young Tod Carter, who lived within - lost their lives. More generals died here than in any other battle. Bands led their respective troops: A Confederate soldier from Ireland termed it "the only battle I can remember where the tooters and the shooters were together." More than 1,000 bullet holes remain visible in buildings on the property. Guided tours are available. Also near Franklin, Carnton Plantation is the site of the largest private Confederate cemetery in America. The entire 15-block original downtown area is on the National Register of Historic Places. Call 615-794-1225 for general tourism information.
* Mile 442.3, Northern terminus: Exit here on Highway 100 to Nashville where other historic properties include Belle Meade, known as the Queen of Tennessee Plantations and dating to 1890, and the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home amid magnificent grounds. Call the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau at 615-259-4700 to request free brochures. But pause first just beyond the parkway's terminus at the Lovelace Cafe and Motel on Highway 100. Don't be dissuaded by appearances: Country music stars and celebrities from all over the world chow down on the small cafe's country ham and red-eye gravy, fried chicken and biscuits. Reservations are recommended, even for breakfast; call 615-646-9700.
Pub Date: 6/14/98