South of Nashville the Old Natchez Trace followed the ridge along the hilltops. The rugged pioneer path opened westward expansion and promoted settlement of the frontier. We leisurely drove 100 miles of road from Nashville to State Line, Alabama, and back.
Double Arch Bridge, architecturally elegant, stood out white against the sky at Mile Post 438.
The Gordon House, built in 1817-1818 and one of the few structures remaining along the Trace, housed the ferry master and his wife. John Gordon, a friend of President Andrew Jackson, operated the ferry across the Duck River, a half mile's walk from the house. Such crossings were crucial to early pioneers in the 1800's, since there were no bridges and the rivers flooded.
Boker Bluff gave us a panoramic view of farms below. A steep trail descended 90 feet to Jackson Falls, nearly dry now but carved in rainy seasons from the overflow of the Duck River.
Old Trace Walk preserved a 2,000-foot long section of the original Old Natchez Trace, 300 feet above the Duck River along the ridge. "Imagine walking 20 to 30 miles a day," I said to Andy.
The Gordon House, built in 1817-1818 and one of the few structures remaining along the Trace, housed the ferry master and his wife. John Gordon, a friend of President Andrew Jackson, operated the ferry across the Duck River, a half mile's walk from the house. Such crossings were crucial to early pioneers in the 1800's, since there were no bridges and the rivers flooded.
Boker Bluff gave us a panoramic view of farms below. A steep trail descended 90 feet to Jackson Falls, nearly dry now but carved in rainy seasons from the overflow of the Duck River.
Old Trace Walk preserved a 2,000-foot long section of the original Old Natchez Trace, 300 feet above the Duck River along the ridge. "Imagine walking 20 to 30 miles a day," I said to Andy.
"It's level mostly, so I could do 20," he answered, "but there was that ever-present danger of being robbed."
Most travelers in the 1800's took flat boats of produce and goods down the river toward New Orleans and returned with money in their pockets, walking the Trace through Chickasaw Indian country. The Trace extended more than 450 miles in its entirety.
Burley tobacco barn air dried the leaves from the adjoining farm for four to six weeks before they were ready for market. Mainly used for cigarettes, the tobacco plants demanded intense labor--250 man hours compared to three man hours for the same patch of wheat.
Sheboss Place pullout marked the site of an old inn. The Chickasaw Indians allowed inns to be built along the Trace, as long as the Indians were the proprietors.
Burley tobacco barn air dried the leaves from the adjoining farm for four to six weeks before they were ready for market. Mainly used for cigarettes, the tobacco plants demanded intense labor--250 man hours compared to three man hours for the same patch of wheat.
Sheboss Place pullout marked the site of an old inn. The Chickasaw Indians allowed inns to be built along the Trace, as long as the Indians were the proprietors.
"I guess there aren't many Chickasaws left today," said Andy, "or they would have a casino."
Fall Hollow Trail to Fall Hollow Falls wound steeply downhill over shale embankments. Beech, dogwood, hickory, sweet gum, sumac and tulip trees lent gorgeous fall colors to the canvas.
State troopers and official vehicles surrounded the Meriwether Lewis death site and burial grounds. The famous leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition had been shot in 1809 at Grinder's Stand as he traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet President Madison. He had been appointed governor of the vast upper territory west of the Mississippi River by President Jefferson and was carrying the expedition journals.
We headed on instead.
State troopers and official vehicles surrounded the Meriwether Lewis death site and burial grounds. The famous leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition had been shot in 1809 at Grinder's Stand as he traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet President Madison. He had been appointed governor of the vast upper territory west of the Mississippi River by President Jefferson and was carrying the expedition journals.
The pullout was the scene of a gigantic crafts fair and tag sale on this particular day. "Park in the field a mile up the road and take a shuttle bus back," advised the officer.
We headed on instead.
Metal Ford, so named for the sound of water rushing over metal, was actually the site of a Duck River bend that frequently flooded. A forge was located here at one time, but we didn't find any evidence of it.
Sweetwater Branch offered a half-mile nature trail along the meandering creek.
At Sunken Trail we read about the hazards of the first "interstate" road building venture--"a snake-infested, mosquito-beset, robber-haunted, Indian-traveled forest path. Lamented by the pious, cussed by the impious, it tried everyone's strength and patience." "Sounds like a few highways we have traveled in this day and age," I told Andy.
When the trail became so water-logged that wagons could not be pulled through, travelers cut new paths in the nearby woods and often got stuck again in the mud, making progress slow, dangerous and even impossible.
We turned around at the Alabama state line and headed back north.
"You can't count it as another state," said Andy.
"I didn't intend to," I answered. "Fifty feet? That's really pushing the issue!"
In 1790 the government arranged for one trip a month along the Trace to deliver mail. By 1816, three trips a week were the norm. In addition to the Post Riders and the returning boatmen, the Trace was also used by soldiers on maneuver out to the Southwest from the nation's Capitol and East Coast and by traveling preachers who carried the Word of God to frontier communities.
"The signs also said the road avoided the valleys, so it didn't have to cross too many streams," Andy reminded me.
From the sounds of things, a trip along Natchez Trace in the early 1800's was not particularly enjoyable. Our drive, on the other hand, was a delight. Spotlessly clean, low key and heavily wooded with hardwoods in full fall color, pastoral and relaxing, the road stretched like a gentle ribbon before us, tracing history as it followed the hilltops.
"You can't count it as another state," said Andy.
"I didn't intend to," I answered. "Fifty feet? That's really pushing the issue!"
In 1790 the government arranged for one trip a month along the Trace to deliver mail. By 1816, three trips a week were the norm. In addition to the Post Riders and the returning boatmen, the Trace was also used by soldiers on maneuver out to the Southwest from the nation's Capitol and East Coast and by traveling preachers who carried the Word of God to frontier communities.
"The signs also said the road avoided the valleys, so it didn't have to cross too many streams," Andy reminded me.
From the sounds of things, a trip along Natchez Trace in the early 1800's was not particularly enjoyable. Our drive, on the other hand, was a delight. Spotlessly clean, low key and heavily wooded with hardwoods in full fall color, pastoral and relaxing, the road stretched like a gentle ribbon before us, tracing history as it followed the hilltops.
We stopped once or twice more, unwilling to leave the beauty behind, anxious to capture the last spot of blue sky on orange trees as clouds rolled in out of the East. They were remnants of storms that dumped rain on Florida, and now grey skies blanketed Nashville. It reminded me of fleeting moments of beauty in fleeting time.
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