From Here to Colorado Springs and Back

Recently my husband and I decided to drive across the United States to visit our son who is working temporarily in Colorado Springs.  We gave ourselves 3 days to drive there, 2 days to visit and 3 days to drive back.  Our drive took us from Stone Mountain, Georgia through Alabama and Mississippi to our first stop of Natchez, MS.  My husband had talked about wanting to visit the town for several years and this was a great opportunity to do so. 

We arrived in Natchez on a late Sunday afternoon.  Just as we were checking into our hotel a summer afternoon storm popped up.  We dashed into our room and stood at the window that overlooked the great Mississippi River.  Low clouds rolled over the river which obscured our view of just how big the river is.  A little while later the storm blew over and we were able to see to the other side of the majestic water.  Long river barges meandered up and down the expanse of water.  A tug boat at one end of the row of containers pushed what seemed to be a too long row to navigate the tricky river.  It was fascinating to watch!

The storm passed us by and we were able to go to dinner at the Magnolia Grill, one of the only restaurants open on Sunday on the river.  After dinner, we drove around the town site seeing.  We didn’t have much time to see anything as it was getting dark but I was able to snap a few photos of the river.  The picture below is looking north up the Mississippi.

As a jewelry designer, I am always interested in gemstones and where they are found.  Unfortunately, Mississippi is not really known for gemstones but you can find fossils, petrified wood and fulgurites.  Fulgurites are a type of quartz that forms when lightning strikes the Earth and causes sand at a confined area to melt and form a unique variety of quartz.  Alas, I did not have time to find any of these items!

The town got its name from a group of Native American people who lived in the Natchez Bluffs area of Mississippi.  The Natchez Trace begins in the town and runs approximately 444 miles through 3 states to end near Nashville, TN.  It was first traveled by the American Indians, European settlers, slave traders and soldiers.  It is now a historical National Parkway.

Natchez is a small town of a little more than 15,500 people.  The demographic is about 58% black/African American and 39% Caucasian.  They enjoy a mild climate with January being the coldest month (58/38) and August being the warmest (91/71).  The elevation is 217’ above sea level.  The state bird is the mockingbird and the state mammal is the white-tailed deer.  The main economy for the area is mining, quarrying, oil, gas extraction, utilities, accommodation and food services.

Some interesting tidbits about Natchez and Mississippi are listed here for your information:

·         * 17 four year colleges in Mississippi

·        *  Famous person from Natchez – Mickey Gilley, country music singer who was a cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart

·         * Keesler AFB – Biloxi, MS – Largest base in MS 

·         * Fort Rosalie built in 1716 was the first permanent white settlement on the Mississippi River built by the French and later renamed Natchez

·         * The first prep school in the Mississippi territory was established in 1802 – Jefferson College

·         * The doorway of the Linden Mansion, (now a bed and breakfast) built in 1785 may have been the inspiration for the doorway of Tara in the movie, Gone With the Wind

·        *   Texada is believed to be the oldest capitol building in the state

·        *   The first African American singer of classical music to gain recognition in both Europe and the US was Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, born 1809 in Natchez

·         * St. Mary Basilica was built in 1842 and is the oldest Catholic building still in use in Mississippi – it is a prime example of Gothic-Revival architecture

·        *  Longwood Mansion is the largest remaining octagonal house in the country – it was built in 1860 for Haller and Julia Nutt – only the first floor of the interior was finished due to Civil War tensions

·         * The Mississippi River is the largest river system in the US at 2,300 miles long – it is the 4^th longest and 10^th most powerful river in the world – it was a vital factor in the physical and economic growth of the US

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our first leg of the journey across America.  Look for more posts to follow soon.