July 7 - 12, 2021 :
I am following the River Road Tour map and it highlights attractions along the route. I exit the road for the Port Hudson battlefield which claims to have been the longest siege in US History between the Union and Confederate forces for control of the Mississippi River. The confederates eventually surrendered mainly because they were starving, their food supply had been cut off.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Port_Hudson
I cross the border from Louisiana into Mississippi and stop at the Mississippi visitors center where I pick some needed travel information. I then make a lunch stop at the Captain Bennett Landing on the the Mississippi River which was a ferry boat port up until 2012 when a bridge was constructed.. A short distance away is a railroad caboose and historical signs where the West Feliciana Railroad once ran. The rail line here was one of the earliest rail lines in the US, chartered in 1831 and operational in 1841 to transport Cotton.
I continue on to Natchez, Mississippi where I visit the Natchez Indian tribe museum and the field behind it containing remnants of the the tribes ceremonial mounds. This was a vibrant tribe that lived in this area for 1,000’s of years until the French arrived, they put an end to that. There are several of these protected Indian mound sites here in Mississippi and many more that were probably plowed up or aren’t even known about.
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| Yet another tribe unknown except for local residents |
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| They did have some extreme beliefs |
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| These were actually rather small mounds |
Next, I stop at the Natchez visitors center for more information. They have a large exhibit on the history of slavery in Natchez as this was the 2nd largest slave market in the US, New Orleans being the 1st. It’s ironic that the economic condition here continues to depend on tourism related to slavery. It’s all about the Civil War, the plantations and their wealthy patrons, blues / jazz music and ethnic food.
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| So much turmoil in this area |
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| Don't go under the hill ! |
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| The great race |
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| A river view from the bank under the bluff |
I wander around the historic downtown following a map provided at the visitors center. The downtown has several historic buildings, but not much in the way of shopping and everything is somewhat distressed, dinghy looking. The residential area however is full of beautiful charming old houses. The great attraction in Natchez is the beautiful Mississippi River view from the town park sitting on the bluff top. I spend the night at the visitor center parking lot and leave Natchez in the morning.
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| A view from atop the bluff with river boat docked |
I’m continuing north on the River Road tour traveling on route 61, making a stop at the Emerald Mound. It took me a while to find it although it’s not far from the highway, lets just say the road signs were misleading. Once there, it was worth it, it was an impressive mound to be built entirely by hand with no tools. It is the 2nd highest mound site in the US. This area along the Mississippi River has many mounds, in fact there is now a mound tour shown on some maps. Route 61 runs almost parallel to the Natchez Trace Parkway for quite a while, but I wanted to see the small towns along the route although there wasn’t much to see.
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| A intersting culture |
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| They existed all along the Mississippi |
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| That's a big mound of dirt |
I arrived at Vicksburg in mid afternoon, where I checked into a Best Western Motel for the night, I really felt a need to get cleaned up. I go out across the highway to a BBQ restaurant, very Mississippi, could hardly understand what the waitress was saying, but it was good and quick. That was my nights excitement watching a little TV, using the internet and taking a good shower and stretching out in a big bed.
I didn’t plan on exploring in the town, but at the last minute saw something about the Coca-Cola Museum and had to check that out. It’s a pretty good story of Joseph A Biedenharn who was the first to actually put Coca-Cola into bottles and distribute it. He developed a bottling plant where he filled one bottle at a time, really basic stuff, but it worked. The museum had lots of old advertising signs and photos, but the real prize was the actual bottling equipment that was used in the beginning which was actually a pretty clever arrangement.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicksburg,_Mississippi
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| The bottling plant |
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| The original soda fountain behind the store |
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| They still sell candy, soda and ice cream |
Of course, after leaving the museum, I was attracted by some nearby interesting buildings, the train depot, a blues trail marker and a series of beautiful murals along the river front. There was also a Museum of the lower Mississippi with a retired Mississippi River boat dry docked outside. The Court House was also worth seeing, overall a pretty interesting town and I could have stayed another night to see it all and there were some nice restaurants, but I have to keep moving. My daughter in laws father just died he has about my age. My brother in law died a little over a year ago, at my age these things get your attention, time is precious, not to be wasted.
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| These blues trail markers are very well done |
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| Riverboat on display |
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| A horrible accident |
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| The south still can not accept that they lost the Civil War, sound familiar ? |
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| A local black WWII pilot who won many awards |
I then get back onto route 61 north heading for Greenville into much rich farm land and deep delta blues country. I exit for another mound site and bypassed a couple others, they really aren’t that exciting, but there are many of them in this area. What will people from another galaxy find when they explore our planet someday ?
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| Everywhere I go I see more mounds |
I arrive in Greenville, stop at a rather raunchy grocery store for a few items and head downtown which is sort of rough looking. I can stay in the Casino lot overnight, there are two of them to chose from, but that free campsite comes with a threat of losing much more than the price of a normal campsite, or I could win, am I feeling lucky ? I turns out that I come out slightly ahead only because I’m cheap, have about a $30 limit and cash out as soon as I am ahead. As usual though, very sad, 90 % of the patrons are lower income blacks losing all their money.
I am not impressed with Greenville, half the businesses are closed down, it’s dirty, run down and it’s supposed to have all this great delta blues music, but I can’t find anything. I go to the Jim's Cafe for breakfast, see several great reviews about the food, a photo of Eric Clapton is on the wall, but my basic breakfast was rather bland, the home fries were fried solid, nothing to brag about.
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| The only place open on a Sunday morning |
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| A beautiful boardwalk through this |
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| Nice to see some of this being saved |
I leave Greenville in the morning heading east on route 82 for the city of Leland, another prominent Delta blues location. Leland is rather poor and distressed looking and the blues museum I expected to be open was not, so I cruised around a few of the downtown blocks. There are several blues trail markers and murals, but most of the murals are faded, in need of some economic stimulus. This blues trail thing is a primary tourist draw here and I don’t understand why they aren’t doing more to promote it.
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| Johnny had a good upbringing here |
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| These blues markers all everywhere |
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| The museum is closed |
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| Lots of interesting signs and art work |
My next stop, Indianola turns out much better as the B.B. King Museum is actually open and is a first class operation with state of the art video screens, excellent exhibits on his entire life and his rise to stardom, a very amazing and impressive story. His last tour bus is actually inside the museum and he is buried on the grounds inside a fenced in area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianola,_Mississippi
https://bbkingmuseum.org/visit/
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| Everything in town revolves around Riley B King |
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| He's even imbedded in the sidewalk |
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| The museum is truly a great one |
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| I thought this small tribute downtown was touching |
Across the street is a restaurant and music club called the "Blue Biscuit" which I go to for dinner, it is very interesting inside and they have live music in the evening. I return around 9 PM, there is music, but there is nothing bluesy about it and the young crowd pays no attention to the mediocre duo playing mostly classic Americana music.
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| Interior made to look bluesy |
Across the railroad tracks (that side of town) on Church Street is the black area where the blues scene took place back in the day and still does to some extent. B.B. King talked about it at the museum, it’s where he started playing as a young man. Several of the clubs of legend remain, but everything is sadly falling apart and the area is full of trash, although it still looks like the hangout spot for the current local poor blacks.
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| This place must have been exceptional |
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| This corner could tell some wild stories |
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| And that's a fact ! |
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| Legendary bluesman |
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| Church street gets it's own blues marker |
Overall the town of Indianola is pleasant though, a decent clean downtown area, many churches here, these are bible toting, god fearing people.
Next I’m continuing on route 278 for Clarksdale, MS the self proclaimed capital of Delta Blues music. It’s all agriculture around this area with rich farm land created over the ions from periodic flooding of the Mississippi River. This route takes me through or close to several small towns, I exit for a few such as Shaw. Boyle and Cleveland which had points of interest. The town of Shaw in particular, the birthplace of “Honey Boy” Edwards is poor looking and depressed now, but there are elements that show that it was once a more prosperous vibrant town. The Cotton industry was the cash crop that made these towns, the Bol Wevel and the Civil war came along and ended it. The railroad used to run through all these towns, freight and passenger trains, now the passenger trains are history and the freight mostly gone too. Many people are still living in small shacks, like sharecropper shacks, not much different from the early 1900’s.
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| Many of these small rural churches remain in thus area |
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| I was able to see Honeyboy play a couple of times |
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| An old shack in town |
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| A poor looking street |
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| The way the bluesmen traveled |
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| Immortalized in song |
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A highway 61 blues horse
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I arrive in Clarksburg where I see a marked change from when I was last here in about 2009. Main Street back was was much more normal looking. Now, the are blues trail markers everywhere, much more street art and graffiti, more blues oriented businesses and clubs, but it’s looking more run down and trashy The famous “Ground Zero Blues Club” is the only thing that seems exactly the same to me. They are having a special movie filming taking place inside this weekend, it’s filled with film crew members, cast members and many extras who it seems are just to sit at tables, watch the performance, act happy and applaud at the proper moments. I walked right into this, could have sat a the bar and been part of it, but opted out. I have no idea what this movie is about, but it seems very odd to me with all normal looking white people in this juke joint atmosphere, no blacks, I don’t get it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarksdale,_Mississippi
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| Inside the Ground Zero after they had been filming |
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| Extras inside the Ground Zero waiting to film |
I wandered around town instead finding and photographing about every blues trail marker, old run down looking building and music club and the more interesting signs, mural and street art. There was no blues music playing and most of the businesses and restaurants were closed it being Sunday. I had hoped to go through the Delta Blues Museum, but it to was closed, in other words it was a frustrating day.
Monday morning, I visit the library for an hour where they have a small but great display of local Indian pottery and stone articles that have been unearthed. This area in the Mississippi delta was inhabited by many Indians, there are many mound sites all along route 61. I don’t think any of these tribes remain or are recognized, it’s a sin.
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| Beautiful bowls |
Afterwards, the Delta blues Museum is open and I go spend a couple of hours there, it is a very good museum, however like the B.B. King Museum, no photos are allowed.
On my way out of town I make a final stop at the Cat Head Store where I buy a eye catching Cat Head base ball cap.
Next stop is Memphis, Tennessee.
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