Palmetto Bend/Jackson Point/St. Catherine’s Creek/Ellis Cliffs

Palmetto Bend/Jackson Point/St. Catherine’s Creek/Ellis Cliffs. Panel # 24. , A.Palmetto Bend , Mile 326.0 AHP , This bend and the plantation that lay on its bank were named for the Palmetto, a type of palm tree that was utilized by early settlers and found in abundance in this area. The trunks made durable wharf piling, and the broad leaves were used for roofing, sun bonnets, and hand held fans., B. Jackson Point , Mile 332.8 AHP , During the 1912 flood, the steamboat Concordia was used to evacuate farm workers and livestock from flooded Louisiana Plantations. In this area, the Concordia hit a snag and the pilot ran the vessel to the bank where it quickly sank. The water was only seven feet deep but 22 people drowned. , C. St. Catherine’s Creek , Mile 347.3 AHP , In the 1700s, a number of French plantation lined St. Catherine’s Creek, and they produced most of the tobacco grown in the Natchez district. One of the first steamboat disasters occurred near the original mouth of the creek in 1825. Heavy night fog had forced the steamer Teche to tie up on the west bank opposite the St. Catherine’s Creek outlet. The fog lifted after midnight, and the Teche had just headed back downriver when the boiler exploded and the boat caught fire. Half of the passenger abroad were killed, and sensational newspaper reports of the tragedy fueled public speculation about steamboat safety. In 1871, Natchez interests diverted the St. Cathrine’s Creek into a new channel that emptied into the Mississippi River just south of the town., D. Ellis Cliffs , Mile 348.0 AHP , This high chalk bluff was named for the plantation of Richard Ellis one of the earliest and most successful planters south of Natchez. The area was still Spanish Territory when Ellis moved his family here in 1785. By the time of his death in 1792, his plantation covered more than 6,000 acres. The white Ellis Cliffs were long a landmark used by river pilots.