Vicksburg in Warren County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

President McKinley Visits the "Land of Cotton"

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 25, 2017

1. President McKinley Visits the "Land of Cotton" Marker

Inscription. When William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States (1897-1901), visited Vicksburg on May 1, 1901, cotton was “king” in Vicksburg and Warren County, as is evidenced by this arch of cotton bales (each weighing about 450 pounds) that greeted him and his wife. Vicksburg had at the time a world-wide reputation for the quality of her cotton, being located in the center of the long stapled cotton district, whose product, technically known as Bender’s cotton, commanded the highest market price. Not only were Vicksburg’s fields fertile, but her development as a transportation hub, on the Mississippi River with easy access to the railroad, made the city a “cotton center.” The cotton trade was divided into two sharply defined branches - cotton factors who represented the producer and cotton brokers who represented the manufacturer. In 1888, Vicksburg’s cotton receipts were 60,000 bales valued at $3,000,000. The Vicksburg Cotton Exchange, an organization founded in 1874, received all cotton market reports during the regular season and performed the functions of the city’s board of trade. Other businesses

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associated with the cotton trade were cotton compresses and three cottonseed oil mills - the Refuge, the Vicksburg , and the Hill City Cottonseed Oil Company.

Sponsored by
Jacque and Larry Nicola
In Honor of their parents, Lillie and Fouad Nicola and Dixie Justice

Erected 2007 by the City of Vicksburg Riverfront Mural Committee.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #25 William McKinley series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 1, 1901.

Location. 32° 21.098′ N, 90° 53.017′ W. Marker is in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in Warren County. It can be reached from Levee Street south of Grove Street. The Vicksburg Riverfront Murals are located on the Yazoo Diversion Canal levee wall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Levee Street, Vicksburg MS 39183, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Natchez Trace Corridor

and in Greater Jackson.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

President McKinley Visits the "Land of Cotton" Mural image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 25, 2017

2. President McKinley Visits the "Land of Cotton" Mural

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Nation's Most Destructive Flood (here, next to this marker); "The Blues are the Roots, the Rest are the Fruits"-Willie Dixon (here, next to this marker); Carr School (a few steps from this marker); The Steamer Sprague (a few steps from this marker); Brothers of the Sacred Heart (within shouting distance of this marker); "Logging on the River" (within shouting distance of this marker); "The Founding of Vicksburg and Methodism" (within shouting distance of this marker); The Vicksburg Garden Clubs and Planters Hall (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vicksburg.

Also see . . . The Vicksburg Riverfront Mural website. (Submitted on June 6, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Vicksburg, Mississippi waterfront levee wall murals. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 25, 2017

3. Vicksburg, Mississippi waterfront levee wall murals.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 695 times since then and 76 times this year. Last updated on January 24, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 6, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.