Duck River Ridge Smarden and Mobley's Cut / Duck River Ridge and The Treaties of Hopewell

Duck River Ridge Smarden and Mobley's Cut, also, Duck River Ridge and The Treaties of Hopewell. . Duck River Ridge Smarden and Mobley's Cut. During the 20 years that the top of this ridge was the boundary of the U. S., the Chickasaw, by treaty dated October 24, 1801, granted the U. S. the right to build a wagon road through Chickasaw territory to Natchez, MS, making the original entry point of the Natchez Trace into Chickasaw territory near this location. Smarden Post Office (1903-06) was located west of here in Jim Carlisle's store on Old Natchez Trace Rd. A steam shovel operator named Mobley gave his name to a geographic location known as Mobley's Cut when the Middle Tennessee Railroad crossed this ridge in 1909. Area families were Davis, Beard, Holt, Walls, Skelley, Parham, Sudberry, Carlisle, Lynn, Griggs, McCandless, Fox. Smith, Johnson. Goodgine. Turman, and Hargrove., Duck River Ridge and The Treaties of Hopewell. The Treaties of Hopewell established the boundary between the U. S. and the native peoples as the ridge that divides the waters running into the Cumberland from those running into the Tennessee. In two separate treaties. each signed in Hopewell, SC. and each known as the Treaty of Hopewell. the Cherokee, on November 28, 1785, and the Chickasaw, on January 10. 1786. ceded the land north of this ridge to the U.S. Today, this ridge is known as the Duck River Ridge. In this location, the top of this ridge runs roughly along the same path as Natchez Trace Road. The boundary remained along the top of this ridge until 1805 when on October 25, the Cherokee and on July 23. the Chickasaw signed new treaties moving the boundary further south.