Washington in Adams County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

The Hard Trip Home

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 11, 2024

1. The Hard Trip Home Marker

Inscription. By 1810, most travelers along the Natchez Trace were Kaintucks heading home.

Kaintucks – farmers and boatmen from the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys – floated crops and other goods to market in New Orleans or the bustling, edgy river port of Natchez. There, they sold their flatboats as lumber; the boats. were useless for traveling upstream against the swift current of the Mississippi.

Now on horseback or foot they faced a 500-mile journey home. Insects and snakes. Rain and mud. Swamps, creeks, and rivers waited to test the bodies and minds of already weary, homesick Kaintucks.

[Background caption] “I have this day swam my horse five times, bridged one creek, forded several others beside the swamp we had to wade through. At night we had a shower of rain. Took up my usual lodging on the ground in company with several Indians.” – Rev. John Johnson, 1812

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1810.

Location. 31° 36.9′ N, 91° 15.418′ W. Marker is in Washington, Mississippi, in Adams County. Marker is on Natchez Trace Parkway (at milepost 8.7), half

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a mile north of Blues Highway (U.S. 61), on the right when traveling north. Marker is in the Old Trace Exhibit Shelter on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 73 Natchez Trace Pkwy, Washington MS 39190, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Territorial Lifeline (here, next to this marker); Old Trace (a few steps from this marker); Natchez Trace (approx. 0.7 miles away); A Remarkable Feat (approx. 1½ miles away); A Well-Organized Society (approx. 1½ miles away); Still Sacred (approx. 1½ miles away); Emerald Mound (approx. 1½ miles away); a different marker also named Emerald Mound (approx. 1½ miles away).

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 11, 2024

2. The Hard Trip Home Marker

Featured marker is on the far right.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 47 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 2, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.