Old Natchez Road

The Old Natchez Trace, one of the oldest roadways in the world, saw its beginnings as a trail cut through the wilderness by herds of buffalo and other animals. It was later used by America's First People, the native tribes of Mississippi, who connected these series of trails to use as hunting and trade routes. The three major tribes that the Natchez Trace was once home to were the Choctaw, Natchez and the Chickasaw. The Choctaws lived in central Mississippi. The Chickasaws lived in Northern Mississippi, close to Tupelo, MS. Their village consisted of huts (not tepees). The Natchez is an extinct tribe today, but in the 1600's, they lived in southern Mississippi.

But these 3 Indian tribes were not the first humans to settle in this region. Archeological evidence has found in the many ceremonial mounds and village sites on the Trace, human habitation and remains which date back as long ago as 8000 years. Indian burial grounds called mounds still exist along the Trace. Indians were buried in these hill shaped graves, often a whole tribe together. Pottery, beads, and weapons were also buried in the graves.

These tribes continued to use the trail up until the time that the white European settlers of the new United States began forging west to claim the lands. Between 1699, when the French first arrived on the Mississippi gulf coast, to 1733, they had explored the area well enough to draw a map. The map showed an Indian trail running from Natchez to the Choctaw villages near present day Jackson, Mississippi, and then on to the Chickasaw villages in the northeastern part of the state. At this time the southern portion of the Natchez Trace was known as the "Path to the Choctaw Nation", while the northern part of the Trace was called "Chickasaw Trace". The word "trace" is an old French word which meant a line of footprints or animal tracks. This is the first known use of the word "trace" being used to describe the trail. French traders, missionaries, and soldiers traveled over the old Indian trade route during this time.

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