Clayton to Las Vegas and Ghosts In Between

Ruins of a building near Clayton

Saturday morning we got an early start out of Clayton to head for a couple of days in the Las Vegas, NM area.  Still following the Santa Fe Trail for the most part, we had plans of venturing off the main route to see a possible ghost town or two, and found a couple of nice surprises along the way, including the remnants of an old stone building not too far out on the road to Springer.  Sitting alone on the landscape, one could only imagine how long it's been sitting here.

Not wanting to risk too long of a stretch without fuel stops, we

decided to stop at a "spot in the road" called Gladstone, and the Gladstone Mercantile. This old store's been here since the 1940's, and when we stopped, the smell of smoked brisket was enough to put us in a trance, luring us to linger here beyond just getting gas.  Very cool place, which has been in the current owners family for about 18 years.  You'll find some antiques, home made vittles, snacks and more in this store, and the owner has done a great job of "cleaning up" the place from its former years. By the way, that was some good brisket!

We didn't want to take the typical route through Springer, and instead veered off highway 56 onto 39 headed for the town of Roy through the Kiowa National Grassland. We were pleasantly surprised to find an unexpected ghost town along the way.

Vintage photo from Mills, NM

Mills New Mexico sits about 26 miles southeast of Springer, and 11 miles northwest of Roy, and like many ghost towns, was once a bustling community with three stores, five hotels, a theater, dance hall, four doctors, a hospital, a barber shop, a bank, two saloons, three churches , a school, and more. Established in the 1890's, it sputtered at first before taking off in the early 1900's. By 1913 there were around 3,000 residents, but you couldn't tell that today.

Mills New Mexico today

With a few falling down buildings and stone foundations, this railroad town is a shell of its former self and sits off the main road. We parked on the highway and walked in, not knowing for sure whether we could get the trailer in tow turned around in town. Much to our surprise we spied a couple of vehicles sitting in front of what appeared to be one of only a couple intact buildings, and one of them was pulling out and coming our way. It was the Postal delivery gal, and that building she just left was the Post Office, which is STILL active. Apparently there's still enough going on around the area that the Post Office, established in 1898, still delivers.  She encouraged us to talk to the Postmaster, who opens the office on Saturday's (lucky for us), so after a few photos of the town, Kathy went in while the dogs and I stayed outside taking in the landscape.

Had a run in with the law while Kathy was jawing with the Postmaster.  Highway Patrol stopped at our

Kaydee dog applies for guard duty in
Mills, NM.

"abandoned" vehicle, saw me walking on the dirt road in town and headed in to check on us. Very nice officer, who gave me a verbal warning about making sure to get completely outside the white line.  As I was walking back to move the trailer over more, he went on in to make sure I hadn't robbed the Post Office.  By the time I was walking back, I could see Kathy and the officer had already made fast friends.  He had some interesting takes on how this area of New Mexico was used by Native Americans to raid wagon trains, and how outlaw riffraff took advantage of the terrain to escape the law. With canyons nearby, it was easy to imagine what he was talking about.  Mills Canyon nearby provides areas for camping and more, so this is a worthwhile destination for the outdoorsman as well as the ghost town lover.

Roy, NM

On down the road, the town of Roy isn't near as 'ghosty' as we thought it would be, and is still active with several businesses open. However, stopping here and walking along the main business district, there are plenty of signs this town has seen its better days.  Two old movie theaters appear to sit empty, though one seemed to be partially used by an antique store.  You can tell there are some residents that really care about keeping up some of these buildings though, and it had a nice "feel", with friendly folk.  Still full from the brisket back in Gladstone, we passed on the local cafe that seemed to be a popular spot.

Turning onto highway 120, we headed for more Santa Fe Trail, passing through the town of Wagon Mound.

Wagon Mound

Wagon Mound is also an important landmark along the trail, as the Mound that sits by the town looks like a covered wagon being pulled by oxen.  One of the best known landmarks on the Santa Fe Trail, it was the last major landmark on the Cimarron route.  Near here in 1850, a small party of men with the express mail wagon were attacked and killed by Jicarilla Apaches.  Another reminder of just how dangerous westward expansion was for pioneers.

At Wagon Mound we hopped on I-25 and headed south for Las Vegas, and our destination for the day at Storrie Lake State Park just outside of town (Nice place to park your RV, or even a tent, with various levels of sites, including some partial enclosures.  No wifi, but we were able to use our ATT data to an extent. Verizon apparently covers this area much better. Clean park, friendly folk. We paid $14 a night with electric and water. Dump station on site.)

Santa Fe Trail, Native American, Civil War, Spanish Mission and even Route 66 history all in a day!

Downtown Las Vegas, NM

Leaving the trailer behind, Sunday we started out exploring Las Vegas. Known to be more wicked than Dodge City during the days of the Old West, Las Vegas features more than 900 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Established by a Spanish land grant in 1835, this was also the last Spanish colony established in North America and originally called Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de Las Vegas Grandes (our Lady of Sorrows of the Great Meadows) by the Spanish settlers whose roots went back to the early 1600's. In the beginning, the settlement doubled as a fort, designed to be battened down for attacks by the Apache Indians.

When the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad reached the settlement in 1879, it was the biggest city between San Francisco and Independence, Missouri.  During the notorious days of Las Vegas’ history the town was called home or visited by the likes of Doc Holliday, Big-Nose Kate, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Bob Ford, Wyatt Earp, Rattlesnake Sam, Cock-Eyed Frank, Web-Fingered Billy, Hook Nose Jim, Stuttering Tom, Durango Kid, Handsome Harry the Dancehall Rustler, Vicente Silva and his gang, and Belle Sidons (alias Monte Verde).

La Castenada Hotel from the tracks

While in Las Vegas, be sure to visit the Las Vegas City Museum and Rough Riders Memorial, as well as several picturesque historic districts including the Bridge Street and Plaza areas, where there is a designated Santa Fe Trail site. The La Castenada Hotel is a must see landmark of Las Vegas' post-Santa Fe Trail era.  The 1898 building, once housing one of the famous Harvey House Hotels, faces the railroad tracks in the 500 block of Railroad Avenue.  Marked as Private Property and closed today, you can still take in the beauty of the architecture.  Across the street you'll find the Rawlins building, which was once the residence for the Harvey Girls who staffed the hotel's dining room.

Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas NM

The historic Plaza Hotel, built in 1882, is still operating today and was once the center for commerce in a young New Mexico.  It was renovated in the early 1980's, but keeps it's charm as the Belle of the Southwest.  It's also said to be haunted by one of its former owners, Byron T. Mills, who has been seen in room 310..... BOO!

This stop along the Santa Fe Trail is a great destination for history lovers and we could easily see why early westward travelers would consider Las Vegas a welcome site after 600 miles across Kansas.

Puebloan Ruins

After Vegas we headed down I-25 to Pecos National Historic Park. The Pecos Valley has seen continuous human culture for over 10,000 years, including Pueblo and Plains Indians, Spanish conquerors and missionaries, Mexican and Anglo armies, and settlers traveling the Santa Fe Trail.  Stopping at the visitors center, you are given a guide to lead you through a mile and a quarter trail that takes you to Pueblo ruins and an old Spanish Mission.

Spanish Mission at Pecos National
Historic Park

Along the hike you will see Kivas, which are large pits that you can actually climb down into.  Puebloan peoples considered these social and ceremonial places located between the underworld where people had their origin, and the world above where they live now. Back at the Visitors center you will be invited to watch a film about the Park and history of the area.  Overall, we thought this to be a great stop for the price of admission ($3 per person as of this writing).

While at the visitors center, be sure to ask about the Glorieta Civil War Battlefield, which is another section of the park.  A new experience for us was the fact that they had to give you directions to the Battlefield, and a combination for the lock on the gate, with specific instructions on

Glorieta Civil War Battle Field

how to unlock and lock it.  It was worth the seven and a half mile drive from the visitors center to the battlefield though.  This two and a quarter mile looped hiking trail (listed as moderately strenuous) will take you through 14 interpretive trail stops, teaching about "The Gettysburg of the West".  It was here in the spring of 1862 that Union troops thwarted Confederate plans to expand westward. After losing the Battle of Glorieta, Confederates never again attempted action in the West.  Worried about the trail?  There's an accessible trail just over a half mile that cuts through the middle of the loop, allowing visitors to "bail out" so to speak.

Kozlowski Trading Post & Stage Stop

On your way from the visitors center to the battle field you will run into Kozlowski Trading Post and Stage Stop on the Santa Fe Trail just off the road.  While there is an historic marker there and original buildings, we had the impression this building was closed to the public. Never the less, it was a good photo op.


We literally stumbled out of the Battlefield and onto Route 66.  Yes, Route 66 once had an alignment (before 1937) that ventured up from Santa Rosa to just south of Las Vegas, then over to Santa Fe and back down to its later

An old business on Rt 66 near Rowe

alignment.  We just happened upon the section on what is now Highway 50, and decided to follow the original road back toward Las Vegas as a way to end our day trip.  We only found a couple of markers along the way, so we had to "guess" a bit on how to follow. In short, we took 50 to Pecos, then 63 til it turned into "Old Las Vegas Highway" at Rowe.  Once on that road, it pretty much follows I-25 until you reach Highway 84 south of Las Vegas, where it veers off to Santa Rosa.

It was a great day for our Summer 13 Adventure, and an great way for us to wrap up our Santa Fe Trail history.  Next blog we leave Las Vegas, travel the old pre 37 alignment of 66 to more Mother Road, headed for Tucumcari, then more Old West history in the Texas Panhandle.

Don't forget to follow us in pictures via our Facebook photo album To New Mexico & Texas.

History Abounds Around Askew Landing

We were coming off a nice stay in Louisville, Mississippi where we had spent a few days catching up on stories and the business parts that pay the bills.  Ready to get back on the road and explore more history of Mississippi we hit the road and found ourselves in Philadelphia looking for one of Kathy's passions...Old General Stores.

Williams Brothers Store doesn't disappoint if your looking for an historic general store still in operation.  From the bins of beans and seeds outside, to the fresh cut bacon inside, this place has a little bit of everything and is no small operation.  Established in 1907 by brothers Amzie and Brown Williams, it still holds that old charm of yesteryear.  According to an article in the Mississippi Business Journal, it looks pretty much as it did in 1939 when it was featured in National Geographic.

Williams Bros Store, Philadelphia, MS
Still slicing fresh bacon since 1907.

The article from last August points out that Williams Brothers employs up to 60 at the store, and sells everything from red rind Wisconsin hoop cheese to denim overalls. They even have some designer clothes.  Today the store is still in the family and going strong.  It has been a long time since I've seen a butcher actually slicing bacon for a customer. Need to get out of big chain rut and visit places like this more often.

After Philadelphia, we hooked west to get back on the Natchez Trace. The River Bend Picnic area (Mile Post 122.6) provided a nice stop to learn about the Pearl River.  Named the "River of Pearls" by French explorer Pierre Le Moync, Sieur d'lberville, the Trace avoided the marshy lowlands of this area by following the ridge between the Pearl and Big Black Rivers for 150 miles. The last 75 miles of the rivers course have served as a boundary between Mississippi and Louisiana since 1812.

Cypress Swamp on the Natchez Trace

Just a half mile away (mile post 122), you can really see why the Trace avoided lowlands.  Here, you can take a 20 minute walk through a water tupelo/bald cypress swamp, which we found quite "magical".  Cypress Swamp was created when the Pearl River changed its course and left an abandoned river channel. Water tupelo and bald cypress trees can live in deep water for long periods of time. In fact, some of the living Cypress trees may have seen the passage of Hernando de Soto nearly 500 years ago. During periodic low water, seedlings of these trees took root and the aquatic forest is the result.   As the channel fills with silt and vegetation, other trees will gradually take over, but not for several hundred years.

Kathy and I loved this stop for it's natural beauty, and recommend you take time for a leisurely stroll yourself. Although we did not see any, alligators are sometimes seen here. They look like floating logs with nostrils and mostly hide or sleep.  Of course, that meant every log I looked at in the water was suspect, and I probably wasted quite a bit of digital space on the camera. I'm writing this in the blog so when I look at the photos years from now I won't wonder about my "floating wood obsession". A sign along the trail warns not to throw food to them or they may lose their fear of humans and become aggressive.

Boyd Mound on the Trace

After Cypress Swamp we made another "mound" stop at Boyd Site (mile post 106.9). These Indian burial mounds were built up to 1200 years ago. Archaeologists indicate there was a house here sometime around 500 A.D., and that pottery found in the mounds date back before 700 A.D.  While we are enjoying the burial mounds along the trace, we are finding that, after a few, a mound is a mound. The history is fascinating though. 

(Read more about the Mound Builders of Mississippi)

As we left Boyd Site we noticed traffic getting heavier as we were about to cross the northwest part of Jackson. We somehow missed Brashears Stand and another piece of Old Trace (mile post 104.5). The stand was advertised in 1806 as a "house of entertainment in the wilderness", and part of the original Trace is nearby. Osburn Stand (mile post 93.1), was opened by Noble Osburn in 1811 but by the early 1820's, when Jackson was founded, traffic shifted away from this part of the Trace. As with many of these stops, only a marker remains.

Cowles Mead Cemetery

A better stop for us, being the cemetery nuts we are, was Cowles Mead Cemetery (mile post 88.1).  Mead came from the east for the opportunity the Mississippi Territory had to offer.  In addition to owning a tavern on the Old Trace near Natchez, he also held several political offices, including acting governor in 1806.  During this time he ordered the arrest of Aaron Burr for treason but the former Vice President was acquitted  Mead followed the growth of the state and moved to the Jackson area, where here he built his "Greenwood" estate.  Little remains today as the estate burned after his death during the Civil War. But the family cemetery remains.

Askew Landing near Edwards, MS

Welcome to Askew's Landing

We exited the Trace at Raymond to find our next long term stay. Kathy and I found a gem of an RV Campground hidden off back in the woods near Edwards, Ms.  Askew Landing is in a perfect location for us, just 20 miles outside of Vicksburg and within driving distance for more Natchez Trace and plenty of other great Mississippi  history. And there's great history right here at the campground, which is part of Bridgeport Plantation.  

Established by Duklet Askew in 1859, he and his brother traveled from North Carolina to Mississippi searching for land to build a cotton plantation. Duklet bought  2,000 acres northeast of Edwards along the old Bridgeport Road and named it Bridgeport Plantation. He began by clearing more than 500 acres, farmed cotton, and built and operated a ferry across the Big Black River. Some time later, he built a cotton gin and general store close to the ferry on Bridgeport Road.

Askew's Landing is an historic site

Life on the plantation was interrupted in 1863 by the Civil War as Confederates, fleeing after the Battle of Champion Hill back towards Vicksburg, were involved in skirmishes. The Confederates used Askew's Ferry to cross the Big Black River, then destroyed the ferry so that the pursuing Union troops couldn't use it. Nearly a month later, during the Operations in Northeast Mississippi, another skirmish took place at the plantation when a a Confederate cavalry force unsuccessfully challenged the Union picket guarding General Grant's eastern line.

See our full story on Bridgeport Plantation and Askew's Landing HERE. 

Dan and Edna Askew

Askew Landing RV Campground is truly one of Mississippi's best kept secrets.  Listed on the National Register of Historic places with the camp ground sitting in the center of 300 wooded acres, it is easy to access off I-20, but, far enough away to shield its visitors from the sounds of nearby traffic or passers-through. With plenty of history to explore within driving distance, and due to 'beyond our control' circumstances, this wound up being our longest stay at any campground (almost 2 weeks).  Things happen when you are RV'ing, and we were lucky it happened here. (See RV Campground reviews at the end of this article)

Day Trips from Askew

Battle of Champion Hill

Over the course of our stay at Askew Landing we took several day trips to nearby history. One of our first excursions from the campground was the nearby Battle of Champion Hill, southeast of Edwards.  This is not your typical "let's go see the battleground".  There are markers scattered about that you have to know of ahead of time, or a private tour of the Champion Hill Battlefield can also be arranged with a descendant and owner of the property. ($25/person, minimum of two as of February, 2013). By all accounts, we've heard this is an excellent tour given by the great-great grandson of the original owner of the property.

Champion Hill Battle Marker on Billy
Fields road SW of Edwards

Being the explorers we are though, and having multiple destinations in a day, we opted to find what we could "off private property", and found quite a bit.   The Battle of Champion Hill, May 16, 1863, is described  as a critical battle that could have swung the war to the Confederates.  In fact, if Confederate forces had been victorious, Vicksburg would never have fallen, as General Ulysses Grant's Vicksburg campaign could have been stopped. Instead it was a disastrous day for Confederate Lieutenant General John Pemberton that put his troops on the run, and allowed Grant's momentum to continue.  

Of the Champion Hill area, the battlefield and some of the original roads are very well preserved. However, there are no original buildings. Thousands of acres of the core battlefield are privately owned and another 800 acres of the outlying area is owned by the State of Mississippi. An additional 402 acres have been protected by the Civil War Preservation Trust through conservation easements and land purchases. There are hopes that parts of these properties may become an extension of the Vicksburg National Military Park.

Read our full story on the Battle of Champion Hill, including a link to a points of interest map of the battleground HERE. 

1859 Courthouse in Raymond, MS

A few miles down Highway 467 from Edwards sits another battle site in and around the historic town of Raymond.  Just off the Natchez Trace, Raymond was established in the late 1820's and at the time was the Hinds County Seat, before it moved to Jackson.  In addition to Civil War history surrounding the Battle of Raymond on May 12, 1863, you'll find find plenty of small town charm, along with historic buildings, such as the 1859 courthouse built in southern Greek revival architecture. 

Confederate Cemetery at Raymond

At Carter Cemetery just south of town we found a Confederate Cemetery, one of several we are running into.  Kathy and I had never really dived into how the Union and Confederate's handled their fallen until now.  Really, as American's, I guess some of us assume that National Cemeteries would be for Confederates and Union alike. That's not the case, as you have to keep in mind that we were not 'one' nation at the time.  In fact, it wasn't until 1906 that the Federal Government became involved in permanently marking Confederate graves. 

There's some very interesting history in how our National Cemeteries came to be and how the Confederate fallen were handled.  Read "The Evolution of National Cemeteries", courtesy  Kelly Merrifield for the National Park Service, HERE. 

Gibbes General Store, Learned, MS

After Raymond, Kathy was on a mission to find an historic Church.   But, as we have many times before, our mission becomes distracted by bright shiny objects, like another old Country Store that we literally stumbled upon in the very small town of Learned, MS.  Gibbes General Store was established around 1899.  Still in the family, this is another great stop for history and nostalgia buffs like us. 

Inside Gibbes General store is like
stepping back in time. 

We had a very pleasant visit with Chip Gibbes, the current generational owner, who told us about his families history in Learned dating  back to 1836.  As the only business left in the town, Gibbes Country Store is a combination 'museum' of sorts, as well as an active store and, some nights, even a steak house.   We tried, but couldn't make it for what we understand to be one heck of a dinner service, but we did enjoy the visit and the old historic building.  And to top it off, we found out Chip is a second cousin of Dan Askew at Askew's Landing.  Yep, 'small world' applies in Mississippi too. 

This tree at the Coker
House has a lot going on.

Our day trip concluded with a visit to the Coker House, part of the Battle of Champion Hill off highway 467.  The original is gone,  just within the past few years, but there is a reconstructed home at the site now with many interpretive signs explaining the history of the home, it's occupants and its role in the battle.  On the southern edges of the battle, it sustained fire from both sides, as well as serving as a field hospital after the battle.  Overwhelmed a bit from all our Civil War history, I couldn't take my eyes off a peculiar tree in front of the house.  Not a lot of words to describe its character, so I'll just let your imagination go with the photo.  

Valentines Day Trip with more Trace, Fried Chicken, Historic University, Ghost Town & Ruins

Water rises at Askew's Landing

Did I mention how much it has rained since we've been in Mississippi? And we're not talking your passing thunderstorm either.  Kathy and I had our first experience of being stuck in the trailer for 3 days at Askew's Landing, watching the pond behind our trailer devour the road into the campground and inch closer and closer to our electric box.  At least we know this amount of rain is abnormal for February, and the alternative back home in Warsaw, MO is lots of snow. 

Rocky Springs Church, built 1837

So it was with great relief that Valentines Day turned out to be one of those 'blue sky' sunny days, perfect for a day trip on the Natchez Trace and more.  We first headed south of Edwards to Old Port Gibson road, then over to the town that is no more, Rocky Springs, just off the Natchez Trace.  Here you'll find the Rocky Springs Church, built in 1837.  Still active, it was built by Methodists in the town, which up til then, had been a station for a circuit riding preacher who stopped here only once or twice a month.  

A safe remains as evidence of Rocky  Springs

Early travelers along the Trace called the area "the Rocky Spring", and as the rural community developed in the late 1790's, several businesses were established, including a post office in 1821.  The town boasted a population of over 2,600 in 1860, 2,000 of which were slaves, but that would be its peak.  In addition to the ravages of the Civil War, a yellow fever outbreak in 1878 would devastate the population, and then in the 1900's the boll weevil struck their cotton crops. Rocky Springs would rapidly decline after that, and it's last store closed during the 1930's. Today a short interpretive walking trail will take you to the church, its cemetery and some interesting artifacts, like an old  safe which could have belonged to a store, sitting on the side of the hill.  

At Rocky Springs we hooked back up with the Natchez Trace and, after missing Owen's Creek Waterfall at mile post 52.4, our first stop was Grindstone Ford (mile post 45.7). This ford marked the beginning of the wilderness of the Choctaw nation and the end of the old Natchez District. Fort Deposit nearby was a supply depot for troops clearing the Trace in the early part of the 1800's, and troops were assembled here during the Burr conspiracy allegedly to separate the Western States from the Union.  

Old Cemetery at Grindstone Ford

In addition, Riverboatmen on foot and horseback crossed here after floating cargo down from Ohio River to New Orleans and Mississippi. Soldiers came here while protecting the Natchez District from British and Spanish threats. And Daniel Burnett's stand stood here. Burnett was a principal negotiator with the Choctaws, and framer of the Mississippi state constitution. For many, this was the line between civilization and the wilderness.  If you want to see the original road, this is another great stop, with a section of sunken Trace along with a small graveyard dating back to it's active years.  

Also nearby, Magnum Mound, another example of the Mississippi Mound Builders, tells us much about the people of the late prehistoric period. The Plaquemine culture included the ancestors of the modern tribes of Mississippi and Louisiana. It was a society with elaborate agriculturally oriented religious ceremonies. From the burials on this mound, it is known there is a high infant mortality, and upon the death of a chief, a brutal ritual was enacted in which his retainers were slain and buried with him.

We exited off the Trace near Loreman for the "Windsor Ruins Loop Route", a 32 mile long loop through Alcorn and Port Gibson, Mississippi providing a number of interesting stops. The loop is comprised of 20 miles along Mississippi Highway 552/Rodney Road, 7 miles along the Natchez Trace Parkway from milepost 30 to 37 and five miles through the town of Port Gibson and back to the Trace.  

Old Country Store, Loreman MS

We didn't follow the exact route promoted, and first on our agenda was lunch at the Old Country Store in Loreman, on Highway 61.  The building started as a General Mercantile store in 1890. Built by brothers M. Heiman, L. Joseph and R. Lehman Cohn who were already successful merchants in Clifton, Ms since 1875, the store in Lorman continued in the Cohn family until 1956. It was renamed the Old Country Store in 1964 by then owner Enest T. Breithaupt, who had been a long time employee of the Cohns'. Breithaupt and his wife Ruth ran the store for 30 years until Ernest's death in 1995. 

Mr. "D" serenades guests
at the Old Country Store

In 1996 the contents of the building were auctioned off and the building refurbished, opening back up in 1997 as a restaurant. Today, along with walls of memorabilia, travelers along Highway 61 stop in for Arthur Davis' famous 'Heavenly Fried Chicken". Mr."D", as he is known, entertains guests regularly with his song about Grand Mama's cornbread, and cooks up a mighty fine all-you-can-eat lunch buffet.  We found Mr. "D" and the employees service to be excellent, entertaining and down right fun. After serenading us, Arthur even gave me a rose to give to Kathy for Valentines Day.  As for the food, this is prime southern cooking at its finest.  Yes, the chicken is great, but I personally loved the cornbread even more.  

After wiping our chins and taking in the memorabilia at the store, we headed back onto highway 552 and entered the grounds of historic Alcorn University.  It should be noted that you must pass through a security gate here, but the guard on duty was extremely nice and accommodating as we wanted to get some pictures of some of the historic buildings. 

Oakland Chapel built 1838

Alcorn is the oldest public historically black land-grant institution in the United States, and the second oldest state supported institution of higher learning in Mississippi.  It began in 1830 as Oakland College, founded by Dr. Jeremiah Chamberlain.  An ardent Unionist and Whig, Chamberlain was assassinated on campus in 1851 by a secessionist, and after a few years of decline, Oakland College closed its doors at the beginning of the Civil War.  The property was sold to the state afterwards, and in 1871 Alcorn University was established to provide higher education for freedmen.  Named for James L. Alcorn, the state's governor at the time, at first it was exclusively for black males. However in 1895 women were admitted, and since that time it has continued to grow and educates over 4,000 students from all over the world. The oldest building on the campus is the Oakland Chapel built in 1838.  

Old Service Station? - Rodney MS.

Kathy and I love Ghost Towns, and our next stop was way off the beaten path.  4.8 miles southwest of Alcorn you'll find Rodney.  Now, we took "College Road", a dirt road that exits out the back of Alcorn University to Rodney Road, but most would want to get there via Rodney Road from Loreman.  With very few residents today, Rodney was once so important that it almost became the capitol of Mississippi.  In the 1860's it boasted a population of 4,000 and was the busiest port on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and St. Louis.  However the river changed course, forever altering the fate of the town, and its population decreased to its ghost town status of today. 

Rodney Church built 1828

Careful not to intrude on anyone's private property, we took in the old buildings and abandoned stores.  There are a couple of old churches in town, including the Presbyterian Church. Chartered in 1828 as the Church of Petit Gulf, it was shelled by the Gunboat "Rattler" when Federal sailors were captured by Confederate cavalry while attending Sunday services on September 13, 1863. Above the top middle window you may be able to make out the cannon ball stuck in the wall.

See our full story on Rodney Mississippi (COMING SOON) HERE. 

From Rodney we headed back to Highway 552 to see the Windsor Ruins. Smith Coffee Daniell II, successful cotton planter, completed construction of Windsor in 1861. The basic style was Greek Revival, but with added details borrowed from Italianate and Gothic architecture. The Windsor house contained 23 rooms, with an above ground basement, two residential floors and an attic. A cupola, where you could see the Mississippi River, was centered on the top of the roof. 

Windsor Ruins

Daniell, who owned over 20,000 acres of plantation land in Mississippi and Louisiana, died in April 1861 only weeks after completing the mansion. His wife and children continued to live here, but were left to suffer the loss of a large part of the family's holdings during the Civil War. Leading up to the Battle of Port Gibson in the spring of 1863, Confederate troops used the roof observatory as a lookout as General Ulysses S. Grant's army crossed the Mississippi River. After the battle the mansion was used as a Union hospital and observation post, thus sparing it from being burned by Union troops. Unfortunately, on February 17,1890, a house guest left a lighted cigar on the upper balcony and Windsor burned to the ground. Everything was destroyed except 23 of the columns, the balustrades, and the iron stairs. The Daniell family donated the ruins to the state in 1974.

There's more to see on this Windsor loop before reaching Port Gibson. See our Natchez Mile points of interest Mile posts 31 to 60 HERE. 

Claiborne County Courthouse

After Windsor we pulled into the historic city of Port Gibson.  This bustling town near the Gran Gulf Nuclear Power Station, is Mississippi's third oldest settlement, being occupied in 1729. Most of Port Gibson's historic buildings survived the Civil War because General Ulysses S. Grant believed the city "too beautiful to burn". Historic Church Street through the middle of town is lined with antebellum homes and church buildings, along with the beautiful Claiborne County Courthouse.  The Battle of Port Gibson in early May of 1863 was a turning point in the Confederates ability to defend against amphibious attack. 

Plan on a couple of days in Vicksburg

Biedenharn Candy Co building, Vicksburg

Although we had driven through Vicksburg on the way back from our Valentines day trip, we didn't stop as we wanted to dedicate a full day to the city.  In fact, to really do Vicksburg, you will need a couple of days, as there is a lot to explore in addition to Vicksburg National Military Park.  Like the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum. While Dr. Pemberton may have created his magic elixir in Atlanta back in 1866, it was Jospeh A. Biedenharn who first brought it to the people outside of Soda Shops. 

Memorabilia at the Biedenharn
Coca-Cola Museum

In 1894,  Biedenharn was so impressed by the growing demand for Coca-Cola at his soda fountain in Vicksburg that he installed bottle machinery in the rear of his store and began to sell cases of Coke to farms and lumber camps up and down the Mississippi River. He was the first bottler of Coca-Cola. The museum is in the very same Soda Shop in historic downtown. And for the record, all traces of Cocaine were removed from Coca-Cola in 1903, but of course they kept the coca flavoring.  Today, the  Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum is owned and operated by the Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation.

Kitchen on the Motor Vessel MS IV

In addition to the many other historic businesses and buildings, nearby you'll find the Motor Vessel Mississippi IV, a diesel-powered all steel ship that the Corps of Engineers used as a towboat and inspection vessel for the Mississippi River Commission.  It served from 1960 to it's decommission in 1993, and today provides visitors the opportunity to come aboard, learn and explore. 

Model of Vicksburg at the Museum

The vessel is located at the Lower Mississippi River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Site. This is a must stop on your outing to Vicksburg, regardless whether you tour the ship.   The Museum covers the history of Vicksburg, its role on the mighty river, and much more.  Here we learned how the flood of 1927 resulted in hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes and unable to return for nearly 8 months after the rains had begun. It was the final motivation for many African American families to leave Vicksburg and relocate to other cities like St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit.  For landowners, they viewed this migration as a loss of labor, and used "forced work camps" to make sure their labor remained in tact. 

Illinois Memorial at Vicksburg

Markers for the Battle of Vicksburg can be found scattered in several locations around the city, but your primary Civil War stop is Vicksburg National Military Park.   A drive through this beautiful landscape will wind you through monument after monument, dedicated to the men who fought in this critical turning point in the War.  The Siege of Vicksburg, part of Union General and later President Ulysses Grant's Vicksburg Campaign, started in May of 1863 and would last until the Confederates surrender on July 4. The fall of Vicksburg that Summer, along with the defeat of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg, were critical turning points for the Union that would lead to overall victory over the Confederate States of America.

Missouri Memorial at Vicksburg

Being from Missouri, one monument in particular held special meaning for us.   The Missouri Monument at the Battlefield at Vicksburg, Mississippi  reminds us that the Civil War was not a struggle to fend off a foreign nation, but a war of Americans fighting Americans.

Here, Confederates from Missouri fought Union soldiers from Missouri. At Vicksburg - and across every Civil War battlefield - men who had once been friends faced off as enemies. Neighbors and even family members found themselves on opposite sides, fighting for different ideals. 

A rose left at the MO Monument

The inscription at the bottom of the monument reads "To commemorate and perpetuate the heroic services, the unselfish devotion to duty, and the exalted patriotism of the Missouri soldiers, Union and Confederate, who were engaged in the campaign, siege and defense of Vicksburg." 

The Military Park and all other notable Civil War battle sites around the city will take time for you to explore, so plan on a dedicated day or two and enjoy history at Vicksburg, MS.  

See our full article on the Battles between Jackson and Vicksburg HERE. 

Next travel blog, we explore a little more around Askew Landing and Edwards area along historic Highway 80, then finally made our way south to the beautiful city of Natchez. 

In the meantime, we'll be adding more to the Winter 2013 Photo Gallery HERE and via this slide show. 

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Related RV Park Reviews

Legends at Askew's Landing

Askew's Landing Campground - Extreme southern hospitality. Pet and family friendly. Can't say enough good things about Dan and Edna Askew and their staff.  Making sure the roads were good and customers taken care of.  Historic location (marker on site). Great WIFI, laundry facility and small store in office make it very convenient.  Beautiful location, hidden off the beaten track of I-20 and Edwards.  On a large pond/small lake with plenty of wildlife.  Between Jackson and Vicksburg with lots of history around the area to explore.  Beyond the small on-site store, shopping not to far down I-20 in either direction, and a couple of smaller stores in Edwards.  We gave this campground 9 out of 10 and that's just because we haven't found "paradise" yet.  Not a "Passport" site" but that didn't matter with the weekly rates. We highly recommend this RV campground. 

(Note: We use RV Park Reviews. Traveling in a 22' Travel Trailer. All electric 30 amp or more unless otherwise noted).

Cripple Creek and Victor, Colorado

Cripple Creek

Some 38 miles southwest of Colorado Springs, sits the historic gold camp of Cripple Creek. In December, 1890 a man named Bob Womack discovered gold here and in the summer of 1891, struck a very rich vein and hurried to Colorado Springs to celebrate. In a drunken stupor the foolish man sold his mine for $500 cash. Word then spread and men began to stake claims all over a six square mile area surrounding what would soon be the Cripple Creek Gold Camp. Tents and cabins began to spring up and a mining district was organized in the fall of 1891. The creek, which flowed through the camp, had already been named by area cowboys, because so many cattle were lamed while crossing the rocky stream. The camp took its name from the creek.

By the time the town was officially incorporated in 1892, there were already over 5,000 residents. The next year, two big mines in the district were discovered and developed, and with the nation’s change to the gold standard in the same year, thousands of silver miners were thrown out of work, flocking to Cripple Creek. The deeper the mines were developed, the richer the veins became. Some of these deep developed mines were three to six miles away and soon the camp of Victor sprang up with many of the miners moving closer to work.

Like most booming gold camps, Cripple Creek wasted no time establishing dozens of businesses, including a number of saloons and brothels. At first the houses of “ill-repute” were located near the many saloons along Bennett Avenue, the main street of the settlement. However, to keep the peace between the business establishment and the “ladies,” the “girls” and their establishments one block south to Myers Avenue, which soon became known as the Red Light District.

Pearl de Vere, the most famous madam of Cripple Creek arrived in the Boom Camp in 1893. Soon, she would build the most opulent Gentlemen’s Parlor in the American West. Humorously called the "Old Homestead;" Pearl’s going rate was $250 a night, at a time when $3 a day was considered a good wage for a miner. When she died several years later, her funeral was the biggest that Cripple Creek had ever seen.

Soon, however, the gold would begin to play out and by 1920 there were only about 40 mines operating and production had been reduced to four million dollars. The 1930s saw a brief revival of mining, but this too waned and by 1945 there were less than 20 mines operating with only about one million dollars in gold produced each year.

Determined not to become a ghost town, the citizens of Cripple Creek began to promote its rich history to potential tourists. The Imperial Hotel began showing melodramas in the Gold Bar Room Theatre in the 1940s. In 1953 the Cripple Creek District Museum opened in the old Midland Terminal depot. In 1967 the Cripple Creek Narrow Gauge railroad began operation. However, by the 1980s tourism began to drop in Cripple Creek and other historic towns of Colorado. As a result, Colorado passed a law to authorize limited stakes gambling in Cripple Creek, Central City and Black Hawk, saving these old towns from total extinction.

Victor

Just seven miles from Cripple Creek on the side of Battle Mountain is Victor, Colorado. Filled with vintage buildings and gold mining structures, this semi-ghost town is one of the most preserved mining camps in Colorado. Before the town was even officially platted in 1893 it had already become known as the City of Mines because the largest and richest gold mines of the Cripple Creek Mining District were located on Battle Mountain just above the camp.

The first gold was discovered in Victor in 1891 by Winfield Scott Stratton who soon began the Independence Mine. In addition to the Independence Mine, other mines, including the Portland and Ajax Mines, were doing a brisk business just north of Victor on Battle Mountain, called the “richest hill on earth. And, in the very center of town the Woods Brothers, who were excavating the foundation for the much needed Victor Hotel in 1894, discovered a rock that was rich in ore. The Woods brothers wasted no time in finding another lot for the hotel and began to build the Gold Coin Mine at Diamond and Fifth Streets, which would become one of the richest in the area, producing more than $50,000 per month in gold ore.

In just a few years, Victor had developed into a town that rivaled its sister but larger city, Cripple Creek, and an old saying began, “ Cripple Creek gets the glory, but Victor has the gold.” At its peak, over 500 mines dotted the landscape surrounding Victor and some 50,000 people called the area home. But, Victor's days of prosperity ended in the early 1900’s when the vast majority of the gold was panned out or too expensive to get to. In the end, more than 22 million tons of gold had been taken from the area's many mines.

Next stops - Rocky Mountain National Park, and north to Wyoming.