Due to my long curiosity about this region, I made a visit to the Natchez Trace Parkway in the spring of 2018.  This great addition to the National Park system is a 440-mile road through parts of Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.  Reminiscent of the Blue Ridge Parkway, it is a beautiful highway penetrating a natural landscape, and surrounded by monuments and sites illustrating a deep human history of this continent.  One can stop at several impressive Woodland and Mississippian mound sites.  In colonial times the trail was well-used by Indians, “Kaintuck” explorers, hunters and fur traders.  There are several places along the way where one can stop and hike the original trail.  A highlight for me was a visit to the grave of Meriwether Lewis.  One can walk that trail section and see the reconstructed cabin where Lewis died while travelling to Washington, DC.  By luck, my short week of exploring happened to encompass the entire unfolding of springtime as I reached a fully leafed-out forest in southern Mississippi.  The illustrated talk will present an overview of this history and natural history.

Come join us on September 10, 2018, from 7:30 – 9 PM at the Old Bakery Beer Company, Alton, at 400 Landmarks Blvd. 62002.  Come early, around 6:00 PM, for dinner and meet the Speaker. Contact: Chris Krusa on 410-490-5024 if questions.