This column has examined the Federal Road and its effects on the Old Southwest numerous times, expounding upon its various attributes, tributaries and the variety of people that traveled this archaic highway to the West. It was, in its day, one of the few conduits by which people and goods could travel overland from the American east coast through Alabama and on to New Orleans. In the early 19^th century there was, however, one other overland route that had a substantial impact on our region. It was known as the Natchez Trace.

While this route was used extensively by settlers and fortune seekers making their way into the heart of the Old Southwest, its history extend much further back in time. Indians from pre-historic cultures used this pathway, which had been used by game animals moving through the region. Explorers such as the French and Americans traveled the path from the settled regions along the east coast to the wilds of what would become the Mississippi and Alabama territories. As the American presence in the region increased, the path was widened to accommodate wagon traffic and the transport of larger quantities of goods. It also allowed a larger number of people to make their decisions to seek fortunes in the West.

The trace is approximately 440 miles long and stretches from Nashville, Tenn. in the north to Natchez, Miss. in the south. Many travelers actually began their journey on the waters of the Ohio River and completed their trek on the old pathway, depending on their points of origin and their destinations. The trail became routinely known as the Natchez Trace in the late 18^th and 19^th centuries because of its termination in what was at the time Spanish territory. During Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, the U.S. federal government called for the official establishment of a road that followed the Natchez Trace. By 1801, the route had begun to be improved for use, at least, by the U.S. military.

Over time the route became a major portal for people and for trade goods moving both east and west. Much like the Federal Road to the south, as traffic increased, so too did the development of inns and taverns, and, eventually, settlements along the course. Unfortunately for those people seeking a living along the roadway, the heyday was short lived. By 1820 the use of the steam engine in riverboats, which allowed maneuverability both up and down stream, curtailed the use of the trace. By the1830s the trace was but a memory. 

Today, travelers can enjoy a leisurely drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway, which was initially constructed in the 1930s. The new road follows the original trail closely, and hikers can enjoy walking some of the original pathway, as it has been preserved by the National Park Service. Although the Natchez Trace was in use for just a short while, it was instrumental in the settlement of the Old Southwest. It and the Federal Road ushered in the people that carved out a life in the wilderness of Alabama and Mississippi.