Robinson Road

"We are taking a journey on the Natchez Trace Parkway from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. Today we'll visit an exhibit at Robinson Road. A road built in 1821, to connect the states capitol, Jackson, with Columbus, Mississippi to the east which lies on the banks of the Tombigbee River. Almost all of this road ran through Choctaw Indian territory.

"In 1822, Robinson road was designated as a mail route and soon after began carrying much of the traffic to and from the north. The northern part of the Natchez Trace quickly began to lose its importance. In fact, this was a period of decline for the entire Natchez Trace.

"The 35 foot wide Jackson Military Road between Nashville and New Orleans had been completed in 1820, cutting 220 miles off the distance between these two important cities. And since 1812 steamboats had been plowing up and down the Mississippi River. In 1816 they began carrying much of the traffic that had followed the old "Road through the Wilderness" during the decades before.

"Join us next time when we'll cross another old road, Red Dog Road. I'm Frank Thomas, your guide along the Natchez Trace, a road through the wilderness."

For more about Natchez Trace: A Road Through the Wilderness, visit eddieandfrank.com