CHAPTER 3

TRANSPORTATION  Has always been linked to: Settlement Growth  Determines where people live and businesses develop  The main source of transportation in early MS was rivers

TRANSPORTATION  3 most important rivers for travel and trade Mississippi Yazoo Big Black

ROADS  Early roads were Indians Trails and Buffalo Paths  Rivers were better than roads for the following reasons Roads were more difficult and dangerous than boat Couldn’t carry as much as boat Roads were more expensive  The first roads were called post roads

ROADS  The Natchez Trace was the most famous road ever created in MS Connects Natchez to Nashville Stands (hotels or inns) were built along the Natchez Trace

ROADS  Roads then were not like today Mainly dirt trail Widened by cutting trees Muddy Couldn’t carry much No bridges ○ Used ‘fords’ to cross rivers ○ Ford - shallow spot of water that can be crossed Not as efficient as water, but went were water wasn’t located

STEAMBOATS  Created by Robert Fulton  Made upstream transportation possible  Carry as much as several flatboats  It allowed for the interior of MS to be opened for cotton plantations

NEW ORLEANS

RAILROADS  By 1900, Steamboats had mostly been replaced as way to travel & move goods  Civil War increased the need for Railroads Reasons: ship soldiers and supplies  Advantages to the Railroad Could be built anywhere Faster & safer than steamboats Opened settlement and economic development to areas without rivers  Economic development = more farmland

HIGHWAYS  1920’s cars, trucks, & buses began appearing in MS  Roads were a problem Dirt & gravel not good enough Washed out and couldn’t handle loads Bridges were unsafe or didn’t exist No bridges crossed MS River (now 4) Demands for government to build roads increased

HIGHWAYS  1930’s – modern highway system began with federal money  Link major MS towns together and big towns in neighboring states  1940’s bridges built over MS River at Vicksburg, Natchez, & Greenville

HIGHWAYS  1960’s – 1970’s Federal Interstate Highway System constructed At least 4 lane divided highway with same system across the country Even #s go East and West Odd #s go North and South 3 digits are bypasses About 42,800 miles and growing

HIGHWAYS

INTERSTATES  MS’s Interstate’s 55 runs the length of the state from Memphis to McComb 20 runs across the state from Atlanta to Texas (crossing Meridian and Vicksburg 10 runs across the coastal states 59 runs from Hattiesburg to New Orleans

MS Counties, Towns, & Cities  Till 1940, MS almost all rural Made living by farming ○ Lived off land, shopped at country stores, country doctors Identified with their county ○ Paid taxes to county, law enforcement – sheriff ○ County school districts ○ Only in last 60 years have people moved to towns and cities

COUNTIES  1 st counties – Adams & Jefferson – 1799  13 counties in 1817  Wayne County was 1 st county east of Pearl River  Large land areas – small population

COUNTIES  Indian Treaties signed over land  1820 – Treaty of Doak’s Stand Choctaws ceded area of west central MS Organized into Hinds County ○ Later split into 14 counties  1830 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek Choctaws ceded the rest of their land in MS  1832 Treaty of Pontotoc Creek Chickasaw Indians cede their land in NE MS Became 13 counties in MS

INDIAN TREATIES

COUNTIES  New land – government wanted it settled so sold land cheap to draw in new settlers  RR and lumber boom in 1880 brought in more people to Piney Woods  Big counties started splitting up because people lived to far from county seats

TOWNS  Still today more people in MS live in rural area  MS is 4 th most rural state in USA  Civil War only 4 towns of size: Natchez, Vicksburg, Columbus, & Jackson River cities – steamboats  After Civil War – Vicksburg would be MS largest city for 40 years Steamboat and railroad center

TOWNS  1910 railroad made Jackson & Meridian large towns  1930 Jackson becomes and stays largest town in state  Metropolitan areas Area with population of more than 100,000 Several towns and cities grown into each other

TOWNS  MS Metropolitan Areas Jackson Metro Area ○ Inside Hinds, Madison, & Rankin Counties Gulf Coast Desoto County – South Memphis Hattiesburg

METROPOLITAN AREAS

2010 CENSUS  About 2,967,000 people in MS  Most people in state still live in rural area even if they work in cities  Houston 3,500  Chickasaw County 18,000

2010 CENSUS  Largest Cities Jackson – 173,000 Gulfport – 68,000 Southaven – 49,000 Hattiesburg – 46,000 Biloxi – 44,000  Largest Counties Hinds – 245,000 Harrison – 187,000 Desoto – 161,000 Rankin – 142,000 Jackson – 140,000