Mighty Mississippi River (October 4, 2018)

The Mighty Mississippi is about a mile wide at Natchez.  A Natchez native proudly pointed out to me that Natchez is the oldest city on the river, having been founded by the French in 1716, some two years before New Orleans was founded.  Natchez calls itself "the Little Easy" in a nod to the Big Easy.

Sunset on the river as seen from Natchez Under the Hill.  The main part of the city is built on a bluff 200 feet above the river.  Back in the day, Under the Hill was where riverboat gamblers and ne'er-do-wells hung out at saloons, etc.

In 1827, Jim Bowie used his (now famous) knife to kill the Rapides Parish sheriff in the Sandbar Fight in the river. What began as a duel between two other men deteriorated into a melee in which Bowie, who had been shot and stabbed, killed the sheriff.  In 1830, he moved from Louisiana to Texas and became a Mexican citizen.  He died heroically in 1836, defending the Alamo.