This is the Mississippi River. Just seven miles from where we live and 30 miles north of Memphis. The overlook is in a town called Randolph, which is located on the second of four Chickasaw Bluffs in Tennessee. According to the most recent census, only 150 people live here, but it once had a population of more than 5,000, and was the state’s biggest western shipping point in 1830. Congressman David Crockett spent time here, and was visiting on November 13, 1833 during the Leonid Meteor Shower, which caused a scare across the country because so little was known about it at the time.

The sign says that Randolph was burned in 1862 by Federal soldiers, however, the town had been in decline for several years due to erosion from the river, not getting a stop on the railroad, and failure of Crockett’s plan to build a canal due to opposition from Andrew Jackson.

The marker below is up the hill from the above photo, where Fort Wright was once located. There are homes on both sides of the marker and across the street. The area itself is now just a patch of grass that looks to be on private property.

Either way, it is hard to believe there was once a thriving community here that rivaled Memphis as a port town.

Having lived most of my life on the West Coast and being introduced to the Mississippi River in grade school and reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, the river has always had an almost mythical feel. I never imagined that I would live this close to it and get to experience the abundance of wildlife and vegetation that surround its landscape. The area does not disappoint. I’m going to get a metal detector and do some digging to see what else I can find out about this place.

NOTE: The next Leonid Meteor Shower is predicted to take place again this year on November 17 and 18, almost exactly 190 years from when David Crockett witnessed it here in Randolph.

For a more detailed description and history of Randolph, Tennessee, check-out this TNforKids dedicated web page at https://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/history/virtual-tours/randolph/