Recreation on the Mississippi River

One of the projects we are working on here at the MRCT is a proposed Blueway on the Mississippi River between Meeman-Shelby Forest and downtown Memphis. We hope to encourage additional recreation on our mighty river and believe that the more we foster recreation on and access to our river, the more our community will grow to love and care for our river, because there is work to be done to make it cleaner and healthier. Please read the article run in today's Commercial Appeal about our proposed Blueway.

We had a trial run of regular folk kayaking down the Blueway back in 2007 for our Paddle & Float event, and great fun was had by all.



We even had a catered picnic lunch on Hickman Bar, which is a beautiful sandy beach along the river with excellent camping potential.



Joe Royer and Outdoors Inc. has been a pioneer and an incredible force in advocating a recreation river for us here in Memphis & west Tennessee. Every year Outdoors Inc. has a Canoe & Kayak Race on the downtown portion of the Mississippi River, and they celebrated their 27th year last May!



If water sports are not for you, there are also opportunities for walking and bicycling along our river.



Outdoors Inc. produces a Cyclocross race annually for those who enjoy a more challenging bicycle race.



And the Mississippi River Bicycle Trail extends along the entire western coast of the river in West Tennessee with beautiful bluff vistas available to enjoy along the way.

Chickasaw Bluff No. 2 - GPS Coordinates: N 35° 30.539’ W 089° 54.375’


Chickasaw Bluff No. 1 - GPS Coordinates: N 35° 37.047’ W 089° 52.961’


Researchers from Illinois and Wisconsin have paddled past our port in order to study the health of the river (see our blog post with the details of that expedition)...



...and photographers such as John Guider have paddled the river to document its mighty nature and unabashed romantic allure. Stay tuned for more information, as we are bringing his incredible photo exhibit to Mud Island this spring!

Now get out there and enjoy our Mississippi River!

Loosahatchie Bar

Congratulations!
Every once in a while, we like to congratulate and showcase one of our Partners in a significant accomplishment for our great river and the Mississippi River Corridor – Tennessee.

This month we've chosen The Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee and their recent completion of the Loosahatchie Bar Conservation Project. Directed by Dr. Ron Nassar, in consultation with the Memphis District Corps of Engineers, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and several federal, state and private sector partners, this project is part of a landscape-scale conservation plan – "Restoring America's Greatest River."

Location
Loosahatchie Bar, located in two counties in two states (Shelby County, Tennessee and Crittenden County, Arkansas), is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River directly across from the city of Memphis.



History
In the 1960s it became necessary for the Memphis District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct rock dikes to divert flow from Loosahatchie Bar back to the river to maintain a safe navigation channel.



Sedimentation has increased within the Loosahatchie Bar, causing the loss of aquatic habitat and restricting the passage of fish through the area.

Although parts of the channel have a water depth of 10 feet during the spring and early summer, much of the area often dries completely later in the year.


Conservation Success and Benefits
In the fall of 2008, the LMRCC constructed 12 notches in eight of the stone dikes, and restored the flow of the Mississippi River through more than 11 miles of the Loosahatchie Bar.



The project will benefit the Least Tern, Pallid Sturgeon and Fat Pocketbook Mussel, which are federally endangered species found in the area, as well as improve habitat for recreationally and commercially important fish species.

Revitalizing the Lower Mississippi River ecosystem and providing outdoor recreational opportunities will improve our quality of life in the Memphis region. It will also promote nature-based tourism, one of the fastest growing segments in both the international and national tourism industries, which provide an economic stimulus of $2 Billion/Day worldwide.



The project will also restore aquatic habitat for wetland-dependent birds using the Mississippi Flyway migration corridor and provide additional opportunities for conservation education.


Our great thanks go to our valued partners, The Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee, for their wonderful work in conservation and restoration of the Lower Mississippi River.

Scenic Byways Historic Assets

As part of the process to apply for a National Scenic Byways designation for our Great River Road in West Tennessee, we were to select up to 15 assets in our 5 counties bordering the Mississippi River which reflect intrinsic historic qualities per the definition they provided:


Historic Quality encompasses legacies of the past that are distinctly associated with physical elements of the landscape, whether natural or manmade, that are of such historic significance that they educate the viewer and stir an appreciation for the past. The historic elements reflect the actions of people and may include buildings, settlement patterns, and other examples of human activity. Historic features can be inventoried, mapped and interpreted. They possess integrity of location, design, setting, material, workmanship, feeling and association.


Listed from North to South, our 15 selected assets:


1) Jones Chapel Church of Christ Cemetery, Great River Road Tennessee, north of Tiptonville, Lake County, Tennessee



© Dr. Carroll Van West


This National Register-eligible cemetery is the resting place for the mass burial of 75 Confederates from the Island No. 10 battle during the Civil War, the oldest identified marker dates to 1838.


2) Island No. 10 Battlefield Memorial, Great River Road Tennessee, north of Tiptonville, Lake County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


This state-developed marker for the Battle of Island No. 10 interprets this pivotal
Civil War battle for control of the Mississippi River and was erected c. 1960 as part of the state's Civil War centennial.


3) Reelfoot Lake, White's Landing Boardwalk, Great River Road Tennessee, Lake County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


This lone fisherman is an example of the fishing activity that takes place in the
midst of beautiful old cypress trees in this natural fish hatchery lake created as a result of the New Madrid earthquakes which occurred in the early 1800s.


4) Heloise Landing and the Mississippi River, Great River Road Tennessee, Dyer County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


This access point to the Mississippi River port was once a prominent stop for
agricultural trade during the time between the Civil War and World War II eras.


5) Alex Haley’s Boyhood Home, Great River Road Tennessee, Henning, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


This one-and-one-half story weatherboard bungalow where Alex Haley lived from
1921 to 1929, was the house of Alex Haley's grandfather, Will Palmer and his time there served as inspiration for his popular book Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976).


6) Fort Pillow State Historic Park, Great River Road Tennessee, Lauderdale County,
Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


Civil War re-enactments are periodically held at this historic site to remember the
events that occurred at Ft. Pillow during the Civil War.


7) Lauderdale County Courthouse Ripley, Great River Road Tennessee, Lauderdale County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


The Lauderdale County Courthouse has a unique design among Marr and Holman's Public Works Administration (PWA) courthouses due to its use of buff-colored glazed brick as the main exterior material and its cruciform plan.


8) Tipton County Courthouse, Covington, Great River Road Tennessee, Tipton County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


This late nineteenth century Victorian-styled Courthouse and gazebo in Covington serves as an anchor to surrounding historic commercial and public buildings ranging in age from the 1870s to the 1970s.


9) Canaan Baptist Church, Covington, Great River Road Tennessee, Tipton County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


Built from 1916 to 1917, the Canaan Baptist Church has played a significant role
in the social history, religious history, and the ethnic heritage of African Americans in Covington and Tipton County.


10) Randolph, Great River Road Tennessee, Tipton County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


Randolph was founded in 1823 and undoubtedly occupied the best potential site available for water-borne commerce, due its direct access to the Mississippi River, and as such provided an excellent harbor for steam and flatboats at all stages of the river.


11) National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


As showcased at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, the struggle for civil rights continues to play a major and historic role in our society. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was cut down by an assassin's bullet in 1968 at this shrine to his life's work and quest to secure the rights of equality, liberty and justice for all people in the world.


12) Mud Island River Park & Museum, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee



© Mud Island River Park & Museum


The historic Mud Island River Park and Museum is a unique 52-acre recreational,
educational and entertainment facility dedicated to telling the story of the Mighty Mississippi River and its people. The River Walk on Mud Island is a 5-block long replica of the lower Mississippi river, from Cairo, IL, to New Orleans, LA.


13) Beale Street, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee



© David Richtmyre


Beale Street, while primarily known for being the home of the Blues, is also steeped in African American history. In the late 1870's Memphis was fighting a Yellow Fever epidemic and lost its city charter in 1879. At this time, Robert Church purchased land around Beale Street which eventually lead to his becoming the first black millionaire from the south. In the early 1900s, Beale Street was filled with clubs, restaurants and shops, many of them owned by African-Americans. In 1889, NAACP co-founder Ida B. Wells was a co-owner and editor of an anti-segregationist paper called Free Speech based on Beale. Beale Street Baptist Church, Tennessee's oldest surviving African American Church edifice built in 1864, was also important in the early civil rights movement in Memphis.


14) C. H. Nash Museum & Chucalissa Archaeological site, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


Operated by the University of Memphis, the Chucalissa site and museum serves as a gateway into understanding the science of archaeology and the interpretation of Native American history in the mid-south.


15) National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, Great River Road Tennessee, Shelby County, Tennessee



© Amie Vanderford


The National Ornamental Metal Museum is located on the grounds of a former U.S. Marine Hospital on the Memphis bluff over looking the Mississippi River. This bluff was originally the site of Native American Indian mounds, then in the 1600s was the site of a French fort, and eventually the site became Ft. Pickering during the Civil War.

Happy Holidays from the Mississippi River Corridor - Tennessee!

Dear Friends,

2008 was an incredibly good year for the Mississippi River Corridor - Tennessee! We are so very grateful for our dedicated supporters, donors and advocates, whose contributions have enabled us to accomplish much towards advancing our mission to identify, conserve, and interpret the region's natural, cultural, and scenic resources to improve the quality of life and prosperity in West Tennessee.

Highlights from a few of our projects this year include the production of a new film, "The Fort Pillow Story," for the Ft. Pillow State Historic Park in Lauderdale County; participation in a 10-state Geocaching event with the Mississippi River Parkway Commission, that brought numerous visitors to the unique sites we selected to hide caches for the event, and we completed and submitted a milestone Corridor Management Plan to the Federal Highway Administration and TDOT for a National Scenic Byways designation. During this process, TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely designated our Great River Road - Tennessee as a Tennessee Parkway! Thanks to the regional effort and work done by all six of the MRCT counties, we have much to celebrate and be thankful for in the coming year.

While our work as a non-profit organization continues to grow and evolve, along with our influence and public outreach, we need your financial support now more than ever to keep the momentum rolling into the New Year! Next April 2009, we will be hosting a Conference for the Mississippi River Parkway Commission that will bring all ten Mississippi River states to Memphis. We will also be working toward the implementation of strategic plans created to help us all enhance and develop our Corridor resources for increased economic and community development in west Tennessee.

As we enjoy this holiday season and look forward to a exciting New Year, we ask that you consider the Mississippi River Corridor - Tennessee in your holiday gift giving and end of year financial support for charitable organizations. Please visit our website at www.msrivertn.org and click the "Donate" button to make a donation online, or just give us a call at (901) 278-8459. We would love to discuss the many donor options available to you.

Please support the only regional organization in west Tennessee dedicated to the restoration of our mighty Mississippi River, the enhancement and preservation of our most treasured resources, and improving the quality of life for our present and future generations.

Have a wonderful Holiday season!

From the Staff, Board of Directors and Advisory Council members, we thank you and Happy New Year to us all!

Mississippi River Canoe Trip

Have you ever seen the Chickasaw Bluffs from the Mississippi River? If not, this is the trip for you. Take a 3 day/2 night canoe trip down a 58 mile portion of the Mississippi River in West Tennessee with John Ruskey of the Quapaw Canoe Company.

December 12-14, 2008
See Chickasaw Bluffs Nos 1, 2, 3 & 4 from Ft. Pillow to Memphis, Tennessee
58 river miles

Narrative: Fabulous views of the Chickasaw Bluffs along the Western edge of the state of Tennessee and adjacent bottomland hardwood forests, including the bluffs at Fort Pillow (1st Chickasaw Bluff), Richardson’s Landing (2nd Chickasaw Bluff), Meeman-Shelby State Forest (3rd Chickasaw Bluff) and finally the sweeping view of the Memphis skyline, including the Memphis Bridge and the Pyramid, and downtown Memphis (which straddles the 4th Chickasaw Bluff). The vista from the river is unparalleled! Points of interest include Anderson-Tully Wildlife Management Area, The mouth of the Hatchie River, Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park and the mouth of the Loosahatchie River. The vista from the river is unparalleled! You've never seen downtown Memphis if you haven’t viewed it from the river! Cost depends on number going. For 6 or more its $55/day/person + shuttle. 5=$65/day. 4=$75. 3=$85. Shuttle will be divided between participants, should run between $45 & $65 each (to pay for transportation & driver to start place).

Put in at Ashport, and take out at the foot of Beale Street in the Memphis Harbor. Total mileage = 58 miles on the Mississippi River. Meet in Memphis morning of Day I, camp two nights, take out afternoon/evening Day III.

Day I:
Shuttle: Meet at Memphis Yacht Club, 6am
Put-In: Put in Ashport Landing, 9am
Camp I: Lookout Bar (an island opposite the 2nd Chickasaw Bluff)
Points of Interest: Fort Pillow Bluffs (1st Chickasaw Bluff), Anderson-Tully Wildlife Management Area, The mouth of the Hatchie River, Richardson's Bluff (2nd Chickasaw Bluff: massive red, blue orange & grey bluffs collapsing into main channel. Fantastic scenery! A colorful muddy "glacier" calving into the river!)

Day II:
Camp II: Island 35
Points of Interest: Island Archipelago "Hen & the Chicks," Richardson's Bluff (2nd Chickasaw Bluff), Dean Island Chute.


Day III:
Take-Out: Memphis Harbor, 3 p.m. (subject to change)
Points of Interest: The mouth of the Hatchie River, Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park (3rd Chickasaw Bluff), Brandywine Chute, Hickman Bar, Mouth of the Loosahatchie River, Mud Island, I-40 Bridge, the Pyramid and downtown Memphis (4th Chickasaw Bluff)

All expeditions are outfitted with first-aid kits, rescue ropes, life preservers, cellular communication, and VHF marine radio. Please remember itinerary is dependent on river level and prevailing weather.

When on the river, there is no time but "River Time."

More more information, or to register for this trip, please email Keith Kirkland of the Wolf River Conservancy.

Call for Submissions: Documentary Expression and the American South

Call for Submissions: Documentary Expression and the American South
Proposals due January 30, 2009

Southern Spaces (http://www.southernspaces.org) invites proposals for essays, photography, and multimedia projects about documentary expression in the various regions and places of the U.S. South. We encourage submissions that combine innovative scholarship and commentary about documentary work with ideas for digital media elements such as images, maps, audio, or video. We also welcome the submission of original documentary projects.

For this series, Southern Spaces will to publish projects that explore documentary expression in audio, film, art, photography, and other media. Original pieces might examine the work of one or more documentarians; analyze coverage of particular persons, places, or events; or compare the treatment of ideas or images across several documentary works, genres, or decades. To engage with space and place, projects might examine geographically specific sites, imagined geographies related to the U.S. South, migrations and displacements, or relationships between places.

For information, please visit: http://www.southernspaces.org/abo_cfp_doc.html

This notice is being provided by the MRC-T for your information only. All correspondence regarding this submission should be communicated directly with Southern Spaces.

Your Views on the Mississippi River

The Mississippi River Corridor - TN would like to know how you feel about the Mississippi River, particularly as it relates to west Tennessee.

Tell us your stories, send us some photos, or answer a few of the below questions. We want to hear from you.

1. What, if anything, do you love about the Mississippi River?
2. What does it mean to you to live by one of the world’s largest and most important rivers?
3. How often do you visit the river?
4. Are there road blocks to your experiencing the river? If so, what are they?
5. Did you know that there are magnificent tall bluffs all along the river in West TN?
6. What can we do as organization to help you understand and become better acquainted with the river?
7. What do you see as the top issues facing our river?
8. How do you feel the river affects our lives?

Feel free to post your responses as comments to this blog, or email us, if you prefer.