Original subtitles

AMERICAN WRITER WILLIAM FAULKNER ONCE SAID,

"TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD

\h\hYOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND A PLACE LIKE MISSISSIPPI."

BUT THAT‘S EASIER \hSAID THAN DONE,

UNLESS YOU DISCOVER IT \h\h\h\hFROM THE AIR--

\h\h\h\h\hSOAR OVER ITS VAST, FERTILE DELTA, ANCIENT TRAILS,

AND SUNLIT GULF COAST.

\h\hBUT ALSO, THE DEVASTATION WROUGHT BY ITS SURGING FLOODS

\h\hAND TERRIFYING TORNADOS THAT CAN LEVEL ENTIRE TOWNS.

\h\h\hIT‘S HERE WHERE AMERICA‘S GREAT RIVER

DEPOSITED THE PLANET‘S \h\h\h\h\hRICHEST SOIL

THAT ONCE GREW THE COTTON \hTHAT CLOTHED THE WORLD,

BUT THAT GAVE RISE TO CENTURIES OF STRUGGLE

AND THE BIRTH OF THE BLUES.

IT WAS IN A SMALL MISSISSIPPI CHURCH

WHERE A YOUNG GIRL NAMED OPRAH

\h\h\h\hFIRST DISCOVERED HER TALENT TO ENTERTAIN.

IN CENTURIES PAST, DANCERS HERE CELEBRATED THE GREAT SUN KING.

NOW, HOT-RODDERS CELEBRATE THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL.

\h\h\h\h\hON MISSISSIPPI SOIL, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS WERE BORN

AND CIVIL WAR DEFEATS \h\hARE STILL MOURNED.

\h\hBUT THAT‘S JUST PART OF THIS SOUTHERN STATE‘S STORY.

IT‘S ALSO WHERE 21st CENTURY \h\h\h\h\hSOLDIERS MOBILIZE

TO BE DEPLOYED AROUND THE WORLD.

AND AMERICA‘S FUTURE IN SPACE \h\h\hIS JUST ONE LAUNCH AWAY.

ALL THIS IN A PLACE CALLED MISSISSIPPI.

THE SLOW BUT POWERFUL RHYTHMS \h\h\hTHAT DEFINE MISSISSIPPI

\h\h\h\h\hBEGIN WITH THE RIVER THAT GIVES THE STATE ITS NAME.

CALLED "FATHER OF WATERS" BY THE NATIVE AMERICAN OJIBWE TRIBE,

THE MISSISSIPPI ROLLS \h\h\hSOME 2,350 MILES

THROUGH THE HEARTLAND \h\h\h\h\hOF AMERICA.

VIRTUALLY EVERY RAINDROP \h\h\hTHAT FALLS BETWEEN

THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS AND THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE

\hEVENTUALLY FINDS ITS WAY DOWN THIS MYTHIC WATERWAY.

THE RIVER‘S COURSE, \h\hIN MOST PLACES,

MARKS MISSISSIPPI‘S \h\hWESTERN BORDER.

\h\h\hIT MOVES GOODS, DEPOSITS FERTILE SOIL,

AND HAS PLAYED A STRATEGIC ROLE IN HISTORY.

BUT WHEN THE BIG MUDDY \hOVERFLOWS ITS BANKS,

IT RAVAGES CROPS, HOMES, AND LIVES.

IN 2011, THE MISSISSIPPI \h\h\hBROKE ALL RECORDS

WHEN THE SURGE ROSE HIGHER THAN 57 FEET.

THE FLOOD SWEPT INLAND \hMORE THAN 60 MILES,

SWAMPING GOLF COURSES \h\h\h\h\hAND HOUSES.

\h\hBUT IT‘S FARMERS THAT BEAR THE BRUNT.

THIS YEAR, MISSISSIPPI FARMS

HAD MORE THAN $250 MILLION \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN LOSSES.

\hBUT IT COULD GET A WHOLE LOT WORSE.

WHEN THE RIVER FLOODS,

WATER SEEPS THROUGH THE LEVEES, AND EVEN TOPS OVER THEM.

BUT IF THESE MANMADE BARRIERS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hGIVE WAY,

MILLIONS COULD BE \h\h\h\hAFFECTED.

LUCKILY, FOR NOW,

MISSISSIPPI‘S LEVEES \h\h\h\hARE HOLDING.

WHENEVER WATER RISES,

\hLIVESTOCK HEAD FOR HIGH GROUND.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWILD ANIMALS, LIKE THIS AMERICAN ALLIGATOR,

CAN BE SWEPT AWAY \hBY FLOODWATERS.

\h\hSOME HAVE EVEN BEEN KNOWN TO WASH INTO PEOPLE‘S LIVING ROOMS.

BUT HIGH WATER DOESN‘T TOUCH

THESE COLONIES OF HERONS AND EGRETS.

\h\h\h\hIN THE TREETOPS OF THIS FORESTED FLOODPLAIN,

THEY‘RE RIGHT AT HOME.

FROM THE AIR IT‘S POSSIBLE \h\h\h\hTO GET A RARE VIEW

OF THESE NESTING BIRDS,

WHICH ARE USUALLY \h\h\hONLY SPOTTED

STANDING SOLITARY IN SHALLOW WATERS.

FOR PEOPLE, FLOODING INFLICTS \h\h\h\h\h\hTREMENDOUS LOSSES.

THE WATER CAN TAKE \hWEEKS TO RECEDE.

\hBUT FOR THE 12,000 YEARS THAT HUMANS HAVE OCCUPIED THIS LAND,

\hTHEY HAVE ACCEPTED THE RIVER‘S DANGERS

IN EXCHANGE FOR ITS GIFTS.

\hCENTURIES BEFORE EUROPEANS ARRIVED,

\h\h\h\h\hMISSISSIPPI‘S ORIGINAL INHABITANTS, THE NATCHEZ PEOPLE,

BUILT THIS EARTHEN STRUCTURE.

\h\h\hATTRACTED BY THE RIVER, FERTILE SOIL AND WARM CLIMATE,

THEY SETTLED HERE IN WHAT‘S NOW SOUTHWESTERN MISSISSIPPI.

\hSKILLED AT AGRICULTURE, THEIR POPULATION SWELLED.

THIS GIANT EARTHEN STRUCTURE \h\h\h\hCOVERS EIGHT ACRES.

\hCALLED EMERALD MOUND, IT‘S ONE OF THE LARGEST

NATIVE AMERICAN CEREMONIAL \h\hMOUNDS IN THE COUNTRY.

PEOPLE FROM SURROUNDING VILLAGES GATHERED HERE

AND ASCENDED THE MOUND

\h\hTO PARTICIPATE IN IMPORTANT CEREMONIES.

\h\h\h\h\h\hBY THE LATE 1600s, THE NATCHEZ ABANDONED THE SITE

AND MOVED CLOSER TO THE RIVER.

\hJUST A FEW MILES AWAY, THEY ESTABLISHED A NEW COMMUNITY--

THE GRAND VILLAGE \hOF THE NATCHEZ.

HERE, AT AN ANNUAL POWWOW,

NATIVE AMERICANS FROM ALL OVER \h\h\h\h\h\hTHE COUNTRY GATHER

FOR A WEEKEND OF CRAFTS, \h\h\hGAMES AND DANCING.

\h\h\hHOUSES LIKE THIS ONE ONCE DOTTED GRAND VILLAGE,

\hALONG WITH THE HOME OF THE TRIBE‘S CHIEF,

WHO WAS CALLED GREAT SUN.

IT WAS PLAINS INDIANS

\h\hWHO FIRST GATHERED IN CEREMONIAL CIRCLES

FOR WARRIOR DANCES.

TODAY, FLAG-BEARING WAR VETERANS ARE LEADING MEMBERS

\hOF THE PONCA, CHOCTAW, OTOE, AND OMAHA TRIBES.

THEIR STEPS AREN‘T \h\hCHOREOGRAPHED.

\h\hDANCERS LET THE DRUMS AND THE SPIRIT MOVE THEM.

GRAND VILLAGE GREW TO BECOME

THE PROSPEROUS FRONTIER PORT \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF NATCHEZ.

TODAY, RESIDENTS TAKE \hTHEIR DAILY EXERCISE

PAST THE ONCE-NOTORIOUS \h\h\h\h\hNATCHEZ WHARF.

\h\hIN THE 19th CENTURY, BOATMEN DISEMBARKED HERE

\hTO SPEND THEIR PAY IN THE SALOONS AND BROTHELS

OF THE DOCKSIDE AREA.

ACCORDING TO MARK TWAIN, \h\hTHIS STREET WAS ONCE

\h\h\h\h\hOVERRUN WITH "DRINKING, CAROUSING,

FISTICUFFING, AND KILLING."

BUT THIS LITTLE TRADING PORT

\h\h\h\h\h\hHAS ANOTHER, MORE SURPRISING HISTORY.

\hAT ONE POINT, MORE THAN HALF OF THE MILLIONAIRES IN AMERICA

\hLIVED IN THIS SMALL CITY ON THE BLUFFS OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

THAT‘S BECAUSE BY THE MID-1800s,

THE COTTON GIN AND SLAVERY \hHAD MADE THE SOUTH RICH,

AND NATCHEZ HAD BECOME

A PRIMARY COTTON HUB \hAND SLAVE MARKET,

\h\hMAKING THE TOWN WEALTHIER PER CAPITA

THAN ANY OTHER IN THE NATION.

IN 1862, DURING THE CIVIL WAR,

NATCHEZ SURRENDERED \h\hTO UNION FORCES

AND REMAINED LARGELY UNDAMAGED.

500 ANTEBELLUM STRUCTURES \h\h\h\h\h\hSURVIVE HERE,

MORE THAN IN ANY OTHER TOWN \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE SOUTH.

\h\h\h\h\h\hSOME, LIKE DUNLEITH HISTORIC INN,

STAND AS A MONUMENT TO THE DAYS WHEN COTTON WAS KING.

BUT OTHERS LOOK MORE LIKE RELICS OF A LOST CIVILIZATION.

DISCOVERING MISSISSIPPI \h\h\h\h\hFROM THE AIR,

IT CAN SEEM LIKE A PLACE WHERE TIME STANDS STILL.

ESPECIALLY HERE, AT LONGWOOD.

IN 1860,

A WEALTHY COTTON PLANTER \hNAMED DR. HALLER NUTT

HAD PLANS FOR AN OPULENT \h\h\h\h32-ROOM MANSION.

IT WAS DESIGNED IN THE SHAPE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF AN OCTAGON,

A POPULAR TREND \h\hAT THE TIME.

\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT THE NEXT YEAR, WHEN THE CIVIL WAR BROKE OUT,

\hTHE WORKERS DROPPED THEIR TOOLS AND FLED,

LEAVING THEIR JOB \hONLY HALF-DONE.

TO THIS DAY,

THE INTERIOR OF THIS GRAND HOUSE HAS NEVER BEEN COMPLETED.

BUT THAT DIDN‘T STOP PRODUCERS \h\hFROM USING IT AS THE HOME

OF THE DANGEROUS AND POWERFUL \hVAMPIRE KING OF MISSISSIPPI

IN THE TELEVISION SERIES \h\h\h\h\h"TRUE BLOOD."

JUST A FEW MILES \hFROM LONGWOOD

LIES THE STARTING POINT

\hOF ONE OF AMERICA‘S GREAT SCENIC HIGHWAYS.

THIS IS THE NATCHEZ TRACE.

IT HEADS NORTHEAST \h\hOUT OF NATCHEZ

AND RUNS FOR 444 MILES THROUGH \h\hTHE HEART OF MISSISSIPPI,

BEFORE CONTINUING ON UP TO NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

THE TRACE STARTED AS A PATH \h\hMADE BY MIGRATING BISON

\hAND WAS LATER USED BY NATIVE AMERICAN TRADERS.

IN THE 19th CENTURY,

RIVER MEN FROM OHIO \h\h\hUSED THE TRACE

TO RETURN HOME BY FOOT

\h\h\h\hAFTER DELIVERING THEIR GOODS TO NATCHEZ.

FLUSH WITH THEIR PROFITS,

SEWN INTO DEERSKIN BAGS,

THESE TRAVELERS \hWERE EASY PREY

FOR A COLORFUL ARRAY OF \h\hTHIEVES AND OUTLAWS

THAT PLIED THEIR TRADE \hALL ALONG THE TRACE.

THE MOST NOTORIOUS \h\h\h\h\hOF THESE

WERE THE HARPE BROTHERS,

WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED "AMERICA‘S FIRST SERIAL KILLERS."

THEY WERE SAID TO HAVE BRUTALLY KILLED MORE THAN 40 PEOPLE.

ONE OF THE BROTHERS WAS FINALLY BEHEADED

AND HIS SKULL MOUNTED \h\h\h\h\h\hON A STAKE

AND LEFT ON THE TRACE.

THOSE DAYS ARE LONG GONE.

TODAY, DEVELOPMENT IS \h\hTHE BIGGEST THREAT

ON THIS TWO-LANE ROADWAY.

\h\h\h\h\hIT‘S ONE REASON THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

HAS BANNED BILLBOARDS

AND WORKS TO ENSURE

THAT THE FORESTS ALL ALONG THE TRACE REMAIN INTACT...

FORESTS THAT LOOK MUCH LIKE \h\hTHEY HAVE FOR CENTURIES.

BUT ACROSS MUCH OF MISSISSIPPI,

\h\hCUTTING DOWN TREES IS A BILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS.

MOST OF THE STATE‘S COMMERCIALLY GROWN FORESTS LIKE THESE

CONTAIN LONGLEAF PINE,

WHICH IS USED TO MAKE NEWSPRINT, FURNITURE AND LUMBER.

LOGGING IN MISSISSIPPI HAS BEEN BIG BUSINESS

FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.

BUT RECENTLY,

ECONOMIC WOES HAVE RESULTED \h\h\h\h\h\hIN HUGE LAYOFFS

FOR THE STATE‘S TIMBER WORKERS.

AND NOW, THE TREES THEMSELVES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hARE UNDER ATTACK

FROM AN INVASIVE VINE.

\h\h\h\h\hFROM HIGH ABOVE, THIS MISSISSIPPI LANDSCAPE

MAY LOOK AT FIRST LIKE PLUSH VELVET,

BUT CLOSER UP, IT‘S NOT SUCH \h\h\h\h\hA PRETTY PICTURE.

THESE TREES AND HILLSIDES \h\hARE COVERED IN KUDZU,

\h\h\h\h\h\hOTHERWISE KNOWN AS "THE VINE THAT ATE THE SOUTH."

IMPORTED FROM JAPAN

\h\h\hAND ORIGINALLY PROMOTED AS CATTLE FODDER AND GROUND COVER,

IT‘S NOW CONSIDERED A SCOURGE,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSMOTHERING TREES, EVEN KNOCKING DOWN POWER LINES.

KUDZU CAN GROW A FOOT PER DAY

AND NOW COVERS MILLIONS OF ACRES ACROSS THE SOUTH.

\h\hBUT THERE IS ONE WAY TO COMBAT THIS SPECIES.

SMOKE RISES OVER A PINE FOREST \h\h\hIN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI.

THIS FIRE HAS BEEN \hLIT ON PURPOSE.

\h\h\hLONG BEFORE EUROPEANS ARRIVED,

\h\h\hNATIVE AMERICANS SET MISSISSIPPI FORESTS ABLAZE

TO CLEAR LAND FOR HUNTING.

TODAY, PRESCRIBED BURNS REMOVE \h\h\h\hCOMPETING UNDERGROWTH,

\h\h\hDESTROY HARMFUL INSECTS AND DISEASES,

AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR LOGGERS \h\h\h\h\hTO CUT THEIR TREES.

FIRES LIKE THESE MUST BE CAREFULLY MANAGED.

THE SLIGHTEST SHIFT IN WIND

\h\hCAN CAUSE THESE FLAMES TO SPREAD OUT OF CONTROL.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT IN 2011, IT WASN‘T A PRESCRIBED BURN,

BUT A TERRIFYING FORCE OF NATURE

THAT DESTROYED MUCH OF THIS MISSISSIPPI TOWN

IN JUST A MATTER OF MINUTES.

AT 3:44 PM ON APRIL 27, 2011,

AN E5 TORNADO, THE MOST EXTREME CATEGORY RECORDABLE,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTORE THROUGH MONROE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI,

NEAR THE ALABAMA BORDER.

IN THIS RURAL LAND,

IT‘S MORE LIKELY \hTHAT A TORNADO

\h\h\hWILL JUST HIT FARMLAND OR FOREST.

BUT THIS TWISTER,

\hTOUCHING DOWN FOR ALMOST THREE MILES,

SCREAMED DOWN A MAIN HIGHWAY

AND TORE RIGHT THROUGH THIS TOWN CALLED SMITHVILLE.

\hITS PATH OF DESTRUCTION WAS THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILE WIDE.

\hITS WINDS REACHED 205 MILES PER HOUR.

17 PEOPLE WERE KILLED HERE \h\hIN A TOWN OF JUST 900.

RELIEF WORKERS ARRIVED \h\h\h\hWITHIN HOURS,

\hSETTING UP CAMP IN THE PARKING LOT

\h\h\h\h\hOF THIS SHREDDED PIGGLY WIGGLY SUPERMARKET.

\hALTHOUGH THIS WAS THE FIRST E5 TO HIT MISSISSIPPI IN 45 YEARS,

\h\hTORNADOES ARE FREQUENT OCCURRENCES IN THE STATE.

TWO OF THE FIVE DEADLIEST \hTWISTERS IN U.S. HISTORY

STRUCK IN MISSISSIPPI.

IN SMITHVILLE, FAMILIES SEEK \h\h\hWHAT THEY CAN SALVAGE.

HALF OF THE TOWN‘S HOUSES \h\h\h\h\hARE SIMPLY GONE.

THE HIGH SCHOOL GYM \hWAS RIPPED APART.

THE TOMBSTONES OF CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS

WERE TOPPLED AND BROKEN.

NORTH OF SMITHVILLE,

GREAT PINES SNAPPED \h\hLIKE TOOTHPICKS

\h\hAS THE TWISTER RACED OUT OF TOWN

\h\h\hJUST AS FAST AS IT HAD ARRIVED.

\h\hMISSISSIPPIANS ARE EXPERIENCED SURVIVORS.

THEY‘VE SEEN IT ALL--

\hSTORMS, FLOODS, POVERTY, AND WAR.

\hIN THE CITY OF JACKSON SITS THE STATE CAPITOL,

\hTHE POLITICAL CENTER OF MODERN MISSISSIPPI.

JACKSON IS MISSISSIPPI‘S \h\h\h\h\h\h\hONLY CITY

\h\hWITH MORE THAN 100,000 RESIDENTS.

ESTABLISHED IN 1821,

\h\h\h\hIT WAS NAMED FOR THE HUGELY POPULAR HERO

OF THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS,

\h\hBEFORE HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT.

BUT IT‘S THE OLD STATE CAPITOL

THAT REMAINS THE SYMBOL \hOF THE GREAT CONFLICT

THAT LIES AT THE HEART OF MISSISSIPPI MEMORY.

ON JANUARY 9, 1861,

MISSISSIPPI DECLARED ITSELF

THE SECOND STATE TO SECEDE \h\h\h\h\hFROM THE UNION.

PARTISANS STILL ARGUE THE CAUSES OF THE WAR,

\hBUT THE MISSISSIPPI ORDINANCE OF SECESSION

\h\h\h\hCLEARLY DEFINED THE STATE‘S MOTIVATION.

\h\hIT WAS READ ALOUD FROM THIS SECOND-STORY BALCONY.

\h\h\h"OUR POSITION IS THOROUGHLY IDENTIFIED

WITH THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY,

\hTHE GREATEST MATERIAL INTEREST OF THE WORLD."

AFTER IT WAS READ,

\hCELEBRATIONS RANG OUT ON THE STREETS BELOW...

BUT NOT FOR LONG.

CIVIL WAR BATTLES SOON RAGED \h\h\h\hALL OVER THE STATE,

AND THE CITIES OF PORT GIBSON, \h\h\h\hJACKSON AND VICKSBURG

BECAME KEY BATTLEGROUNDS

\h\h\hIN WHAT‘S KNOWN AS THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN.

BY 1863, CONFEDERATE FORCES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAT VICKSBURG

\h\hWERE STILL IN CONTROL OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

WHICH IS WHY PRESIDENT LINCOLN \h\h\h\h\h\hTOLD HIS ADVISORS,

"VICKSBURG IS THE KEY!

\h\hTHE WAR CAN NEVER BE BROUGHT TO A CLOSE

UNTIL THAT KEY IS \hIN OUR POCKET."

ON APRIL 30th,

GENERAL ULYSSES GRANT AND HIS ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE

CROSSED THE RIVER FROM LOUISIANA

AND BEGAN THE INVASION \h\h\hOF MISSISSIPPI.

WHEN THEY REACHED PORT GIBSON,

THE GENERAL AND HIS MEN \h\hMIGHT HAVE WONDERED

\h\hAT THE GOLD HAND POINTING TO HEAVEN.

\hTHIS NEWER VERSION STILL CAPS THE SPIRE

\h\h\h\hOF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

THE UNION TROOPS QUICKLY OVERCAME

THE CONFEDERATE FORCES HERE,

BUT GRANT SPARED MOST OF PORT GIBSON ITSELF,

REPORTEDLY CALLING THE TOWN \h\h"TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BURN."

STILL TODAY, MANY OF ITS HOUSES

\hLOOK JUST AS THEY DID MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO.

THE VICTORY AT PORT GIBSON

\hENABLED THE UNION ARMY TO CONTINUE ON TOWARD JACKSON.

GRANT HOPED TO DESTROY \h\hKEY RAILROAD LINES

AND NEUTRALIZE THE CAPITAL.

ON MAY 13th,

\hA CONFEDERATE GENERAL SENT TO PROTECT JACKSON

ARRIVED IN THE CITY \h\h\h\h\hBY TRAIN.

\h\h\h\hAFTER REVIEWING HIS INADEQUATE DEFENSES

AGAINST THE APPROACHING ENEMY,

HE WIRED HIS SUPERIOR, \h\h\h"I AM TOO LATE."

THE NEXT DAY, THE CONFEDERATES \h\h\h\h\h\hEVACUATED JACKSON

AS GRANT‘S TROOPS \h\h\hMARCHED IN.

THEY SET MOST OF THE CITY ABLAZE,

BUT SPARED THE DESERTED \h\h\hGOVERNOR‘S MANSION

SO IT COULD SERVE \hAS A HOSPITAL...

AND RAISED THE STARS AND STRIPES OVER THE OLD STATE CAPITOL.

WITH JACKSON BURNING,

\hGRANT WAS NOW READY TO MARCH ON VICKSBURG.

\h\h\h\h\hTHREE DAYS LATER, AS UNION FORCES MOVED WEST,

THEY MET CONFEDERATE \h\hRESISTANCE HERE,

\h\hON THE BANKS OF THE BIG BLACK RIVER.

\h\hOVERWHELMED BY NORTHERN NUMBERS,

THE SOUTHERNERS RETREATED \h\h\h\h\h\hOVER A BRIDGE

THAT STOOD NEAR THIS ONE.

\hMANY OF THEM WERE CAPTURED OR DROWNED

TRYING TO SWIM THE RIVER.

\hCONFEDERATE COMMANDERS SET FIRE TO THE BRIDGE,

WHICH HELPED BUY THE SURVIVORS \h\h\hTIME TO REACH VICKSBURG

\h\hAND PREPARE FOR THE COMING ASSAULT.

THE LEGACY OF THAT CAMPAIGN \hSTILL PERMEATES THE CITY.

LINCOLN‘S PHRASE,

\h\h\hTHAT VICKSBURG WAS "THE KEY TO THE SOUTH,"

\h\h\hIS NOW USED AS A TOURISM CAMPAIGN.

WHEN GRANT FINALLY REACHED THE CITY,

\hHE ORDERED A SERIES OF IMMEDIATE ATTACKS,

BUT HIS FORCES WERE REPULSED, \h\h\hSUFFERING HEAVY LOSSES.

\hGRANT DECIDED THAT CUTTING OFF SUPPLIES

AND LAYING SIEGE TO THE CITY

WAS THE BEST HOPE \h\h\hFOR VICTORY.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hDAY AND NIGHT, UNION FORCES SHELLED VICKSBURG.

THE COURTHOUSE WAS A FAVORITE TARGET,

\h\hBUT MORE FOR ITS SYMBOLIC, RATHER THAN STRATEGIC, VALUE.

MOST OF THE KEY BATTLEGROUNDS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLAY HERE,

IN WHAT‘S NOW THE VICKSBURG \h\hNATIONAL MILITARY PARK,

WHICH COMMEMORATES THE SIEGE \h\hAND DEFENSE OF THE CITY.

WHILE SOUTHERN TROOPS \h\h\hFOUGHT BRAVELY,

\h\h\hTHEIR EFFORTS COULD NOT REPLENISH

DWINDLING SUPPLIES OF FOOD AND WATER.

AFTER 47 DAYS,

WITH VICKSBURG‘S DEFENDERS \h\h\h\hFACING STARVATION,

CONFEDERATE GENERAL \hJOHN C. PEMBERTON

SURRENDERED TO ULYSSES GRANT,

HERE, UNDER AN OAK TREE,

WHICH WAS LATER CUT DOWN \h\h\hTO MAKE SOUVENIRS.

THE CONFEDERATES MARCHED OUT \h\h\h\h\h\hON JULY 4, 1863,

ONE DAY AFTER ROBERT E. LEE‘S \h\h\h\hDEFEAT AT GETTYSBURG.

\h\hIN A LETTER TO HIS WIFE, A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER WROTE,

\h\h\h\h"NEWS REACHED HERE THAT VICKSBURG HAS GONE UP THE SPOUT.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIF IT HAS, WE HAD JUST AS WELL QUIT

\h\h\hAND GIVE UP THE CONFEDERACY."

INDEED, THE ENTIRE MISSISSIPPI RIVER,

FROM CAIRO, ILLINOIS, TO THE GULF OF MEXICO,

WAS NOW UNDER UNION CONTROL.

ALTHOUGH THE WAR DRAGGED ON \h\h\hFOR ANOTHER 20 MONTHS,

THE FEDERAL VICTORIES AT GETTYSBURG AND VICKSBURG

MARKED THE TURNING POINT OF THIS BLOODY CONFLICT.

THE DEFEAT OF THE CONFEDERACY

WAS A CRUSHING BLOW \h\h\hTO THE SOUTH--

ECONOMICALLY, CULTURALLY, \h\h\hAND PSYCHOLOGICALLY.

FOLLOWING THE JULY 4th DEFEAT,

\hVICKSBURG DID NOT REINSTATE INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS

FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS,

UNTIL 1945.

NEVERTHELESS,

\hTHE SOUTH CONTINUES TO TAKE PRIDE IN ITS MILITARY HISTORY,

AND TO THIS DAY,

CONTRIBUTES A DISPROPORTIONATE \h\h\h\h\h\hNUMBER OF SOLDIERS

TO WARS FOUGHT BY THE UNITED STATES.

SOLDIERS LIKE THESE,

PREPARING TO BOARD THEIR BLACK HAWK,

\h\h\hAND THE PILOTS THAT FLY THIS C-130 HERCULES AIRCRAFT.

IT‘S JUST A DAY IN THE LIFE

HERE AT MISSISSIPPI‘S \h\h\h\h\hCAMP SHELBY,

THE LARGEST STATE-RUN \hFIELD TRAINING SITE

IN THE UNITED STATES.

FIRST OPENED TO PREPARE SOLDIERS FOR WORLD WAR I,

IT HAS EXPANDED TO COVER MORE THAN 134,000 ACRES.

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR,

CAMP SHELBY PREPARES \hMORE THAN 100,000

ARMY, NAVY, MARINE CORPS, \h\h\hAND AIR FORCE TROOPS

FOR OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT.

IN THE MIDST OF THE CAMP,

\hSITTING QUIETLY IN THE MISSISSIPPI SUN

\h\h\h\h\h\hARE TWO MOCK MIDDLE EASTERN VILLAGES,

\h\h\hCOMPLETE WITH BUILDINGS DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE MOSQUES.

HERE, SOLDIERS HEADING OVERSEAS

\h\h\h\h\h\hCAN TRAIN IN WHAT THE GUARD BELIEVES

ARE MORE REALISTIC SETTINGS.

TROOPS DEPLOY FROM CAMP SHELBY,

\h\hPREPARED TO FIGHT WARS IN DISTANT REGIONS OF THE WORLD.

BUT SOLDIERS AREN‘T \hMISSISSIPPI‘S ONLY

NATIVE SONS AND DAUGHTERS

TO LEAVE THEIR MARK \h\h\h\hON HISTORY.

\hONE OF THE MOST LOVED ENTERTAINERS IN AMERICA

\hSTARTED HER REMARKABLE JOURNEY IN THE RURAL TOWN OF KOSCIUSKO,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hJUST OFF THE NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY

NORTHEAST OF JACKSON.

50 YEARS AGO,

\h\h\h\h\hTHIS WHITE CLAPBOARD COMMUNITY CENTER WAS A CHURCH.

INSIDE, A PRECOCIOUS \h\h\hTHREE-YEAR-OLD

NAMED OPRAH WINFREY

\hWAS ENCOURAGED TO STAND AND RECITE BIBLE PASSAGES

TO THE CONGREGATION.

OPRAH REMEMBERS,

\h\h"AND ALL THE SISTERS SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW

\h\h\h\h\hWOULD TURN TO MY GRANDMOTHER AND SAY,

\h\h\h\h\h\h‘HATTIE MAE, THIS CHILD IS GIFTED.‘"

\h\h"I HEARD THAT ENOUGH, I STARTED TO BELIEVE IT."

OPRAH SPENT HER FIRST SIX YEARS ON HER GRANDMOTHER‘S FARM,

JUST DOWN THE ROAD.

\hSOME OF HER FAMILY MEMBERS ARE BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY.

FROM KOSCIUSKO,

\hTHE NATCHEZ TRACE CONTINUES ON INTO THE NORTHEAST HILLS REGION.

HERE, MISSISSIPPI‘S FLATLANDS \h\hGIVE WAY TO GENTLE RISES,

\h\h\h\h\hPREPARING TO MEET THE FOOTHILLS OF TENNESSEE.

SOME SAY THAT IT‘S THE UNIQUE \h\h\h\h\h\hBLEND OF CULTURES

IN THIS REGION--

FROM AFRICAN AMERICAN TO APPALACHIAN HILLBILLY--

\hTHAT PRODUCES CREATIVE GENIUS.

\hVISITORS TO TUPELO WOULD HAVE TO AGREE.

ON A JANUARY DAWN IN 1935,

INSIDE THIS TWO-ROOM \h\h\h\hWHITE HOUSE,

\h\hTWIN BOYS WERE BORN TO VERNON AND GLADYS PRESLEY.

THE FIRST WAS STILLBORN.

THE SURVIVING BOY \hWAS NAMED ELVIS.

THE HOME IS JUST 450 SQUARE FEET,

WITH NO INDOOR PLUMBING.

\hTHERE‘S A SOFA AT GRACELAND LONGER THAN THIS ENTIRE HOUSE.

DESPITE THE HOME‘S MODESTY,

THE PRESLEYS WERE UNABLE \hTO MAKE THE PAYMENTS.

ELVIS AND HIS PARENTS MOVED FROM HOME TO HOME FOR YEARS.

FAMILY AND FAITH, THOUGH, \h\h\h\h\hSTAYED CONSTANT.

\h\hTHIS SIMPLE WHITE ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH

WHERE THE PRESLEYS \hOFTEN WORSHIPPED

\h\h\h\hWAS MOVED HERE, NEXT TO THE BIRTHPLACE.

AND IT WAS INSIDE THESE WALLS

\hTHAT GOSPEL MUSIC FIRST ENTRANCED THE YOUNG ELVIS.

BUT WHEN MRS. PRESLEY \hBROUGHT ELVIS HERE,

TO TUPELO HARDWARE,

\hTO GET HIM A GUITAR FOR HIS 11th BIRTHDAY,

WHAT THE BOY REALLY WANTED \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS A RIFLE.

\h\h\hFORTUNATELY, MOTHER PREVAILED.

THE PEOPLE OF TUPELO, OF COURSE, RELISH THEIR LINK TO THE KING.

\hEVERY SPRING, TOWNSPEOPLE HERE

COMBINE THEIR LOVE \hOF ROCK AND ROLL

AND THEIR INFATUATION \h\h\h\h\h\hWITH CARS

\h\hIN THE ANNUAL BLUE SUEDE CRUISE.

THEY MAY LOOK LIKE MATCHBOX CARS FROM THE AIR,

BUT THEY ARE FULL-SCALE CLASSICS AND HOT-RODS,

GATHERED IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE TUPELO AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM.

IT‘S A CAR LOVER‘S PARADISE.

\h\hTHE LONG LINE OF BEAUTIES MOVES OUT ON SATURDAY MORNING

TO PARADE THROUGH \hDOWNTOWN TUPELO.

\h\h\hDRIVERS CAN BE ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES

\h\h\hAS LONG AS THEY GET THEIR ENTRY CARDS STAMPED

AT SEVEN SITES \hAROUND TOWN,

INCLUDING ELVIS‘S BIRTHPLACE.

AFTER THE PARADE,

CRUISERS CAN FIND RARE PARTS \h\h\h\hAT THE SWAP MEET...

\h\h...OR ROCK OUT TO THE FABULOUS HUBCAPS.

\h\h\hAN HOUR‘S DRIVE DUE WEST FROM TUPELO,

THE SPOTLIGHT SHIFTS FROM \h\hROCK AND ROLL ROYALTY

TO LIONS OF LITERATURE.

THIS IS OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI,

\h\hON THE DAY OF THE ANNUAL DOUBLE DECKER ARTS FESTIVAL,

NAMED FOR THE DOUBLE-DECKER BUS

\h\hTHE CITY IMPORTED FROM ENGLAND IN 1994,

TO HONOR ITS CONNECTION \h\hTO THE OTHER OXFORD.

THE OXFORD TOWN SQUARE,

DOMINATED BY THE LAFAYETTE \h\h\h\hCOUNTY COURTHOUSE,

\h\h\hEMBODIES THE COMPLEXITY OF MISSISSIPPI CULTURE AND HISTORY.

ON ONE SIDE OF THE COURTHOUSE

STANDS A PLAQUE \hCOMMEMORATING

THE "JUST AND HOLY CAUSE" \h\h\hOF THE CONFEDERACY.

\hON THE OTHER SIDE STANDS SQUARE BOOKS,

ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED \hINDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES

IN THE COUNTRY.

\hSHELVES ARE FILLED WITH THE WORKS OF MISSISSIPPI WRITERS--

\h\h\hEUDORA WELTY, TENNESSEE WILLIAMS,

AND RICHARD WRIGHT.

NOVELIST RICHARD FORD OBSERVED

\h\hTHAT HIS HOME STATE PRODUCED SO MANY WRITERS

"BECAUSE IT IS SO COMPLICATED,

IT TAKES THAT MANY TO INTERPRET IT."

IN OXFORD, THE TOWN FAVORITE

IS NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING NOVELIST WILLIAM FAULKNER.

TUCKED WITHIN THIS GROVE \hOF OAK AND CEDAR TREES

IS ROWAN OAK,

\hTHE ANTEBELLUM HOUSE WHERE FAULKNER LIVED FOR 40 YEARS.

HERE, HE WROTE THE CLASSICS \hSANCTUARY, LIGHT IN AUGUST,

ABSALOM, ABSALOM!, \h\h\h\hGO DOWN, MOSES.

HIS PLOT OUTLINE FOR \h\h\h\h\h\hTHE FABLE

\hREMAINS PENCILED ON HIS STUDY WALL.

FAULKNER SAID THAT

HIS "OWN LITTLE POSTAGE STAMP \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF NATIVE SOIL"

WAS WORTH WRITING ABOUT

AND THAT HE WOULD NEVER LIVE \hLONG ENOUGH TO EXHAUST IT.

JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE YOU GO \h\h\h\h\hIN MISSISSIPPI,

THERE ARE STORIES TO TELL.

LIKE THAT OF RODNEY,

WHICH WAS TRANSFORMED FROM \h\h\hA BUSTLING PORT CITY

TO A GHOST TOWN,

\h\h\h\hJUST BECAUSE THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI CHANGED ITS COURSE.

\h\hAND THEN THERE ARE THESE GHOSTLY COLUMNS

THAT LOOK LIKE THE RUINS \h\h\hOF A GREEK TEMPLE.

THIS ONCE ELEGANT MANSION \h\h\hWAS THE CENTERPIECE

\hOF THE 2,600-ACRE WINDSOR PLANTATION.

\h\h\h\h\h\hIT HAD 25 ROOMS AND A DAIRY IN ITS BASEMENT.

WINDSOR SURVIVED \hTHE CIVIL WAR

BUT WAS BROUGHT DOWN BY A STRAY CIGARETTE

AT AN AFTERNOON PARTY.

BUT THERE‘S ONE STORY \h\h\h\hIN MISSISSIPPI

\hTHAT THOUSANDS STILL HOLD DEAR.

AND IT‘S WHY DIE-HARD FANS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI

CONSIDER THEIR FOOTBALL STADIUM A PLACE OF WORSHIP.

SOME OLE MISS LOYALISTS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWILL CLAIM

THAT DIVINE INTERVENTION \h\h\h\h\h\hWAS AT PLAY

AT THE 1983 EGG BOWL,

THE ANNUAL COLLISION BETWEEN \h\h\h\hTHE OLE MISS REBELS

AND THE MISSISSIPPI STATE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBULLDOGS.

OLE MISS HAD OVERCOME \h\h\hAN EARLY DEFICIT

TO GAIN A ONE-POINT LEAD \hBY THE FOURTH QUARTER.

BUT WITH JUST SECONDS REMAINING,

THE VISITING BULLDOGS LINED UP \h\h\h\h\hON THE 10-YARD LINE,

READY TO KICK A FIELD GOAL \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO VICTORY.

THE KICK WAS MADE,

\h\h\h\hPERFECTLY AIMED BETWEEN THE GOAL POSTS.

\hBUT JUST AS THE BALL BEGAN TO SAIL THROUGH,

A GUST OF WIND PICKED IT UP

AND TOSSED IT BACK OUTSIDE THE POSTS.

REBEL PANDEMONIUM ENSUED.

A NEWSPAPER REPORTER CALLED IT \h"THE IMMACULATE DEFLECTION."

\hSTUDENTS AT OLE MISS KNOW HOW TO CELEBRATE A VICTORY.

HERE AT SIGMA NU‘S SPRING PARTY,

"WOODSTOCK" IS THE THEME,

\hAND TIE-DYE IS EVERYWHERE.

BUT IT WASN‘T ALWAYS \h\h\hPEACE AND LOVE

AT THE UNIVERSITY \hOF MISSISSIPPI.

IN THE CENTER OF CAMPUS,

A MONUMENT DEPICTS \h\h\hA YOUNG MAN

STRIDING PURPOSEFULLY \h\hTOWARD A DOORWAY.

IT‘S A TRIBUTE TO \hJAMES MEREDITH,

THE YOUNG AFRICAN AMERICAN \h\h\h\hAIR FORCE VETERAN

WHO BECAME, IN 1962,

THE FIRST BLACK STUDENT

TO ATTEND THE UNIVERSITY \h\h\h\hOF MISSISSIPPI.

IT TOOK U.S. MARSHALS TO CONTROL THE VIOLENT RIOTS THAT FOLLOWED.

TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND HUNDREDS ARRESTED.

BUT OLE MISS WAS FOREVER CHANGED.

SINCE THEN,

\h\h\h\hSTUDENTS HAVE DEVELOPED A STRONG COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE.

ONE OF THEM WAS \hA 26-YEAR-OLD

WHO EARNED HIS LAW DEGREE \h\hFROM OLE MISS IN 1981.

THEN, INSPIRED BY \h\hTHE INJUSTICES

\h\h\h\hHE WITNESSED IN THE STATE‘S COURTROOMS,

HE BEGAN TO WRITE \hLEGAL THRILLERS.

HIS NAME WAS JOHN GRISHAM.

THE BOOKS HAVE GONE ON TO BECOME INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERS,

BUT GRISHAM HIMSELF \h\h\hDIDN‘T GO FAR.

HE LIVES ON THIS ESTATE OUTSIDE OF OXFORD FOR PART OF THE YEAR.

AN AVID SPORTS FAN,

HE BUILT A BASEBALL DIAMOND \h\h\h\h\h\hON THE PROPERTY

FOR LOCAL LITTLE LEAGUE TEAMS.

HERE IN OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI‘S \h\h\h\hAUTHORS TAKE THE FAME.

BUT WEST OF THE HILLS

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF \h\hTHE YAZOO RIVER

LIES A PLACE THAT GAVE BIRTH TO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ART FORM--

THE LEGENDARY DELTA BLUES.

IT ALL STARTED HERE,

WHERE SOME OF THE MOST FERTILE \h\h\h\h\h\hSOIL IN THE WORLD

STRETCHES ON FOR MILE AFTER MILE.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT‘S KNOWN AS THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION.

BUT ONE THING IT IS NOT,

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, \h\h\h\h\hIS A DELTA.

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA

LIES 300 MILES TO THE SOUTH \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN LOUISIANA,

\hWHERE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOWS INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.

BUT THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION LIES FAR FROM THE GULF.

\hFRAMED TO THE WEST BY THE MISSISSIPPI,

\h\hAND TO THE EAST BY THE YAZOO RIVER,

\hIT‘S WHAT‘S CALLED AN ALLUVIAL PLAIN--

\hAN AREA CREATED BY THE FERTILE SEDIMENT

DEPOSITED BY EONS OF RIVER FLOODING.

THE DELTA IS FLAT, \h\h\hHOT AND WET.

BUT FOR MORE THAN \h\hTWO CENTURIES,

THOSE WORKING ITS RICH SOIL HAVE BEEN OPPRESSIVELY POOR.

\hDELTA CULTURE IS DEEPLY INFLUENCED

BY THIS HISTORY OF STRUGGLE,

\h\h\h\h\hBUT ALSO GROUNDED IN AN ABIDING LOVE FOR THE LAND.

THE LATE WRITER AND DELTA NATIVE WILLIE MORRIS WROTE,

"THIS INCREDIBLE DELTA LAND \h\hCONSUMED AND SHAPED ME.

I LOVE IT BEYOND ALL MEASURE, \h\h\h\h\hAND I FEAR IT, TOO.

IT IS WHAT I AM

AND ALWAYS WILL BE \h\h\h‘TIL I DIE."

THE DELTA‘S GREATEST ASSET \h\h\hIS ITS LOAMY TOPSOIL

\hTHAT EXTENDS DOWN AS FAR AS 350 FEET.

WHICH IS WHY MISSISSIPPI‘S \h\h\hNUMBER ONE INDUSTRY

\h\h\h\hIS AGRICULTURE, IN ALL ITS VARIED FORMS.

AND THAT INCLUDES FISH.

THIS GRID OF GIANT PONDS

SUPPLIES 55% OF CATFISH \hCONSUMED IN THE U.S.,

\h\h\h\h\hFROM FAMOUS SOUTHERN FRIED CATFISH

TO FROZEN PRODUCTS THAT SHIP OUT ACROSS THE NATION.

IN RECENT YEARS, THOUGH,

\hCOMPETITION FROM ASIAN FISH FARMERS

IS CROWDING MISSISSIPPIANS \hOUT OF THE U.S. MARKET.

IN ADDITION, THE PRICE OF \h\h\hFISH FEED HAS RISEN.

\h\h\hMANY AQUA-FARMERS ARE DRAINING THEIR PONDS

SO THEY CAN GROW AND SELL \h\h\h\h\h\h\hCORN AND SOY

INSTEAD OF BUYING IT TO FEED THEIR FISH.

TODAY, ALL KINDS OF CROPS \hARE GROWN IN THE DELTA,

BUT NONE HAS SHAPED THIS LAND...

LIKE COTTON.

ON THIS SPRING DAY,

ONE DELTA FIELD IS BEING \hPREPPED FOR PLANTING.

IT‘S A TRICKY SEASON FOR COTTON FARMERS.

THEY WANT TO GET THEIR SEEDS \h\h\h\h\h\hINTO THE GROUND

EARLY IN THE YEAR,

WHEN IT‘S STILL MOIST.

BUT A SUDDEN SPRING CHILL

COULD STOP THOSE SEEDS \h\h\hFROM SPROUTING.

COTTON IS ALWAYS A GAMBLE \h\h\h\hHERE IN THE DELTA.

BUT FOR TWO CENTURIES,

\h\h\hIT‘S BEEN ONE MISSISSIPPI FARMERS

HAVE BEEN WILLING TO TAKE.

IN THE EARLY 1800s,

WORLDWIDE DEMAND FOR COTTON \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSKYROCKETED.

\h\h\hTHE BLACK DELTA SOIL WAS PERFECT FOR THE CROP.

AND SLAVE LABOR MADE MISSISSIPPI PLANTATION OWNERS RICH.

\h\hBY 1850, COTTON ACCOUNTED FOR HALF OF ALL U.S. EXPORTS.

WITHOUT COTTON,

THERE LIKELY WOULD NEVER \hHAVE BEEN A CIVIL WAR,

AND THE HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI

\h\h\h\h\hWOULD HAVE RUN A FAR DIFFERENT COURSE.

TODAY, IF NO LONGER "KING,"

\hCOTTON IS STILL AN IMPORTANT CROP.

MISSISSIPPI RANKS SECOND TO TEXAS IN COTTON PRODUCTION,

AND 80% OF THE STATE‘S CROP IS GROWN RIGHT HERE IN THE DELTA.

BUT AS SOON AS THE SEEDS \h\hGO INTO THE GROUND,

THEY‘RE ATTACKED BY WEEDS.

\h\h\hTHE BEST WAY TO TACKLE THESE PESTS IS FROM THE AIR.

WHEN SPRAYING HERBICIDES,

CROP DUSTERS FLY AT ONLY EIGHT \hTO 12 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND.

THAT‘S A DANGEROUS OCCUPATION \h\h\h\hAT 140 MILES PER HOUR.

BUT FOR MANY CROP DUSTING PILOTS LIKE THIS ONE,

THERE‘S NO GREATER JOB \h\h\h\hIN THE WORLD.

MOST OF THE COTTON \h\h\hIN THE DELTA

HAS BEEN GENETICALLY MODIFIED

SO THAT THE HERBICIDE \hWILL KILL THE WEEDS,

BUT NOT THE COTTON.

\hBUT IT CAN ALSO KILL OTHER PLANTS, INSECTS, AND BIRDS.

FARMERS GET NO EASY ANSWERS.

DESPITE MECHANIZATION,

\h\hTHE WORK IS STILL PHYSICALLY DEMANDING.

AND BETWEEN THE WEATHER \h\h\h\h\hAND THE WEEDS,

IT‘S ALWAYS A GAME OF CHANCE.

\h\h\hLONG BEFORE TODAY‘S CROP DUSTERS AND TRACTORS,

MISSISSIPPI‘S FIELDS WERE \h\h\hALL TENDED BY HAND,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFIRST BY SLAVES, AND THEN BY DIRT-CHEAP LABOR.

\h\hTHESE SHACKS ONCE HOUSED SHARECROPPERS.

THEY‘D WORK THE LAND FOR A SHARE OF THE PROFITS,

BUT LANDOWNERS SAW TO IT

THAT THEY‘D ALWAYS OWE MORE THAN THEY EARNED.

THE SYSTEM BEGAN TO DISSOLVE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE 1960s

AS MACHINES BEGAN TO TAKE OVER \h\h\h\h\hTHE WORK OF FARMING.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT TODAY, DELTA COUNTIES STILL RANK

AMONG THE POOREST \h\hIN THE NATION.

AT THE SHACK UP INN,

LOCATED ON A FORMER PLANTATION \h\h\h\hOUTSIDE OF CLARKSDALE,

AUTHENTIC SHARECROPPER CABINS \h\h\h\h\h\hHAVE BEEN UPDATED

WITH INDOOR PLUMBING, \h\hAIR CONDITIONING,

AND COFFEE MAKERS.

THEY HOUSE TOURISTS

SEEKING THE BLUES EXPERIENCE \h\h\h\h\hOR A GAME OF GOLF.

FOR BLUES PILGRIMS, CLARKSDALE IS MECCA.

JUST OUTSIDE TOWN,

HIGHWAY 61 CROSSES \hOVER HIGHWAY 49.

\h\h\h\hLEGEND HAS IT THAT IT WAS AT THIS CROSSROADS

THE DELTA BLUESMAN \h\hROBERT JOHNSON

MADE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL,

SELLING HIS SOUL

\h\h\h\h\h\hIN EXCHANGE FOR SUPERNATURAL GUITAR SKILLS.

THE BLUES GREW A REPUTATION FOR BEING THE DEVIL‘S MUSIC.

\h\h\h\hTHE IDEA WAS THAT IT MUST BE BAD,

FOR IT TO SOUND SO GOOD.

IN THE FIRST HALF OF \hTHE 20th CENTURY,

CLARKSDALE WAS THE "BIG TOWN" \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF THE DELTA,

WHERE FOLKS WENT TO SPEND MONEY AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.

JUKE JOINTS FILLED THE TOWN.

\hMANY, LIKE RED‘S LOUNGE, STILL OPERATE TO THIS DAY.

SHARECROPPERS PASSED THROUGH \h\h\h\h\hSHABBY STOREFRONTS

\h\h\h\hLIKE THIS ONE TO HEAR A NEW MUSIC--

\h\hAN EARTHY BLEND OF AFRICAN RHYTHMS,

SPIRITUAL HYMNS,

AND THE FIELD HOLLERS \h\h\h\hOF HARD LABOR.

IT GREW OUT OF THE DARKEST \h\h\h\h\hREACHES OF LIFE,

BUT WAS ALWAYS BALANCED \h\h\h\hBY A WRY HUMOR.

MUCH OF CLARKSDALE‘S HERITAGE

\h\h\hIS HOUSED HERE AT THE DELTA BLUES MUSEUM,

\h\h\h\h\h\hLOCATED IN THE OLD FREIGHT DEPOT.

IT CELEBRATES THE MUSICIANS

WHO ARE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED \h\h\h\h\hWITH THE TOWN--

CHARLIE PATTON, SON HOUSE, \h\h\h\h\hROBERT JOHNSON,

\hMUDDY WATERS, JOHN LEE HOOKER,

\h\h\hSAM COOKE, AND IKE TURNER.

\hSOME BLUES MUSICIANS NEVER LEFT THE DELTA.

OTHERS, LIKE MUDDY WATERS, DID.

IT‘S SAID HE BOARDED A BUS RIGHT HERE AT THIS STATION

AND JOINED THE SIX MILLION \hOTHER BLACK SOUTHERNERS

IN THE GREAT MIGRATION NORTH.

"I‘M GOING TO PACK MY SUITCASE," MUDDY SANG,

"AND MAKE MY GETAWAY."

THE EXPOSURE MUDDY WATERS‘ MUSIC FOUND IN CHICAGO

LAUNCHED THE DELTA BLUES \h\hINTO THE MAINSTREAM.

IT‘S INFLUENCED MUSICIANS \h\h\h\hAROUND THE WORLD.

BUT IT‘S CLARKSDALE THAT REMAINS "GROUND ZERO" FOR THE BLUES.

THAT‘S ALSO THE NAME \hOF THIS BLUES CLUB

CO-OWNED BY ACTOR AND \h\hMISSISSIPPI NATIVE

MORGAN FREEMAN.

GROUND ZERO SOMETIMES \hBOOKS NATIONAL ACTS,

BUT IN THE DELTA,

THERE‘S ALWAYS PLENTY \h\h\hOF LOCAL TALENT.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1967, NATIVE SINGER-SONGWRITER BOBBIE GENTRY

SANG OF THIS RIVER, \hTHE TALLAHATCHIE,

IN THE HUGELY POPULAR BALLAD \h\h\h\h"ODE TO BILLIE JOE."

IN THE SONG,

BILLIE JOE McALLISTER JUMPS OFF THE TALLAHATCHIE BRIDGE.

BUT THE REAL TRAGEDY OF \h\h\h\hTHE TALLAHATCHIE

TOOK PLACE 12 YEARS EARLIER.

IN THE SUMMER OF 1955,

14-YEAR-OLD EMMETT TILL \hTRAVELED FROM CHICAGO

TO VISIT HIS MOTHER‘S \h\h\h\h\hFAMILY HERE,

IN THE TINY TOWN OF MONEY, MISSISSIPPI.

\h\h\h\hTHIS DECREPIT, VINE-COVERED BUILDING

WAS THEN THE BUSY \hBRYANT GROCERY.

ON AUGUST 24, 1955,

AFTER THE YOUNG EMMETT WENT \hINSIDE TO BUY BUBBLE GUM,

\h\h\h\h\hTHE STORE‘S OWNER, A WHITE WOMAN, QUICKLY LEFT.

SOME BELIEVE SHE WAS UPSET

BECAUSE EMMETT HAD EITHER \h\h\h\h\hWHISTLED AT HER,

OR TOUCHED HER HAND \h\h\h\h\hOR WAIST.

A WEEK LATER,

EMMETT TILL‘S MANGLED BODY \h\h\hCAME TO THE SURFACE

OF THE TALLAHATCHIE.

THE WOMAN‘S HUSBAND \hAND BROTHER-IN-LAW

HAD TAKEN EMMETT FROM HIS BED \hIN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

THE TWO MEN WERE TRIED \h\h\hFOR MURDER HERE,

AT THE TALLAHATCHIE \hCOUNTY COURTHOUSE.

BUT THEY WERE ACQUITTED

\hAFTER JUST ONE HOUR OF JURY DELIBERATION.

THE NEXT YEAR,

IN A PAID INTERVIEW \hFOR LOOK MAGAZINE,

THE TWO MEN ADMITTED KILLING \h\h\hTHE CHICAGO TEENAGER.

THE NATIONAL OUTRAGE \h\h\hTHAT FOLLOWED

MARKED A DEFINING MOMENT

\h\h\h\hIN THE RISING CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

"WHEN YOU LIVE IN MISSISSIPPI," WROTE WILLIE MORRIS,

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE RACE,

BECAUSE IT IS IN ITS DEEPEST, \h\h\h\h\h\hCONVOLUTED BEING,

AND IN THE VERY SOIL."

\h\h\h\hMISSISSIPPI HAS A HIGHER PROPORTION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS

THAN ANY OTHER STATE,

\hAND RACIAL RELATIONSHIPS HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY SINCE 1955.

PROSECUTORS IN THE STATE

\h\h\h\hHAVE REINVESTIGATED 22 CIVIL RIGHTS-ERA DEATHS,

LEADING TO 16 CONVICTIONS,

INCLUDING ONE FOR THE MURDER \h\h\h\h\h\hOF MEDGAR EVERS,

AN ACTIVIST WHO HAD INVESTIGATED THE DEATH OF EMMETT TILL

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND AIDED JAMES MEREDITH‘S STRUGGLE.

CHANGE DOESN‘T COME \h\hQUICKLY, THOUGH.

\h\hMORGAN FREEMAN, WHO LIVES ON THIS ESTATE OUTSIDE CHARLESTON,

MADE AN UNUSUAL OFFER \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1997.

THE ACTOR SAID THAT HE‘D PAY FOR A PROM

FOR CHARLESTON HIGH SCHOOL

IF BLACK AND WHITE STUDENTS \h\h\hCOULD ATTEND TOGETHER.

IT WASN‘T UNTIL 2008, \h\h\h11 YEARS LATER,

THAT THE SCHOOL FINALLY ACCEPTED FREEMAN‘S OFFER

AND HELD ITS FIRST \hINTEGRATED PROM.

THE PAST IS NEVER FAR AWAY \h\h\h\h\hIN MISSISSIPPI.

\h\hBUT THE STATE IS EMBRACING THE FUTURE

IN SOMETIMES SURPRISING WAYS.

MISSISSIPPI MAY BE \h\h\hLOSING JOBS

IN THE FARMING AND FORESTRY SECTORS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT THE STATE‘S AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IS GROWING.

IT‘S ADDED 5,000 JOBS \hIN THE LAST DECADE,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hINCLUDING 3,300 AT THIS NISSAN PLANT IN CANTON.

\h\hIN 2003, A QUEST MINIVAN BECAME THE FIRST AUTOMOBILE

TO ROLL OFF A MISSISSIPPI \h\h\h\h\h\hASSEMBLY LINE.

STRETCHING OVER \h14,000 ACRES,

THE NISSAN FACILITY IS \h\hLIKE A SMALL CITY,

WITH A MEDICAL CLINIC \h\h\h\h\h\hAND BANK.

IN THE MAIN BUILDING, WHICH IS \hSEVEN-TENTHS OF A MILE LONG,

PLANT WORKERS PRODUCE UP TO 400,000 VEHICLES EACH YEAR.

MOVING FURTHER SOUTH \hTOWARD THE COAST,

THE PAST RECEDES EVEN MORE.

THE VIEW IN HANCOCK COUNTY \hIS DOWNRIGHT FUTURISTIC.

IN 1961, NASA ANNOUNCED

\h\hTHAT IT HAD CHOSEN THIS MISSISSIPPI SITE

TO BUILD A FACILITY TO \hTEST ROCKET ENGINES

\h\h\h\hFOR THE APOLLO LUNAR LANDING PROGRAM.

LOCALS WERE FOND OF SAYING,

"IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THE MOON,

\hYOU FIRST HAVE TO GO THROUGH HANCOCK COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI."

\h\h\hTHE SITE, NOW CALLED THE STENNIS SPACE CENTER,

\hWAS CHOSEN FOR ITS ACCESS TO THE GULF VIA THE PEARL RIVER,

\hAND BECAUSE THE VAST SURROUNDING FORESTLAND

COULD ACT AS A SOUND BUFFER.

FROM THE SATURN FIVE ROCKETS

THAT BOOSTED ASTRONAUTS \h\h\h\hTOWARD THE MOON,

THROUGH ALL THE YEARS OF \hSPACE SHUTTLE FLIGHTS,

THE ENGINES THAT PROVIDED THE EXHILARATING LIFT-OFF

WERE TESTED HERE.

NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME \h\h\h\hSINCE THE ‘60s,

\h\hA NEW TEST STAND IS BEING BUILT AT STENNIS.

2,000 TONS OF STEEL ENCASE \h\h\hAN ENORMOUS CHAMBER.

INSIDE, NASA WILL TEST

ITS NEXT GENERATION \hOF ROCKET ENGINES,

WHICH MAY SOMEDAY CARRY HUMANS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hINTO DEEP SPACE.

IN 2005, THESE TOWERING \h\h\h\h\h\hTEST STANDS

SURVIVED THE HOWLING WINDS

OF ONE OF THE WORST STORMS ON RECORD IN THE UNITED STATES--

HURRICANE KATRINA.

BUT MORE THAN 90% OF \h\h\hTHE STRUCTURES

THAT USED TO LINE MISSISSIPPI‘S ONCE PRISTINE COAST

WEREN‘T SO LUCKY.

\h\h\hNATURAL FORCES HAVE ALWAYS BATTERED

\h\h\h\h\hMISSISSIPPI‘S 44-MILE-LONG GULF COAST,

\h\h\h\hWEDGED BETWEEN ALABAMA AND LOUISIANA.

EIGHT MILES OFF THE MAINLAND \h\h\h\h\h\hLIES CAT ISLAND,

A BARRIER ISLAND CREATED

\h\h\h\h\h\hBY COLLIDING GULF OF MEXICO CURRENTS.

\h\h\hTHE ISLAND REPORTEDLY GOT ITS NAME FROM RESIDENT RACCOONS

THAT FRENCH EXPLORERS \h\hMISTOOK FOR CATS.

WHILE MOST GULF ISLANDS \h\hARE PRIMARILY SAND,

CAT ISLAND‘S BEACHES ARE BACKED BY FORESTS OF PINE AND OAK.

THE MARSHES HERE ARE HOME

TO ALLIGATORS AND \hMIGRATING BIRDS.

DURING WORLD WAR II,

CAT ISLAND WAS THE SITE

OF THE U.S. ARMY‘S CLASSIFIED \h\h\h\h\h\hWAR DOGS PROGRAM,

\hWHICH EXPERIMENTED WITH TRAINING K-9s FOR COMBAT.

\hNEARBY LIE TWO BARRIER ISLANDS,

\h\hEAST SHIP AND WEST SHIP.

\hTHEY WERE ONCE A SINGLE ISLAND,

\h\h\h\hUNTIL THE FORCE OF HURRICANE CAMILLE IN 1969

SLICED THE LANDMASS IN TWO.

\hON WEST SHIP STANDS THE 19th CENTURY FORT

USED BY UNION FORCES TO STAGE \h\hTHE CAPTURE OF NEW ORLEANS

IN 1862.

SOON AFTER THE WAR,

FORT MASSACHUSETTS \h\hWAS ABANDONED.

FREQUENT STORMS HAVE MADE IT \hHARD TO MAINTAIN THE FORT.

BUT NOTHING COMPARES

\h\hWITH THE MOST RECENT STREAK OF BAD LUCK HERE

ON THE MISSISSIPPI \h\h\hGULF COAST.

\hWITHIN FIVE YEARS, THE REGION SUFFERED

ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING \h\h\h\h\hSTORMS ON RECORD--

HURRICANE KATRINA--

AND THE BIGGEST ACCIDENTAL \h\hOIL SPILL IN HISTORY--

\h\h\hTHE EXPLOSION OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON.

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHOSE EVENTS, PLUS AN ECONOMIC RECESSION

AND CHEAP FOREIGN IMPORTS

HAVE PUMMELED MISSISSIPPI‘S \h\h\h\h\hFISHING INDUSTRY,

SECOND ONLY TO LOUISIANA \h\hIN THE GULF STATES.

STILL, THE BOATS HEAD OUT \h\h\h\h\hINTO THE SOUND.

\h\hTHE CAPTAIN WICK TRAWLS FOR SHRIMP IN THESE BRACKISH WATERS.

EVEN IN THE BEST OF TIMES,

SHRIMPING IS A TOUGH AND PRECARIOUS WAY OF LIFE.

BUT IT‘S A BUSINESS THAT \h\hIS STILL HANDED DOWN

FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION \h\hIN MISSISSIPPIAN FAMILIES.

DESPITE THE BLOW SUFFERED BY THE FISHING AND TOURIST INDUSTRIES

DURING THE 2010 OIL SPILL,

THE STATE‘S RESIDENTS EXPRESS STRONG SUPPORT

\h\h\h\hFOR CONTINUED OFFSHORE OIL EXPLORATION AND DRILLING.

THIS GIANT DRILLING RIG \h\h\h\h\hIS BEING BUILT

\h\h\hON THE BANKS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

\hTHE THREE UNFINISHED TOWER-LIKE STRUCTURES

ARE ACTUALLY THE RIG‘S LEGS.

WHEN IN PLACE, THEY WILL ANCHOR THE HUGE FLOATING PLATFORM

TO THE OCEAN FLOOR.

THE COMPLETED RIG WILL BE PUSHED AND SLID INTO THE MISSISSIPPI

AND THEN TOWED DOWNRIVER

TO ITS FINAL DESTINATION \h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE GULF.

"OFFSHORE" HAS ANOTHER MEANING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN MISSISSIPPI,

UNRELATED TO OIL.

THE STATE LEGALIZED \h\hGAMBLING CASINOS

ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER \hAND THE COAST IN 1990,

IN AN EFFORT TO JOLT A STAGNANT ECONOMY.

THE INITIATIVE WAS A NOTABLE SUCCESS.

NEW FLOATING CASINOS SOON GAVE THE STATE

ONE OF THE LARGEST GAMBLING \hINDUSTRIES IN THE NATION.

BUT THAT BOOM ENDED ON AUGUST 29, 2005,

WHEN HURRICANE KATRINA MADE \h\hLANDFALL IN MISSISSIPPI.

THE COASTAL TOWN OF WAVELAND,

50 MILES NORTHEAST \hOF NEW ORLEANS,

\h\h\h\h\h\hHAS BEEN CALLED THE EPICENTER OF THE STORM.

IN NEW ORLEANS,

\hTHE DEVASTATION WAS MOSTLY CAUSED

BY CATASTROPHIC LEVEE FAILURES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT HERE, KATRINA MADE A DIRECT HIT

AS A CATEGORY 3 STORM.

EVEN NOW, FOUNDATIONS REMAIN \h\h\hBARE FROM THE ASSAULT.

\h125-MILE-PER-HOUR WINDS AND A 30-FOOT STORM SURGE

RAGED ACROSS THE COAST,

KILLING 238 PEOPLE

\h\hAND OBLITERATING 95% OF BUILDINGS ON THE SHORELINE.

KATRINA RAMPAGED NORTH \h\hTHROUGH THE STATE,

HER HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS \h\h\h\h\h\hAND TORNADOES

KNOCKING OUT POWER

\h\hTO NEARLY A THIRD OF MISSISSIPPI‘S RESIDENTS.

\h\h70,000 HOMES WERE DESTROYED.

SHOCK EVENTUALLY GAVE WAY \h\h\h\h\h\hTO REBUILDING.

MISSISSIPPI‘S RESTORATION \h\h\h\h\hHAS BEEN CALLED

\h\h\h\h"A MODEL FOR DISASTER RECOVERY."

THE STATE CHANNELED $5 BILLION \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN FEDERAL FUNDS

TO HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE, \hAND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

THIS NEW BAY SAINT LOUIS BRIDGE

\hREPLACED THE OLD ONE DESTROYED BY KATRINA.

\hJUST 20 MONTHS AFTER THE STORM,

THE NEW BRIDGE WAS COMPLETED,

55 FEET TALLER \h\hTHIS TIME,

\h\h\h\hIN THE HOPE THAT IT WILL WITHSTAND THE NEXT GREAT SURGE.

WHEN THE ROADWAY REOPENED,

COASTAL COMMUNITIES \hWERE RECONNECTED.

AND ONCE AGAIN,

FREIGHT TRAINS CARRYING

THE GULF COAST‘S PAPER AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS

\hARE ROLLING OUT ACROSS THE NATION.

STANDING IN THE MEDIAN \h\h\h\hOF HIGHWAY 90,

\h\hTHE BILOXI LIGHTHOUSE COULD HARDLY BE A MORE FITTING SYMBOL

FOR THIS GULF COAST COMMUNITY,

OR MISSISSIPPI \hIN GENERAL.

THE CAST-IRON STRUCTURE \h\h\h\h\hHAS WITHSTOOD

MORE THAN A CENTURY AND A HALF \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF HURRICANES--

\hFREQUENTLY DAMAGED, BUT NEVER DESTROYED...

LINKED TO THE PAST,

BUT STANDING RESILIENTLY \h\hTO MEET THE FUTURE.

MISSISSIPPI--

\hLAND OF WARMTH AND HOSPITALITY,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCO-EXISTING WITH A SOMETIMES TORTURED HISTORY,

DEEPLY CONNECTED TO THE LAND,

\h\h\hYET STRIVING TOWARD NEW SOURCES OF PROSPERITY.

W. RALPH EUBANKS WROTE

\h\h\h\hTHAT MISSISSIPPI "INHABITS AND HAUNTS ME.

ITS MUSIC AND RHYTHMS,

\h\hBOTH THE JOYFUL AND THE MELANCHOLY,

HAVE FOLLOWED ME MY ENTIRE LIFE,

EVEN WHEN I TRIED TO RUN AWAY FROM THEM."

\h\hMISSISSIPPI INSPIRES A PASSIONATE CONNECTION

IN THOSE WHO CLAIM HER \h\h\h\hAS THEIR OWN.