Friday, March 14, 2014

The Emerald Mound – Natchez Trace (March 14, 2014)



The Place

All along the Natchez Trace there are ceremonial mounds by the Mound Builders from the Mississippian Period.  None compare to the vast Emerald Mound near Natchez, Mississippi.  In fact, it is the second largest of these ceremonial mounds in the country.  If you want figures, it is 770 feet long by 435 feet wide.

You leave the Trace and drive a mile down an increasingly rural county road to get to the Emerald Mound, and there it is sitting in the middle of a field.  It is a vast 8 acre 35 foot tall earthen structure in a precise rectangular shape.  On top of it, at either end are 2 30-foot tall mounds.  


It is absolutely stunning.  It was built by hand by people who carried the soil for the structure in baskets after having dug it up with a stick.  The scope of the project is mind-boggling, the results amazing.  By the way, even though the Mound is covered by dark green grass, it gets its name from being located at one time on the Emerald Plantation.

Resources:  Emerald Mound by NPS

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