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Protecting the lower Delta's natural resources and heritage. Enhancing the lower Delta's economic and environmental health

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President Roosevelt’s Bear Hunt

South of Rolling Fork on Highway 61 is Onward, Mississippi, and you will see a state historical marker dedicated to a famous hunt that led to the naming of stuffed toy bears as Teddy Bears.

Near Onward is the location of President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous 1902 bear hunt with legendary hunting guide Holt Collier. This event is celebrated in Rolling Fork each year at the Great Delta Bear Affair.

Native American Mounds

The Rolling Fork mounds will be one of the sites visited on the January 24 tour.

Mississippi is rich in archaeological resources, including some of the largest and oldest Native American mounds and mound groups in the nation.  These mound sites are sacred places, each having its own story to tell about the people who lived there. 

Once home to various Native Americans, Indian mounds dot the sides of roads throughout the south Delta. Most of the mounds were built from AD 900- AD 1500.

In 2016, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History unveiled the Mississippi Mound Trail. The Mississippi Mound Trail stretches 350 miles through western Mississippi. The marked mound trail makes taking a self guided tour of these prehistoric mounds possible, but taking in a few of the mounds with a knowledgeable guide is much better.

Birthplace of the Blues

The Mississippi Delta is known as the Birthplace of the Blues, the land that gave rise to that genre of music is now home to the Mississippi Blues Trail. Many towns in the Delta are home to Mississippi Blues Trail Markers and there is one dedicated to the birthplace of McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield in downtown Rolling Fork. Stop in Rolling Fork and visit the birthplace of Muddy.

Mississippi Blues Trail – Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters Blues Trail Marker

Muddy Waters, born McKinley Morganfield, was born in Issaquena County, Mississippi, in 1913. Waters was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the “father of modern Chicago blues”. His style of playing has been described as “raining down Delta beatitude”.

Mississippi Freedom Trail – Unita Blackwell Marker

Unita Blackwell was born in Lula, Mississippi in 1933. She moved to Mayersville in 1960 and became a leader in the Civil Rights movement and for Mayersville as she led the town toward incorporation.

She was instrumental in Head Start, MACE, and the National Convention of Negro WOmen. Blackwell was elected mayor of Mayersville in 1976 thus becoming the first black female to be elected mayor in the state of Mississippi. She served as mayor until 1993.

Blackwell was a Fellow of the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and she holds a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts. She received a MacArthur Fellowship in 1993.

The marker is located in Mayersville, across from the Issaquena County Courthouse.

Feature History Articles

Delta Thankful

What does it mean to be thankful?Merriam-Webster—probably my most-used app—defines thankful as “conscious of benefit received,” “expressive of thanks,” and “well pleased.” But how often do we truly pause to be conscious of the benefits we receive? How often do we express our thanks? How often do we let others see that we are well…

Continue Reading Delta Thankful

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