Charley's Trace Explained

Charley's Trace is a former Native American trail to the Mississippi River.

Charley's Trace (also spelled Charlie's Trace) is possibly named for a Choctaw trader who operated a steamboat fueling station near Clarksdale in the 1820s.^[1] There is some evidence that Hernando de Soto used Charley's Trace to reach the Mississippi River on May 8, 1541.^[2] After the Mississippi Territory was open to settlement, Charley's Trace connected to other roads such as Gaines Trace and was used by outlaws who operated in the Mississippi Delta.^[3]

Charley's Trace is possibly depicted on the Baron de Crenay's 1733 map of Louisiana.^[4] The 1755 Mitchell Map may also depict Charley's Trace (labeled as "Route of Colonel Welch to the Mississippi River in 1698, since followed by our Traders").^[5]

A historical marker was placed by the Chakchiuma Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution on February 20, 1926. The marker was replaced with a newer one on May 21, 1955. No marker exists at the site today.^[6]

References

33.7227°N -90.3158°W

Notes and References

1. Book: Brown . James A. . Sasso . Robert F. . Brose . David S. . Cowan . C. Wesley . Mainfort . Robert C. Jr. . Societies in Eclipse: Archaeology of the Eastern Woodlands Indians, A.D. 1400-1700 . 2001 . University of Alabama Press . Tuscaloosa, Alabama . 978-0-8173-8339-8 . 200 . 15: Prelude to History on the Eastern Prairies.
2. Book: Brown . Ian W. . Rafferty . Janet . Peacock . Evan . Time's River: Archaeological Syntheses from the Lower Mississippi Valley . 2008 . University of Alabama Press . Tuscaloosa, Alabama . 978-0-8173-8112-7 . 378 . Chapter 16. Culture Contact Along the I-69 Corridor: Protohistoric and Historic Use of the Northern Yazoo Basin, Mississippi.
3. Book: Works Progress Administration . Mississippi: A Guide to the Magnolia State . 1938 . Viking Press . New York, New York . 88 .
4. Book: Elliott . Jack D. Jr. . Galloway . Patricia Kay . The Hernando de Soto Expedition: History, Historiography, and "discovery" in the Southeast . 2006 . University of Nebraska Press . Lincoln, Nebraska . 0-8032-7122-0 . 257 . Of Roads and Reifications: The Interpretation of Historical Roads and the Soto Entrada.
5. News: Abernathy . Harry . Charley's Trace route used by DeSoto . . April 5, 1988 . 1 . . February 16, 2023.
6. Web site: Historical Markers Placed by the MSSDAR . Mississippi DAR . February 16, 2023.