Historic marker · Natchez Trace Parkway
Two panels and a map explain a boundary held for two centuries
Overview
This roadside display sits at milepost 61.0, near Utica, Mississippi, on ground that is part of the traditional homeland of the Choctaw people. The line of trees interpreted here served as a boundary for roughly 200 years. Established in 1765, it marked the eastern limit of the Old Natchez District, running from a point 12 miles east of Vicksburg south to the 31st parallel.
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The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Natchez Trace Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Natchez Trace Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Lower Choctaw Boundary“You're nearing Lower Choctaw Boundary, a small roadside display about a line established in 1765 at the edge of the Choctaw homeland. That line still separates Hinds and Claiborne Counties.”
Plays as you drive up to Lower Choctaw Boundary in the Parkwolf Natchez Trace Tour Guide.
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Guide
The boundary was first surveyed in 1778, reaffirmed by Spain in 1793 and by the United States in 1801, and since 1820 it has separated Hinds and Claiborne Counties. One panel walks through that sequence; the other tells the story of Red Bluff Stand, established in 1802 as a hostelry and supply store near the boundary. For several years it was the last place northbound travelers could pick up provisions before continuing through the Choctaw Nation.
The approach is well paved and the display sits close to the road, so this works as a brief, easy roadside interpretive stop and a chance to get out and stretch between longer driving stretches. Reading both panels and the map is the whole activity.
The site is small and text-driven. There is no grand view and nothing to walk to, and if you are not inclined to read interpretive panels there is little else to hold your attention. The historical weight here is considerable, but it is carried entirely by the words on the display, so slow down and read rather than expecting a scenic payoff.
Visitor coordinate: 32.1478053, -90.7249424. This is the Lower Choctaw Boundary display; a separate Upper Choctaw Boundary stop exists elsewhere along the route, so check the milepost before pulling over.
Wildlife
39 sightingsAmerican AlligatorMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
35 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
53 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
28 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
29 sightingsRed-headed WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
32 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Natchez Trace. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Parkwolf’s Natchez Trace ranking
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