The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-12-04
How the Beautiful Wilderness Grew into Garden, and
Electricity Now Ilumnes the Spot Where Lifetime
Ago the Moon Looked Down Upon the Stiffness
of Trackless Forest

the MISSISSIPPI t.NtI az" t,t'NA'
the east by crescent Of bills extend
ing from the former aud terminating
at the latter place, or, geographi caliy
speaking, in latitude 3O' to So aud
longitude 9O' TO SO W. from
Greenwich, lies the Yazo o
Delta. an mbrckeu level Of five mil
Ion acres, it we except few mounds
ola prehistoric race. which have ruised
their heads in solitude from time IN.
memorial, dumb as The sphinx.
Seventy-tive years ago the ring 81
the woodlands AK had never been
heard within its borders II was The
uudisturbed home of the bcsr sud
panther. Nothing had broken its
silence since the creation except The
rifle of some huutsman more daring
than his fellows aud on whose camp
ing ground The first settlement orig
mated, Since the discovery Of this
continent by Columbus this fair do
main, with its dense forests aud jun
giles, its eesr lakes and pcllucId
streams, had intmidated the hardy
pioneers; but the reports aud oEperieu-
Ces of few soou had large following
aud land was rapidly entered from the
wear 1885 to 1860, but was slow % de-
velop-
The high lands contiguous to the
river were first settled because OF
their accessibility and immunity irom
overflow. Later pioneers, more bold |
than their predecessors, and older set |
tlerS embroidered by their surround |
ings, invaded The interior aud settled |
on the inland lakes and streams. Bul /
the river, which had been quietly |
building this rich heritage for the
human race by deposilug the best Of
thousands Of square miles acquired IN
it's meanderngs, harassed the Invaders
with spring floods To meet this con
ungeucy, individual levees we're built I
and year after year found them con
tending with common enemy more
and more persistent in Its en-
Croschmenls. The gradual settle.
ment Of The great wafer
shed tC the North. aud the wide
spread removal OF INSTRUCTIONS to the
rapid descent ofthe rainfall 10 The river
over such vast area oyertoFped their
efforts, which by the nature OF things
had grown conflicting, and the issue OF
which was an attempt TO conhue the
waters to the inland streams through
which the overburdeued rirar sought | (
outlet. For a time this y omised m- {
launity, bGt the same agencies north /
Of them continued 10 work to their
detriment by swelling The floods 10
higher levels. Thus beleagUered, t
they moved their ramparts to the VIC q
unity Of the great river, and erected I
them as near to the caviug banks ~ q
cxrcdient, and Oh this hnc evolved d
levCo system Of quasi.stste imporl O.
ance,
CoHtemporaBeou with the struggle %
apd disappointmcnts Of th-s PERIOD "
human efforts bad not been barren O.. "
results. The prospects had grown to" "
promising to be deserted The Ejch u
returns had more than discounted the p
numerous draw backs, and the peC.l v
pie of the upIands, COgnizaHi Of whit 81
their nelghbors OF the valley wrye a
achieving, we're tempted to sake their "
tents in the valley. Aud thus the land nj
of jUngles, forest and stream began t. Ia
flourish. Much that was ccomp'ished,
however, was due to the character of lo
labor available. The wage Garner te
could not have been induced, oven if 10
he could have been found, TO work IN IA
Owlands of such unsavory reputation er
for health al thst time-now happily th
vanished; and it was the slave, under ~
Inf al bat Sc
land of the Pharaohs to our national VI
wealth. ~
a Delta planter, with Ole thousands al
Of acres ana hundreds OF slaves was a ~
ocll prince. He was truly Lese Majestic hG
Of bis people, and a character difficult Ih
% conceive at this remote day. Yet IN
yithai be was laW-abiding, aud the tr
Ocal government under his regime la
las never been equalled since for OF
lurity aud patriotism. What The th
Ountry would have become under bis pa
sway it is futile TO SUI ma
Mise. Tho Civil war overthrow his n
ynastY aud for years suspended all hu
Internal improvements. But on his er
etuVn the once lord of the soil was al
yell schoOled for what was 10 follow. co
was truly new start 10 life for pc
i'm. The slave that was had to be In
'eated with now; be had ceased to sc col
roperty. But the bold spirits that ia
ad helped to prolong hopeless war see
IT four years were equal to the emer- rev
enCy. Side by aide with him many VII
{ his old adyCrsaries, tempted ny be- cot
email cline, the prOducgivouess of sOilt Fio
nd the high prices lI products, took ha'
leir places, There were others, It's
9wever, with vocsuons disrupted bee
% morals corrupied-for war de- Ton
osalizes as well a. purihes-who, scr
esif;pg a life Of ease, cOquetted with len
e DARK element aud secured TO them VIII
Ives he control Of the Civil govern lro
cut. With the Tspacity Of this class bot
Adventures we have nothing to do stat
re. Enough, that after adecadc,thcy yer
ere succeeded by better men and life con
ID property rendered Stable. the
During the foregoing years OF de- irai
lopment not a single town had abr
rung into existence. The ucares. all
proach t. one was GreenvIle, mid 5
~ between Vicksburg aud Memphis mo-
d it was Little more than slcam. By
st landing, with a pOst-office and ~ r
70 and there q residence aud n cot pro
ge courthouse IN the distauce But pntI
ice the war the once towu--now bul
y-has kept pace with subul bau de-. Vii
lopments The wants of The fa-l r1- ores