Hunting the Natchez trace

[oldmaps]

Anyone know if yyou can metal detect any where on the original trace. I will be in ms for the thanksgiving holiday, I have a few places to detect but am looking for some more areas.

 

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[regor]

Anyone know if yyou can metal detect any where on the original trace. I will be in ms for the thanksgiving holiday, I have a few places to detect but am looking for some more areas.

From what i have found out Natchez Trace is treated as a stat park in Tennessee and also in Mississippi
therefore no hunting on the Trace. They won't even allow commercial vehicles to use the Trace.
Sorry but there seems to be a lot of history involving it.

 

[Cass]

I also am pretty sure that the entire Trace is protected, probably more so on the National level rather than State. That means big time NO-NO. I remember there being an article in one of the Treasure mags back in the early 70's with write up and pics of a couple of guys that managed to hunt The Trace before the lid was put on. Great article and the stuff they found would blow your mind. Lots of pewter buttons, and very early brass buttons and coins. Kind of hunting like that now is rare to un heard of. So as not to be to tempting, do some real tight research on the places you will be going, and maybe you will uncover something really interesting to dig into. Mississippi has a heap of history in it's soil, much of it in hiding yet. HH Cass

 

[phatdaddy]

not the whole trace is owned by the state!
i live here in columbia tennesse im 21yrs old and my uncle has a farm beside the trace in williamsport pretty much
and the orginal mud bottom trace goes threw 1 or 2 fields up into a thick hillside

i was going to go out their in the next week n give it a try!
i been coin roll hunting latley and havnt did alot of metal detecting!
i will update yall when i go

 

[Cass]

Hi phatdaddy, that is a real stroke of luck to be able to get to the old road at all, and what would be even greater luck would be to have one of the old "Stands" to have been located somewhere on the ground you have a shot at. The "Stands" were located every so many miles apart and some attempt was made to have some troops stationed at some of them. Also there would likely be some type of dewelling/Inn where folks could put up for the night. That would be likely be some difficult research,but I would suggest a good study of a topo map of your area,old maps and land records, and look for any likely locations for a Stand, or just a good area for travelers to camp for the night. Be cool if you happened to find an outlaw camp. Plenty of them were around laying inwait for travelers. Let your imagination run wild, because anything could be possible on The Trace.HH Cass

 

[Shortstack]

The Natchez Trace is a Federal Parkway with accompanying FEDERAL laws governing it. The Federal laws would supercede the state laws as far as THing and metal detecting. A few months ago, there was mention in the news about the laws being changed to ALLOW the carrying of concealed weapons on the Trace in Mississippi.....IF you had a concealed carry permit.

Don't fall for the idea that that nice, paved highway called the Parkway is following the original trail. The road is following the EASIEST route along the original track.....sometimes ON the original ground and sometimes crossing it.......like a snake track being crossed by a cow path. From Natchez, MS to Jackson, MS the roads traveled by the different army units are still there.......they are those back roads that more or less follow the Trace. Remember, that paved road did not exist back during the War of Northern Aggression. Those old gravel roads (most are now paved) that were used back then are still in place and follow the same track as back during the war. The bridges that cross the creeks and rivers are at the same locations as the original bridges, fords, and ferries. If one cannot get permission from land owners to detect on the private property, then detect the road banks and roadside ditches that are part of the state right of ways.