Natchez-Under-The-Hill by VeronicaG
For an unobstructed view of the Mighty Mississippi, travel to Natchez-Under-The-Hill, where you'll not only find a casino housed inside a Paddleboat, but a few quaint buildings erected during an earlier time of Natchez's somewhat colorful history--this was a rough part of town where you'd find brothels, bars, taverns and fistfights.This area was also a waterfront which saw 'thousands of steamboats, paddle wheelers, barges, flatboats and quarter boats arrive to its shores'. Many accidents were caused by inept pilots at the wheel. There were also boiler explosions and fires, accounting for loss of life. Eventually passenger service declined and the freight traffic increased.
Carts and mules delivered goods from the waterfront to other parts of Natchez. A mule driven trolley carted folks up the hill.
In the 1930's the US Army Corps of Engineers tinkered with an upstream loop on the river, causing it to flow faster and stronger than before. In times of flooding, this landing became eroded. Recent flooding in 1997, caused this area to be closed for a time.
Today there are a number of restaurants, gift shop and of course, gambling, offered here in Natchez-Under-The-Hill. We dined at one of these restaurants, The Magnolia Grill--please see the tip.
FYI: The first steamboat to arrive in Natchez, was the New Orleans in 1811. For more history, go to the website below.