After another long work day, I was able to get some sites in during the late afternoon. The guide at the visitor center was quite knowledgable as is everyone on Helena about their history and present day.
He explained that the Mississippi is currently at one of its lowest levels. The barges are only being filled to about half of capacity and fewer are being pushed by towboats, so as not to run aground. Meanwhile in 2017 they recorded the second highest levels of the mighty Miss.
Two other interesting facts. Where was the biggest maritime disaster in the US? Not the Titanic, but the Sultana. The day before the boilers exploded near Memphis, it had docked in Helena. Official capacity was listed as 375 plus 85 crew, but it was overloaded with 2130--mostly soldiers returning from war. The explosion cause many to jump off one side, which almost capsized the vessel. 1169 perished--some were burned, some got hypothermia in the cold waters, and other drowned as they were too exhausted to swim in the swift currents.
Also one of the strongest earthquake on record in the continental US, occured in Helena in 1881 hitting 8.0 and vibrations were felt as far away as New England. There are thousands of fault lines in Arkansas and earthquakes are not uncommon here.
He also showed me the layout to the battle stations for the civil war battle that occurred on July 4, 1863. The Confederates attempted to out flank the Union but were thrwiated due to the Union army having intelligence that they were coming and confusion of orders given by the Confederate leader. One battalion attacked a full hour before their complementary forces, which gave the Union the chance to gain more control. The real advantage for the Union was their gun boat that left hundreds of Confederate casualties on the battlefield. I learned at the depot museum that the gun boat was wooden. Go figure.
He highly recommended the Phillips County museum for its diverse collection. Indeed, they had very early examples of Native American pottery, a 14th century painting by an Italian artist, and collections of housewares from wealthy inhabitants from the 1800s. That was a reflection of the fact that Phillips County was the wealthiest county in Arkansas at that time.
They also had a Confederate Army coat and guns and sabers. Damn some of those guns must have been heavy. This museum had a nice diorama of the battle including homes that were in the firing line. Amazingly three are still standing. Also, interesting fact is that Phillips county supplied seven generals for the confederacy.
The guide at that museum stayed late so I didn't have to rush out. Somehow we got on to our dogs and we had to trade pictures of our puppers. Outside the museum is a life size statue of Patrick Cleburne, one of those seven generals. He immigrated from Scotland a few years before the war because he had received a huge land grant that became the area for the downtown. He was not a slave owner but believed in the southern cause. He was killed in battle before the end of the war. I'm guessing he gets special attention for that and also because he was a handsome devil.
Next stop was the depot museum. The lady there had seen me on my bike the previous day and encouraged me to come back so I could tour the depot. This museum covered some ares the others did not such as explaining the Mississippi and how often it has changed course. I understand now why the border between Arkansas and Mississippi is so squiggly and why there are so few bridges. I never thought of the delta being this far north, but apparently it is. My Mississippi Roadside Geology book also confirms this in more detail which i won't bore you with. But safe to say that when whites arrived in the area and wanted to farm, removing most of the trees has had an impact on the river. While cotton is king, there are some rice paddies, corn fields, and even a local tea grower.
Another local specialty in Helena-West Helena is the Dirt Distillery where they brew vodka and gin from sweet potatoes. I stopped in a had a dirty vodka martini and chatted with a local lawyer for a bit about the state of the city. He said they are trying to bring in business and investors. Shortly after that, the mayor arrived with some suit who insisted on paying for his drink. The lawyer felt the mayor was doing a good job.
Another person I talked to said the mayor gives contracts to his grifters who do shoddy work. He also waited until the week before the blues festival, which is their big event, to decide that the decaying buildings needed to be cordoned off. She said state and city officials keep them from demolishing burned out or dilapidated buildings. The town does have a huge blight problem as do most of the cities and towns in the state that I've visited so far.
It was back to Clarksdale for the night and another trip to Hookers restaurant for dinner. They had a young woman providing live music who was awesome. This evening I had grilled salmon with a veggie hash that included corn and okra. The other side was "dirty" wild rice, but it was a mix of regular rice with a few grains of wild rice included. I should have talked to the chef about that!! I indulged in a blonde brownie for dessert. When I get home, I am off to food detox.
Early in the morning, the storm system roared in from Texas and Oklahoma bringing high winds, slashing rain, and thunder and lightning. Buddha hates thunderstorms, so she needed to be undercover to feel safe. .
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