The Natchez Trace was a very old trail traveled by many early Americans. Captain Meriwether Lewis, leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory, died near this point in 1809 while traveling the Natchez Trace to Washington, DC with his expedition journals and accounts. In 1843 the State of Tennessee created Lewis County in his honor, and in 1848 erected a monument over his grave. The Natchez Trace also played an important role in service to the American military, including the passage of General Andrew Jackson’s troops as they traveled it to engage the British during the War of 1812.
