Clarksdale

History

European Americans developed Clarksdale at the intersection of two former Indian routes: the Lower Creek Trade Path, which extended westward from present-day Augusta, Georgia, to New Mexico; and the Chakchiuma Trade Trail, which ran northeastward to the former village at present-day Pontotoc, Mississippi. They later improved these trails for roadways wide enough for wagons. John Clark founded the town of Clarksdale in 1848, when he bought land in the area and started a timber business. It became a trading center. Clark married the sister of James Lusk Alcorn, a major planter who owned a nearby plantation. Alcorn became a politician, and was elected by the state legislature as US Senator. Later he was elected by voters as governor of the state. Thriving from the cotton trade and associated business, Clarksdale soon earned the title "The Golden Buckle on the Cotton Belt". James Alcorn was a major planter, owning 77 slaves according to the 1860 Slave Schedule. Cedar Mound Plantation, located 5 miles south of Clarksdale, was purchased and named in 1834 by Alex Kerr Boyce. He died childless and it was inherited by his niece Mrs. Catherine (Kate) (née Henderson) Adams of South Carolina. She divided it among her unmarried children: Jennie, Will, and Lucia Adams. The sisters' correspondence (1845-1944) is held in a collection in their name at the University of Mississippi. After slavery was abolished, many black families labored as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. They gained some independence, no longer working in gangs of laborers, but were often at a disadvantage in negotiations with white planters, as they were generally illiterate. Planters advanced them supplies and seed at the beginning of the season, allowed them to buy other goods on credit, and settled with them…

Geography

Clarksdale is located on the banks of the Sunflower River in the Mississippi Delta. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.07% is water. U.S. Routes 49, 61, and 278 pass through Clarksdale.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  285
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  222
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  204
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  196
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  152
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  146
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  139
• Chimney Swift

  Chaetura pelagica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  135

Largest nearby schools

• COAHOMA COUNTY JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CLARKSDALE · 516 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• CLARKSDALE COLLEGIATE
  Elementary · CLARKSDALE · 511 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• CLARKSDALE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CLARKSDALE · 466 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• OAKHURST INTERMEDIATE ACADEMY
  Middle · CLARKSDALE · 306 students · 18:1 ratio
• W.A. HIGGINS MIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMY
  Middle · CLARKSDALE · 283 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• KIRKPATRICK HEALTH /WELLNESS
  Elementary · CLARKSDALE · 251 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• GEO H OLIVER VISUAL/PERF. ARTS
  Elementary · CLARKSDALE · 241 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• LYON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · LYON · 209 students · 11.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2008-08-21
  13 km E of Haynes, Arkansas
• M 3.1 — 2002-10-26
  3 km SE of Alligator, Mississippi
• M 2.8 — 2002-08-11
  8 km ESE of Darling, Mississippi