Myrick Creek

"Today our stop along the Natchez Trace Parkway is at Myrick Creek. The site is known as Beaver Dam and is 15 miles south of Kosciusko, Mississippi. The exhibit and nature trail at Myrick Creek explain the many activities of a member of the rodent family, the beaver. In Mississippi these animals grow as large as 60 pounds. They are clumsy animals on land but have adapted to life in the water, felling trees, and building dams.

"I first thought the nature exhibits and trails that the park service has erected along the parkway were meant simply as an opportunity for travelers to stretch their legs and get out and take a look at nature, but taken as a whole, the Trace's nature exhibits are like a huge puzzle, and each exhibit an informative and interlocking piece of that puzzle. The visitor at Myrick Creek can see first hand that the activities of the beaver are part of nature's process of both clearing and reclaiming land from meandering streams. They help maintain balance and variety. There are no longer any beavers at the MYRICK CREEK site, but a short walk along this nature trail offers clear evidence of their sojourn here.

"Join us next time and hear tales of how the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians came to these lands following the guide of a magic pointing stick. For Natchez Trace a road through the wilderness, I'm Frank Thomas."

For more about Natchez Trace: A Road Through the Wilderness, visit eddieandfrank.com