Mile 348.0 - Miles 348-345: LBD Ellis Cliffs (Mississippi Loess Bluff #5)

348 - 345 LBD Ellis Cliffs (Mississippi Loess Bluff #5)

The Mississippi Loess Bluff #5 does not come close enough to the river to touch from the water, unless the river is at extreme flood stage. At normal water levels you would have to walk through deep woods and swamps several hundred yards to reach their base. But from the distance, they stand as tall and impressive as the Petite Gulf Hills, and from the air appear to be an extension of the Natchez Bluffs. Marion Bragg provides a succinct history of the cliffs: “Richard Ellis brought his family into the Natchez District around 1785, when it was still under Spanish dominion, and established his plantation in the area that was then known as the White Cliffs. When Ellis died in 1792, he had accumulated 6,000 acres of land, more than 150 slaves, and an impressive amount of other property. It took three years to settle the complicated estate and distribute the wealth among his heirs. The high chalky bluff below Natchez was known as Ellis Cliffs by 1800, and was often mentioned by river voyagers.”