Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Clinton, Tennessee to Vicksburg, Mississippi
Highlights: White Cliffs of Epes and the Mississippi River Basin Model
It's a long way to West Texas, and we wanted to get off to good start. So off we went racing southwest through Chattanooga, nipping the corner of Georgia, slicing quickly through Alabama, and making it as far as the western edge of Mississippi before we called it a day.
The White Cliffs of Epes are located at the edge of the Tombigbee River just outside of Epes, Alabama. The layered limestone cliffs are part of the Selma Chalk Formation which have been exposed by the river over time. We paused in the middle of a bridge on US 11 just long enough for a photo.
White Cliffs of Epes
Late in the afternoon we arrived at Buddy Butts Park outside Clinton, Mississippi, to see the abandoned and overgrown Mississippi River Basin Model, the largest hydraulic model ever built.
Pretty name
In 1927, the worst flood in United States' history occurred along the Mississippi River, killing hundreds and leaving over 700,000 homeless. In response, the Army Corps of Engineers attempted to tame the river by building the world's longest system of levees, but during another flood ten years later, they found out their efforts just moved the flooding to different areas. Whoops!
What was needed was an accurate scale model of the entire Mississippi watershed to simulate different flooding scenarios and possible control measures before they were built. So in 1943 construction began of the Mississippi River Basin Model. To compensate for a shortage of labor due to World War II, the Corps of Engineers utilized German and Italian prisoners of war in the model's construction.
Tom examines the Mississippi River Basin Model
A small portion of the 200-acre hydraulic model
Dozens of simulations were conducted using the model, saving millions of dollars and untold lives, but computer modeling eventually made the system obsolete and the model was abandoned. The derelict site today is eerie and somewhat hazardous, with its uneven ground, rusty remnants, and half-hidden holes leading to its underground workings. I wish we could have seen it in its glory days!
Abandoned pumping station
Inside the former pumping station
Lodging: Super 8 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. We picked up takeout from Wendy's for dinner.
Driving distance: 554 miles. Off to a good start!
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