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30
The Journal of Mississippi History
To Mississippi City by the rout[e] travelled is eighteen miles. There are only two houses of entertainment here. Stopped and fed at Barnes’[s] .... There is a very small settlement here, & I was soon satisfied that this was not an eligible place to remain at. Proceeded in the afternoon, passing through a small group of houses called Buena Vista near the Baluxi River, on which there are several Steam saw mills (which affords the sawdust w'hich has been freely used on some causewayed portions of the road leading to Mississippi City, [and] which renders it very compact and smooth). Arrived at Baluxi ....
Friday 27 August 1852. Rode in the morning .... north 2 miles to Back Bay (or the extension of the Bay of Baluxi). Found a Steam ferry boat running across where it seems to be a mile in width. The extensive brickyard of Mr. Kendall, where brick are made on a very extensive scale from dry compressed earth by Steam power, was in view on the opposite side, about two miles distant. A number of small craft was in the bay & several along the shore undergoing repairs. Several Steam mills, which are very numerous on the bay for sawing the pine timber, were also in view ....
Saturday 28 August 1852 .... The neighborhood of Buena Vista seems quite thickly settled, being near Back Bay (or Baluxi) on which there are a number of Steam saw mills & a great number of persons engaged in the Lumber business. Saw quite a large rice field on the road where they were engaged in harvesting the rice (which seems very good). All along the streams that I crossed or passed along (Barnard’s bayou, Big & Little Baluxi) are filled with Pine logs cut and rolled into them to be floated down to the mills by the freshets. Some large herds of Cattle [are] in the neighborhood, but few are seen on the road. The summer pasturage [is] very fine, & [there is] green grass enough also on the creeks to sustain them in winter. Little else but longleaf pine [is] to be seen, & the country is almost uninhabited ....
Sunday 29 August 1852 .... A[u]gusta, County Seat of Perry, contains only 7 families. Has 1 Church, 1 School, Post Office & US Land Office_______
Tuesday 31 August 1852 .... Passing 12 miles through pine forests without a house, reached Williamsburg, Covington Coun-
Selections From Journal ok B. L. C. Wailes
tv, about 3 o’clock. Visited the Clerk’s Office & obtained all the information I could ....
Wednesday 1 September 1852. After crossing [the] Bouie [river] over a bridge (passing through the bottom land in which there is a good deal of large oak & gum [word omitted] mixed with some Short\enf pine) ascended a considerable eminence to a level table land of Oak and hickory, on which the village of Mount Carmel [Covington County] is situated. About 70 inhabitants. Two or three considerable Country Stores. More business [is] done [here] than at Williamsburg, and the situation is much handsomer, & the buildings (tho’ plain frame) [are] better ... .
Thursday 2 September 1852. Put up last evening at Bowen’s, [the] only hotel in Montecello [sic]. Met w'ith Judge Vannessard & Mr. Carson, old acquaintances. Reshod my horses whilst I was occupied in taking notes at the Clerk’s Office. -This is rather a good-looking village. [It] has a good brick court house in a commodious square planted with shade trees (several species) & handsome private residences. The tow'n stands on a bluff about 30 feet high on [the] west side and has rather a fresh & well-preserved appearance. It is said to be rather improving (population about 380, [including] white and black). Several stores with good stocks of goods appear to be doing considerable business .... It is ascertained very positwely that a large quantity of lead is to be found about 12 miles east of Montecello [sic] on the head of Dry Creek, a branch of Silver Creek. It is in the draft with the Clerk. Saw a small piece of the lead ....
Friday 3 September 1852 .... Crossed [the] west branch of Fair river, passing Brookhaven PO, half a mile after crossing the east branch of Bogue Chitto. Through Brookhaven the road runs as the line between Secs. 19 & 30 in T4R8E, and [it] is said not to depart as much as a mile either to the North or South of that line between Monticello and Natchez .... Crossed the Homo-chitto at the former residence of Molly McClure (and [sic] Indian woman) and the starting point of the Indian bound [a] ry line of the Treaty of M[oun]t Dexter, run by my Father in 1809 .... 19
19 Levin Wailes surveyed the northern boundary of the’ land ceded to the government of the United States by the Choctaws in the Treaty of Mount Dexter, signed in 1805. Sydnor, Benjamin L. C. Wailes, 39-40.