Mississippi Books

This excellent book is a rare, detailed, eye-witness account of early Alabama history including the Territory days.Gaines was a highly intelligent, educated man who moved to the Mississippi Territory in what is now Southwestern Alabama above Mobile to become the assistant factor to the Choctaw Indians
just after the US decides to set up its own houses or "factories" to trade with the Indian tribes.
Gaines has a long ,colorful, varied career in early Alabama.
The following outline is what the book primarily covers:

A- Gaines's Dealing with the Choctaw Tribes
1-detailed accounts of various Choctaw chiefs and choctaw traders including the famous Pushmataha.
2- Gaines's detailed account of the Choctaw removal including the scouting party to select village sites for the Choctaws.

B- Gaines's Career as a Choctaw Agent
1- his inability to get paid for his services and bad dealings with Lewis Cass in Washington City.
2-his good relations with the Choctaws and fondness for them.
3- detailed accounts of an Indian agent and routine life

C- Gaine's Career as a State Senator and State banker
1- He is elected to a short term as an early state Senator but very little detail is given here. This is when the state capitol is moved from Cahaba to Tuscaloosa.
2- He has an interesting career as a State banker and is chosen to sell state bonds for a huge sum of money wherever and however he can. He also lobbies for a railroad to be built from Mobile north. the story of being Alabama' s first bond salesman
is most interesting.

D- Gaine's encounter with ex- vice-president Aaron Burr.
It is the brother of Gaines, Gen Gaines, who captures Burr in Southwestern Alabama ( then Ms Territory) and delivers him to Richmond,Va. They have an interesting visit with Burr at the home of Gaines as Burr is found near their home.

E- The Creek Wars of 1813-14 and Andrew Jackson
After the Massacre of Fort Mims, it is Gaines who writes and informs Gen Jackson of the massacre which brings the Tennessee Volunteers to the Alabama Territory to attack the hostile Creeks. Gaines is a personal friend of Andrew Jackson.

F- Gaines's Encounters with famous people.....
For a man living in the wilderness of the Alabama and Mississippi Territory, Gaines knows a lot of important people.
a short list of the people he knows and meets is:

1- Aaron Burr
2- Andrew Jackson
3- Lewis Cass
4- General Desnouettes of the French Colony
5- Albert Gallatin
6- many Alabama Governors and senators
7- All of the Choctaw chiefs and traders during his time period

Its apparent that the first love in Gaines career was his Choctaw indians. the trading house, and his management of the affairs with the various chiefs and treaties and his management of the eventual Choctaw removal to the west.

Gaines speaks very little here of his family or his career in politics as a state senator.

This book is highly recommended to students of Alabama or Choctaw Indian history. It is in a class with
Woodward's "Reminiscenses" or Louis Milforts "memoires" concerning eye witness accounts of early life in what became the state of Alabama. Much of Pickett's history of Alabama was provided to Pickett by Mr Gaines. Other important primary accounts of Alabama history are those of Adair, Bartram, and, Romans which are more general in nature and also appy to Georgia and Florida.

This collection of memoires is well edited and provides fine notes and references along with an index of important people within the book as well as maps.

This information was gleaned from various sources.

Nicollet's great cartographic work preserves a legacy of American Indian place names, stemming from the intense interest Nicollet had in the linguistics and ethnography of the peoples with whom he came in contact. The map breaks with everything that came before: It is the first really modern map of Minnesota. Centered on the wide region between the upper Mississippi and Missouri rivers, it shows lakes and rivers, trails and plateaus in a new way three dimensionally. Nicollet's work changed mapping in the American West ever after.

French by birth, Nicollet traveled extensively in the United States after leaving France in 1832. By 1836 he had traveled up the Mississippi from St. Louis to Fort Snelling. Beckoned by the wide and largely unknown lands between the two great rivers, he was intent on exploring and mapping this region, which had only begun to be revealed in the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804?06, and Stephen Long's military expedition up the Red River in 1823. By 1838 Nicollet had convinced the U.S. government to fund his exploration, which allowed him to make the "mother map" of Minnesota.

The modernness of Nicollet's mapping comes from precisely locating features on the earth's surface in three dimensions: latitude (position north or south), longitude (position east or west), and altitude (elevation above or below sea level). Earlier explorers and mapmakers had tools to locate latitude and, with greater difficulty, longitude. Nicollet made use of a new invention, the barometer, to estimate rough elevations above sea level. He relentlessly dragged his precious barometers through the wilds, gathering thousands of observation points of altitude.

Nicollet's travels weakened his health; he died in 1843 while completing his map. But his meticulous mapping techniques made a great impression on his colleagues in the U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers, who used them in creating detailed and accurate maps of the American West in later years.

This information was gleaned from the internet.

Nicollet's great cartographic work preserves a legacy of American Indian place names, stemming from the intense interest Nicollet had in the linguistics and ethnography of the peoples with whom he came in contact. The map breaks with everything that came before: It is the first really modern map of Minnesota. Centered on the wide region between the upper Mississippi and Missouri rivers, it shows lakes and rivers, trails and plateaus in a new way three dimensionally. Nicollet's work changed mapping in the American West ever after.

French by birth, Nicollet traveled extensively in the United States after leaving France in 1832. By 1836 he had traveled up the Mississippi from St. Louis to Fort Snelling. Beckoned by the wide and largely unknown lands between the two great rivers, he was intent on exploring and mapping this region, which had only begun to be revealed in the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804?06, and Stephen Long's military expedition up the Red River in 1823. By 1838 Nicollet had convinced the U.S. government to fund his exploration, which allowed him to make the "mother map" of Minnesota.

The modernness of Nicollet's mapping comes from precisely locating features on the earth's surface in three dimensions: latitude (position north or south), longitude (position east or west), and altitude (elevation above or below sea level). Earlier explorers and mapmakers had tools to locate latitude and, with greater difficulty, longitude. Nicollet made use of a new invention, the barometer, to estimate rough elevations above sea level. He relentlessly dragged his precious barometers through the wilds, gathering thousands of observation points of altitude.

Nicollet's travels weakened his health; he died in 1843 while completing his map. But his meticulous mapping techniques made a great impression on his colleagues in the U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers, who used them in creating detailed and accurate maps of the American West in later years.

Rev Loius Cole never had a television show. he never hobnobbed with Presidents,politicans,stars of stage or screen, or Christian Contemproary Music.His Obit did not run on the front page of the NY Times,nor was it discussed on television. He didnt live in a mansion, or have his own private jet.In othernwords, rev Cole was the opposite of the snake oil soul molesters that fill the airwaves with their potent poison. Rev Cole travelled by mule driven carriage,or he walked. he lived in a shack. he minstered to his congregation in sickness and health,through goodtimes and not so good. These photographs, beautifully rendered, are as strong a testament to being a follower of the Man from Nazareth as any you're likely to find. The introduction by Rev will D Campell sums it far better than ever I would.This is a simply wonderful book

Ride This Train, by Hubert Ladner Jr., is a real treasure to history buffs and those wanting to know more about southern Mississippi during the early 1900's, with particular emphasis on the timber industry and Edward Hines. There are many nuggets of information in the pages of this book, making the in-depth research by the author obvious. Although an enjoyable read to anyone, the author's southern style and wit make it well received by any southern Mississippian.

Highly recommended!

Clarence Jonk's classic book is the story of a poor but idealistic young man and his adventures of living on the Mississippi River on a home-made houseboat during the Great Depression. Originally published in 1964, it has been re-released in 2003.

There is something about living by a big river that makes one wonder what the river leads to. It turns out that the destination is not so much a place as a state of mind. The power and magic of the river are transformative and when your journey is over you are better for it. I think that the same can be said for Clarence Jonk's River Journey - if you read it you will be better for it.

This is a reprint of a well-written personal account by a SNCC member and Howard University student. I am glad to see this book back in print. It will give an insight to the young and not so young who, because of the media's almost exclusive focus on Dr. King, have been lead to believe that the only important aspect of the civil rights movement was the "I Have a Dream" speech.

Cleve Sellers gives us an up close andpersonal report on some of the key leaders of SNCC, especially Stokely Carmichael (now known as Kwame Ture), who later became, for a short time, the Prime Minister of the Black Panther Party and for many years the primary organizer of the All African Peoples Revolutionary Party.

Sellers outlines many of the behind the scenes relationships between SNCC and other organizations and details the tactical and ideological differences which engaged the energiesof the SNCC membership.

This book is wonderful for any age of reader. It describes events in his family's life that shaped him into the person that he is today. He is a person of great character and this book gives you a taste of his character. It tells how he remembers the unjustices of his life growing up in Mississippi. It gives you a plain view of what it was like to grow up that way, in the Jim Crow era. He has gone through many experiences, but still managed to come out on top regardless of the adversity that faced him.

This is the best book I have read in the U. of Mississippi series of interviews with filmmakers.

The first interview catches Aldrich just after the start of his career, so the interviews proceed with the career, as opposed to just having him reflect back on things from years later. We see what Aldrich is doing and hear him talk about projects that never come to pass.

A few fascinating things emerge. He apparently never got over getting fired from "The Garment Jungle." Even when he is a success after "The Dirty Dozen," he still is bitter/regretful about that. Also, his relationship with Burt Lancaster, which seemed okay on the outside (they made about four films together) is revealed as contentious and mistrustful.

If you like Aldrich's films, you need to read this book. It will tell you things you never knew and will add to your appreciation of this man.

I haven't read the book, however, I know from attending his classes when in the USA that Robert Alexander knows his subject! I would recommend learning something from this guy - I did!
Cheers