MISSISSIPPI - When exploring the history of the Magnolia State, the timeline leads to the high bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. Natchez, established in 1716, is widely recognized as the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River and the oldest incorporated city in the state.
The Founding: 1716
The origins of Natchez are tied to the French effort to connect their holdings in Canada with those on the Gulf Coast.
- Fort Rosalie: In 1716, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville (the brother of Iberville) established Fort Rosalie on the bluffs. The location was strategic, offering high ground that was safe from flooding and a commanding view of the river traffic.
- A Colonial Hub: The settlement quickly became a prosperous center for tobacco and indigo plantations. It survived the transition from French to British, then to Spanish, and finally to American rule, retaining a unique cultural blend of all its governing empires.
Indigenous Roots
The city takes its name from the Natchez people, one of the most sophisticated and powerful indigenous societies in North America. Long before the French arrived, the Natchez inhabited the "Grand Village" nearby. They were a mound-building culture with a complex social hierarchy led by a hereditary ruler known as the "Great Sun." Relations with the French were initially trading-based but deteriorated due to land disputes, culminating in the Natchez Revolt of 1729, a bloody conflict that resulted in the destruction of the French colony and the eventual dispersal and enslavement of the Natchez people.
A Technical Distinction: The Gulf Coast Claim
While Natchez is the oldest continuous city, the Mississippi Gulf Coast was the site of the first European landing.
- Fort Maurepas (1699): In 1699, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville established Fort Maurepas at present-day Ocean Springs (Old Biloxi). This was the first French establishment in the lower Mississippi Valley.
- The Shift: However, Fort Maurepas was abandoned in 1702 as the capital moved to Mobile and later to New Orleans. While the modern cities of Biloxi and Ocean Springs celebrate this 1699 heritage, Natchez holds the title for the oldest permanent, continuous settlement that developed into a major municipality without a period of total abandonment.
Settlement vs. Incorporation
Natchez was a thriving trade center and the first capital of the Mississippi Territory (1798). It was officially incorporated as a city in 1803, solidifying its legal status well before the coastal towns or the current capital, Jackson (founded 1821), were established.
Natchez is the oldest city in Mississippi, founded as Fort Rosalie in 1716 by the French. It sits on the ancestral lands of the Natchez people, whose Grand Village remains a historic landmark. While the Gulf Coast region (Ocean Springs/Biloxi) saw the first French landing in 1699, those early fortifications were temporary. Natchez holds the distinction of being the oldest continuous settlement and the first territorial capital.
Sources
- Mississippi Department of Archives and History. "Natchez History."
- National Park Service. "Natchez National Historical Park."
- City of Natchez. "Our History."
- Mississippi Encyclopedia. "French Colonial Period."
- Visit Mississippi. "History of the River Cities."