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Mississippi Time Warp
Or
How to Tell Itta Bena from Nitta Yuma

MISSISSIPPI DELTA


Photos by Johnny Stucco
Captions by Luke Warm

Flowering Cottonfield - Mississippi Delta  - Sunflower County
Cotton Field in Bloom

It’s been called “The South’s South” and “Mississippi’s Mississippi.” It could also have the slogan: “The Delta: It’s Not What You Think.”

Please take a second to ask yourself what you think the Mississippi Delta is.

It’s not that.

First of all, the name itself is a misnomer. It’s not a Delta at all, but an alluvial plain. Sandwiched between the Mississippi River and the more tranquil Yazoo, the topsoil here is measured in fathoms not feet.

It has been said to begin in the lobby of Memphis’ Peabody Hotel (watch out for the ducks) and end in Vicksburg. As flat as the Texas Panhandle, the Delta is full of surprises (some of which have teeth). Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is in the region’s history. Anyone making the effort will be surprised at the strength, integrity and sensitivity of the people who came from there. (The region has historically provided a strong motivation to leave.)

The Delta is second only to New Orleans for being rich in names. Samples will be found in the captions of the photos that follow. The Delta is so lush that fence posts have been known to sprout. But that seldom happens because the economy is fenceless. Cotton stays in its horizon-reaching fields and catfish keep happily in their ponds.

Severely under-populated, the business districts of county seats are the opposite of bustling. It’s easy to see the past here – especially the 40’s and 50s. If you want bustle, you’ll need to go back to the highway where the chain restaurants will roughly push you through their doors and back into the present. The Mom and Pop that used to run the café downtown are sitting at the table beside you.

Here the introduction ends and you are invited to drop in on the Delta the way we visited – unannounced.

MS - Reflections 0f Yazoo City Motivator Zig Ziglar
Refections of Yazoo City, Mississippi
Inspirational Motivator Zig Ziglar was Motivated to Leave


MS - Yazoo City Downtown in  Pastel
Pastel Yazoo –
To say nothing of the beautiful turquoise "Smoke-free Smokehouse"


MS - Clarksdale Vaudeville Ghost Sign
Despite the court records to the contrary,
Clarkesville did not kill Vaudeville.


Belzoni, Mississippi - confederate statue
“Old times there are not forgotten.”
Bullet Hole in Confederate Statue
Belzoni, Mississippi


MS Leland - Masonic Lodge As Theatre
The Masonic Lodge as Theater
Leland, Mississippi


MS Waynesboro - Airbrushed County Map on Defunct Business
Airbrushed County Map on Defunct Business
Waynesboro, Mississippi


MS Hot Coffee - Downtown Grocery
Downtown Hot Coffee, Mississippi


MS Fayetteville - Old South  Stone Fence
The Old South Preserved
Fayetteville, Mississippi


MS Crystal Springs - Summer tomato stand

Timeless Tomatoes
"They taste as good as they look."
Crystal Springs, Mississippi



MS Brookhaven - Main Street Pastry Shop
How Main Street Can You Get?
Brookhaven, Mississippi


MS Alligator's Alligator painted wall mural
Alligator’s Alligator
Mississippi


MS Greenville - Auto Salvage, Elevated auto with sunroof
Mississippi Sunroof
Greenville, Mississippi


LA Lake Providence - No Loud Music
An Unpopular Opinion
Lake Providence, Louisiana


MS Leland - Cafe, Independent Apostrophe
Trend-setting Apostrophe
Leland, Mississippi


MS - Unknown Defunct Gas Station near Amory, old gas pumps
Unknown Defunct Gas Station
Amory, Mississippi


MS Greenville - Bank building and School Bus
Bankers Look at Education and Are Not Pleased
Greenville, Mississippi


MS Vicksburg - Wall Mural OfTeddy Roosevelt's Bear Hunt
“They had heard it was there, but upon discovery they found themselves speechless.” –
Vicksburg Mural of Teddy Roosevelt’s Bear Hunt


MS Leland - The Southern CafeIs Now Tyrone's Sports Bar
The Southern Grill as Tyrone’s Sports Bar
Leland, Mississippi


MS - Itta Bena main street - Standing Over the Roebuck Lake
Standing Over Roebuck Lake – Itta Bena
Mississippi


MS - Railroad Bridge over the Homochitto River
Railroad Bridge over the Homochitto River
Mississippi


MS - Old Highway 61 looking Toward Chicago
Old Highway 61 looking Toward Chicago
Mississippi


MS Panther Burn - City Limit With Insect Trap
City Limit with Insect Trap
Panther Burn, Mississippi


MS NittaYuma Service Station Old Gas Pump
“We’ll keep the light on for you.”
Nitta Yuma, Mississippi


MS Indianola - B.B.Kings Favorite Corner InI ndianola
B.B. King remembered on his "favorite corner."
Indianola, Mississippi


MS Indianola - Ghost Sign  Indianola
Indianola, Mississippi Ghost Sign


Mississippi Delta Catfish Food Storage
Catfish Food Storage
Mississippi Delta


Mississippi Delta Cotton Blossom
Cotton Flower


Mississippi Delta Cotton Flower
Cotton Flower


MS Roxie - Abandoned Store
Abandoned Store in Roxie, Mississippi


MS Vicksburg - Bridge and Mississippi River View
Vicksburg River View


© John Troesser
September 6, 2009



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