Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year's holiday and that 2008 is a great year for all of us.

I will resume posting after the holiday. Until them, please know that I appreciate all of you and am very appreciative for the blessings I have received this year.

Sincerely,

Dale Cox
www.exploresouthernhistory.com
www.battleofmarianna.net
www.twoeggfla.com

Merry Christmas!!!

Just taking a second here to wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2007 has been an interesting year, with its share of challenges and blessings. Thank you all for being a part of it. I hope 2008 is all that you hope it to be.

Here are a couple of my favorite Christmas quotes for you. I hope you enjoy them:

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

Luke, 2:33-35

Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset....

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Books still available for Christmas

If you would like to obtain copies of Two Egg, Florida: A Collection of Ghost Stories, Legends and Unusual Facts, The Battle of Marianna, Florida or The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida, it is still possible to have them delivered in time for Christmas.

I checked this morning and both http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/ still have copies in stock and are promising delivery by December 24th.

If you are in Northwest Florida, Chipola River Book and Tea at 4402 Lafayette Street in downtown Marianna (across the street from the Battle of Marianna monument) also has a few copies of each left.

New Branson, Missouri Pages are now Online!

Our new Branson, Missouri pages are now online at http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/! Just look for the link under the "Also New This Month" section of the site.

Although our Branson section will be expanding over the coming days and weeks, for now it includes a number of key sites including the Showboat Branson Belle, the Branson Scenic Railway, historic Big Cedar Resort, Country 76 (the famed Branson Strip), the Branson Titanic Museum, the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area and many others.

Drop by and take a look!

Last chance to order for Christmas!

If you hope to order copies of any of my books in time for Christmas, this is pretty much your last chance. Due to mail volume this time of year, this weekend is the last opportunity to make sure that book shipments are delivered by Christmas day. If you order before Monday, they should make it.

Copies are available of all three: The Battle of Marianna, Florida, The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida, and Two Egg, Florida: A Collection of Ghost Stories, Legends and Unusual Facts.

You can order them online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox or through www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.com or your favorite online bookstore. If you are in the Northwest Florida area, signed copies are available at Chipola River Book and Tea at 4402 Lafayette Street in downtown Marianna (on the same block as the Gazebo restaurant across the street from the Battle of Marianna monument).

Grand Gulf Military Monument - Mississippi

Our new pages for Grand Gulf Military Monument near Port Gibson, Mississippi, are now online at http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/!

Although we will be expanding this part of the site over coming days, already you can read about the Battle of Grand Gulf, learn more about Fort Wade and Fort Cobun and see, of all things, a homemade moonshine running submarine!

Grand Gulf is located not far from Port Gibson, Mississippi, the town that General U.S. Grant found "too pretty to burn." The park is exceptional and well worth a visit.

Alamo pages now online!

Our new section on the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, are now up and online at http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/.

We will expand this section more as the month goes along, but so far we have up the Alamo main page, a page exploring the historical backgrounds of the Alamo, a page on the siege of the Alamo and a page on the evidence surrounding the death of David Crockett.

Be sure to drop in and take a look! Our thanks also to Bruce Schulze of www.civilwaralbum.com for the new photographs of the Alamo included on our pages.

Pearl Harbor Day

Today is December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day.

Please join me in remembering the hundreds of thousands of American men and women who served in World War II.

It was a war that our country did not seek, a war that was fought with enormous sacrifice and a war in which American servicemen and women brought peace and freedom millions.

The sacrifices of our fathers and mothers should never be forgotten.

Battle of Corinth, Mississippi pages now online!

Our new pages on the Battle of Corinth, Mississippi are now online at ExploreSouthernHistory.com.

The new addition to our site includes an overview of the Civil War points of interest in and around Corinth, Mississippi, a review of the Battle of Corinth (October 3-4, 1862) and a look at the National Park Service's outstanding new Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center.

To visit the new Corinth section, please go to http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com and click the link under "Also New This Month."

New Home Page is Up

Our new home page is up at www.exploresouthernhistory.com. Drop by and let us know what you think!

We are also in the process of adding a number of new pages to the site. Among them are visits to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, the Corinth and Grand Gulf battlefields in Mississippi and more! These pages will come fully online this week!

New home page coming on Saturday!

We will be launching a new home page and expanded content on Saturday at www.exploresouthernhistory.com. Be sure to check out the new design! We hope you will find it easier to navigate and loaded with new content!

Among the new pages we will be launching at the same time are:

• The Alamo - San Antonio, Texas
• Grand Gulf Military Monument - Mississippi
• The Natchez Trace - Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee
• Battle of Corinth - Corinth, Mississippi

In addition, we will launch our new online bookstore!

Be sure to check out the improvements on Saturday afternoon.

Chipola River Book and Tea

I want to congratulate my friends at Chipola River Book and Tea on their second year in business in Marianna. They are located at 4402 Lafayette Street in downtown Marianna (directly across the street from the Battle of Marianna monument) and are the exclusive local retailer for my books.

Michael (a she, by the way) and the rest of the staff there have done a phenomenal job of bringing a much needed business to Jackson County. When she arrived in Marianna, she immediately noticed that the community needed a nice, local bookstore. So, she started one.

I discovered it during the summer and have been very impressed. She brings old books back to life and provides an outlet for local writers and artists.

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I will be there on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. to sign copies of The Battle of Marianna, Florida, The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida and Two Egg, Florida.

If you can't make it on Saturday, drop by anytime. They carry my books as well as hundreds of others of interest.

New top stories at ExploreSouthernHistory.com

Our new top stories at www.exploresouthernhistory.com give you the chance to explore the site of the Battle of Massard Prairie, Arkansas, where Confederate forces achieved a spectacular victory in 1864, as well as the "live country music capital of the universe," Branson, Missouri!

You will also find a number of other new and recently updated pages, so drop by for a visit when you can!

Natural Falls State Park - Oklahoma

Natural Falls State Park, near West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, is one of my favorite places in the South. The park is absolutely beautiful and the 77-foot waterfall from which it takes its name runs pretty much year round (more spectacularly in the winter and early spring, though).

The waterfall is one of the largest and easiest to access in the entire Oklahoma, Arkansas, Southern Missouri area. A paved trail leads from the parking lot down to two overlooks. The first, at the top of the falls, is wheelchair accessible. The second, at the bottom, requires a steep walk down into the picturesque ravine.

If you recognize this waterfall, there is a reason. It was used as a setting in the movie Where the Red Fern Grows.

To learn more about Natural Falls State Park and to see many additional photographs, please visit our Natural Falls pages at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/naturalfalls.html.

St. Marks Lighthouse, Florida

A focal point of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Wakulla County, Florida, the St. Marks Lighthouse has overlooked the waters of Apalachee Bay since 1832.

The tower itself is not open to the public, but visitors are welcome to explore the grounds which provide spectacular views of the lighthouse, the Gulf and the adjacent marshes.

At the time the St. Marks Lighthouse was constructed, St. Marks was an important port city. Florida's first chartered and second constructed railroad connected the port with the new capital city of Tallahassee. Mules originally pulled the cars, but eventually were replaced by locomotives. The lighthouse helped ships navigate their way across the bar and into the narrow channel of the lower St. Marks River.

The tower has survived numerous storms, including an 1840s hurricane that completely destroyed the nearby town of Port Leon. It also survived the Civil War. Confederate forces for a time used the lighthouse as an observation post and constructed a battery called Fort Williams on the grounds. The fort was later abandoned then destroyed by Union forces, who also burned the wooden parts of the lighthouse. No trace of the fort remains today, but the tower was repaired after the war and remains a silent sentinel over the Gulf of Mexico to this day.

In addition to its obvious historic and scenic appeal, the lighthouse is also noted for its annual gatherings of Monarch butterflies, which assemble here to begin their migration across the Gulf of Mexico.

For more information on the St. Marks Lighthouse, please visit our page at:

http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/stmarkslight.html

Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad State Historic Trail

The Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad State Historic Trail stretches from Tallahassee to St. Marks in the "Big Bend" region of Florida.

The trail is a paved walkway/bikeway that follows the route of the historic Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad. The railroad was the first to be chartered in Florida and the second to be completed (the oldest was the short-lived line at St. Joseph (today's Port St. Joe). Cars on the line were originally pulled by horses and mules, but locomotives quickly came into use and the railroad remained an important fixture on the landscape of Leon and Wakulla Counties well into the 20th century.

In March of 1865, the railroad proved vital when Union troops landed at the St. Marks Lighthouse and began to march inland. Confederate commanders were able to use the railroad to move troops quickly to to the front and as a result were able to get more men on the ground than the attacking Federals. This advantage played a critical role in the Confederate victory at the Battle of Natural Bridge on March 6, 1864. This victory preserved Tallahassee's status as the only Southern capital east of the Mississippi not taken by Union forces during the war and also saved Thomasville, Georgia from a planned raid.

For more information on the Battle of Natural Bridge and other sites in the area, please visit our Natural Bridge pages at http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/nbindex.html.

Robbers Cave State Park - Oklahoma

Robbers Cave State Park is one of my favorite places in the South. Located near the town of Wilburton in eastern Oklahoma (about an hour or so southwest of Fort Smith, Arkansas), the park is nestled in the beautiful Sans Bois Mountains.

Noted for its scenic beauty, the park has a lake, bluffs, caves, unusual rock formations and more. It is a popular place for sightseeing, hiking, picnicking, camping, swimming and more. The park also offers cabins, a lodge, a restaurant and more.

For history buffs, though, Robbers Cave State Park offers a chance to explore a little of the history of the Old West. The caves and ravines in the park were said to be hideouts for a number of notorious outlaws during the "gunfighter" days following the Civil War. Among the names linked with the park are those of Jesse James and Belle Starr. James, Starr and other outlaws are said to have used the park area as a hideout to avoid capture by Deputy U.S. Marshals hoping to bring them to justice at the court of "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker in Fort Smith.

It is worth noting that in the main cave at the park can be seen a carving dating from 1877, the ideal time for the area to have been used by "Old West" outlaws.

To see more photographs and learn more about Robbers Cave State Park, please visit our Robbers Cave pages at: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/okrobberscave.html.

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Alabama

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Alabama was one of the most significant military encounters in American history. Fought on March 27, 1814, the battle was the final major engagement of the Creek War of 1813-1814 and one of the most convincing American victories of the War of 1812.

The Creek War was an outgrowth of a civil war that had erupted among the Creek Nation in Alabama and Georgia. A branch of the nation, called the "Red Sticks" or "Red Clubs," became devoted followers of a religious movement headed by the Shawnee Prophet, Tenskwatawa. Led by the Alabama Prophet, Josiah Francis or Hillis Hadjo, the Red Sticks opened a war against the so-called "White Party" of the Creeks, led by the traditional leader of the nation, Big Warrior.

The war spilled over after a party of white militia attacked a Red Stick party carrying ammunition back to the nation from Pensacola at Burnt Corn Creek, Alabama, during the summer of 1813. The Red Sticks responded by attacking and capturing Fort Mims, a frontier stockade north of Mobile and killing hundreds of the men, women and children in the fort.

The Fort Mims attack outraged the frontier and U.S. armies advanced on the Red Sticks from three directions. The principal of these, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson of Tennessee, pushed south into the Creek heartland fighting four major battles during the winter of 1813-1814. Jackson finally attacked the primary Red Stick stronghold at Tohopeka or "Horseshoe Bend" on March 27, 1814.

The Creeks had fortified the bend by erecting a strong wall across the narrow neck of land created by the looping course of the Tallapoosa River. The wall proved impervious to artillery fire from Jackson's army. The stalemate was broken when a party of Cherokee and "White Party" Creek warriors swam the river behind the Red Stick battlelines and brought back canoes to allow a force to attack the barricade from the rear.

When Jackson heard the sounds of this attack, he ordered his main army to charge and storm the barricade. Led by the 39th U.S. Infantry, the troops stormed forward in a bloody attack that forever broke the power of the Creek Nation in Alabama.

To learn more about the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and to experience an online tour of Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, please visit our Horseshoe Bend pages at: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/AlabamaHSB.html.

Petit Jean State Park - Arkansas

The view it right is from the point of Petit Jean Mountain at Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas. This is the oldest state park in Arkansas and also one of the most beautiful.

In addition to the spectacular views from the mountain, Petit Jean also is noted for Cedar Falls, a magnificent year-round waterfall. Visitors also find unsual rock formations, beautiful scenery, outstanding hiking trails, a rock shelter noted for its centuries old Native American paintings as wall as campgrounds, picnic areas, cabins and a lodge.

The area is rich in history and is noted as the focal point for the "Legend of Petit Jean," one of the state's best known and favorite ghost stories and legends. To learn more about Petit Jean State Park and Petit Jean Mountain, please visit our Petit Jean pages at: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/petitjean1.

Battle of Massard Prairie, Arkansas

The Massard Prairie Battlefield Park in Fort Smith is one of the newest preserved Civil War sites in Arkansas. Saved by the joint efforts of the City of Fort Smith, local citizens and local developers, the battlefield park protects key areas of the July 27, 1864, Battle of Massard Prairie.

The battle took place with Confederate troops, commanded by Gen. R.M. Gano, stormed the camp of a battalion of the 6th Kansas Cavalry in a stunning sunrise attack. Gano's commanding officer described the battle as a "dashing and gallant affair." The Confederates captured more than 100 Union soldiers, while killing and wounding numerous others in a fight that stretched for two miles across Massard Prairie, a large brushy grassland just outside of the 1864 city of Fort Smith.

The Prairie today is within the city limits and much of it has been developed for residential, commercial and industrial use (the Fort Smith Regional Airport is constructed on part of the original prairie). The battlefield park, however, preserves the site of the camp of the 6th Kansas where much of the heaviest fighting took place.

For more information, please visit our special section on the Battle of Massard Prairie at: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ArkansasCW4.html.

Povert Point State Historic Site - Louisiana

Located in northeastern Louisiana near Lake Providence, Poverty Point is one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in America. More than 2,000 years ago, Native Americans built a massive ceremonial and trading center here. The site is particularly spectacular because it includes a series of massive semi-circles the form a giant design that can be seen only from the air.

To learn more about Poverty Point, please visit our new Poverty Point pages by going to: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/povertypoint1.

Little River Canyon - Alabama

Our new pages on Little River Canyon and DeSoto State Park and Falls in Alabama are now online.

Located near Fort Payne, between Birmingham and Chattanooga, this is one of the most picturesque areas of the south. The canyon is a national preserve, complete with waterfalls, rapids, stunning bluffs and beautiful Lookout Mountain scenery. DeSoto State Park is within the limits of the Little River Canyon National Preserve and includes dramatic scenery, hiking trails, a motel, cabins and many other amenities. Plus DeSoto Falls, a beautiful year-round waterfall that plunges more than 100-feet into a spectacular canyon, can be seen.

Just go to http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/littleriver1

The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida

Our new pages on the Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida are now online at http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/. The battle was fought on the banks of the St. Marks River near Woodville south of Tallahassee and was one of the last significant Confederate victories of the Civil War. It preserved Tallahassee's status as the only Southern capital east of the Mississippi River not taken by Union troops during the war.

Key portions of the battlefield are preserved at Natural Bridge Battlefield State Historic Park, which offers monuments, interpretive signs and surviving Confederate earthworks.

To learn more, please go to: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/nbindex.

Lake Providence, Louisiana

Lake Providence, Louisiana is a little corner of the South that most people never see or even think of visiting, but it may well be one of the most picturesque places in the entire United States. Only about an hour's drive away from the attractions, historic sites, hotels and restaurants of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Lake Providence is a small town nestled on a huge oxbow lake left behind centuries ago when the Mississippi River changed course.

The lake provides spectacular views. Lake Providence is also noted for its Civil War history. During the Vicksburg Campaign, General U.S. Grant first tried to bypass the Confederate batteries on the Mississippi by digging a canal from the river into Lake Providence. The project failed, but a portion of the canal can still be seen today at Grant's Canal Park in Lake Providence.

The community is also the home of the Louisiana State Cotton Museum, a very nice center that interprets the history and importance of cotton with restored buildings, agricultural displays and museum exhibits. Poverty Point State Historic Site, a major prehistoric Native American ceremonial and trade center, is just southwest of Lake Providence.

To learn more about this fascinating community, please visit: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/, scroll down the page, and click the link for Lake Providence under the Louisiana heading.

Hot Springs, Arkansas

Our pages on Hot Springs, Arkansas, are now updated and we will be expanding them more over the next few days. To visit them just go to: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/.

This is one of my favorite places in the South. The sight of the natural hot water cascade pouring down the slopes of Hot Springs Mountain is really spectacular, especially during the winter when clouds of steam come off the water on cold days.

The restoration of historic Bathhouse Row at Hot Springs National Park is progressing nicely. These beautiful old buildings were originally constructed to serve as high-end bathhouses for people who came to Hot Springs to soak in the water. One of them, Buckstaff, still functions as a spa and another is the National Park Service visitor center. Others, however, are being restored to serve as galleries, shops, etc.

One note, if you are thinking about visiting Hot Springs for a weekend, I strongly suggest you reserve a room in advance. The hotels fill up quickly.

The Oklahoma Castle

This is one of my favorite Southern points of interest. Captain's or Reynolds' Castle in Cameron, Oklahoma, was built in 1890 by Captain J.E. Reynolds.

Constructed of native stone mined from a nearby quarry, the castle includes two stone towers and massive walls.

Captain Reynolds seems to have been quite a character. He later described himself as an "unreconstructed Confederate" and during World War I offered to raise a force of former Southern soldiers with Confederate "gray ghost" John Mosby to go and fight in Europe. His grave in Fort Smith, Arkansas, is marked by statuary of two women rescuing him from a Georgia battlefield.

To learn more about the Oklahoma Castle and see the other photographs, just go to: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/castle1.

William Barret Travis Home - Alabama

We've added a new page on one of Alabama's most unique historic landmarks. On U.S. Highway 84 in Perdue Hill, Alabama, stands a little cottage that was once the home of Lt. Col. William Barret Travis, the commander of the Alamo and a hero of the Texas Revolution.

Travis lived here with his wife and children prior to relocating to Texas in 1831. The home originally stood in nearby Claiborne where he practiced law, published a newspaper, served as adjutant of an Alabama militia company and was a member of the Masonic Lodge.

To read more and see additional views of the home, please visit http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/travishome.html.

Vicksburg, Mississippi

We have a nice section now up at ExploreSouthernHistory.com about the wonderful city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Vicksburg is a history lover's paradise. There is, of course, the huge Civil War battlefield largely preserved at Vicksburg National Military Park. Highlights include Civil War fortifications and entrenchments, monuments, exhibits and the salvaged ironclad, U.S.S. Cairo.

Our pages also explore other sites around the city itself, including the beautiful Old Courthouse Museum.

To see more, just go to http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/vicksburg1.html.

New Top Story

We've added a new top story at http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/.

This month, our top story is the Battle of Marianna, Florida. Obviously, this is connected to the release of my new book on the battle. But, besides some blatant product promotion, if you check out the site you will find a ton of information on the battle along with photographs of the battlefield.

Coming up over the weekend, we'll also be adding or updating a number of pages on the site.

Fourth of July!

I hope you all have a good Independence Day celebration! Be careful! I'll start blogging full force tomorrow, so be sure to check in to see what we have.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog, Southern History & Highways!

The purpose is to give me a chance to share information I've gathered through the years on Southern historic sites, parks, museums, battlefields and more.

I hope you enjoy visiting and that you check in often!