Series 2201: Great River Road Historical and Archaeological Survey Files. 1958, 1995-2000.
Dept of Transportation (formerly Highway Dept.) (RG 55).

Series 2201: Great River Road Historical and Archaeological Survey Files. 1958, 1995-2000.
Dept of Transportation (formerly Highway Dept.) (RG 55).

      Research materials, photographs, maps, and final report of the “Historical and Archaeological Inventory of Mississippi’s Great River Road Project.” The Great River Road is a National Scenic and Historic Highway that stretches along the Mississippi River from its headwaters in Canada to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. The state of Mississippi’s portion of the Great River Road runs for approximately 350 miles along Highway 61, Highway 1, and a small section of Highway 49. This project, funded by the Mississippi Department of Transportation and undertaken by Mississippi State University, was an inventory of historical and archaeological sites along this route. Its purpose was to build an awareness of the need for site preservation throughout the Great River Road corridor while simultaneously providing ideas for the promotion of tourism (and therefore economic development) of the local communities through which the Road runs. For more complete information on the nature of this project, please refer to the separately-bound, 20-page “Introduction to the Historic and Archaeological Inventory” in Box 19510. Other items in this series are detailed below:

• The “Project Report” represents the end result of the Great River Road Project. It consists of a separately-bound 20-page introduction, which gives an excellent overview of the project, and the inventory itself, which details historical and archaeological sites to be found in each county. Also included is information on the general history and prehistory of the area, tourist amenities, recreational opportunities, and other subjects.
• The “Appendixes” recapitulate much of the information found in the Project Report, but are arranged by county. These counties include Wilkinson, Adams, Jefferson, Claiborne, Warren, Issaquena, Sharkey, Washington, Bolivar, Coahoma, Tunica, and DeSoto.
• Eight different color maps of the Great River Road Corridor in Mississippi were produced as a result of this project. All of them show the great River Road, principal arterials of the national highway system, other highways, and Mississippi River bridges. Seven of the maps measure 16” x 20” and each one marks a feature of the survey such as historic and archaeological sites, amenities, recreation sites, historical markers, and Great River Road gateways. There is one large map (41” x 31 ½”) that is a combination of all of these features, showing everything.
• Two videotapes (VHS video cassettes) are included in the series. Titled “The Great River Road,” Part 1 is a 7-minute introduction, aimed at a broad audience, which features scenic footage of the route. It may be considered a companion piece to the printed introduction mentioned above. Part 2 concentrates on the benefits to local communities along the Great River Road and is seemingly pitched at the civic and business leaders of such communities. The presentation features interviews with many state and local officials in which they share their views on how the Great River Road can benefit the state and what local communities can do to take economic advantage of its resources.
• The “Great River Road Photo Log” contains 35 mm. color negatives of approximately 900 photographs of historical sites, historical markers, archaeological sites, scenic views, tourist attractions and amenities along the Great River Road. The photographs were taken by three different teams: archaeology, history, and SSRC (Social Science Research Center). There are indexes for each team’s photographs; these include descriptions of each image. Most of these images have not been printed as photographs, but rather may be found on a CD-ROM. However, the series does contain a complete set of prints for the first three SSRC rolls and prints for most of the historical markers (see below). A few other various prints are scattered throughout the research files.
• The SSRC Team photographs consist of color prints of the first three rolls of film taken by the Social Sciences Research Team. All of the prints are dated and identified.
• The “Great River Road Historical Marker Inventory” is a record of historical markers located within the Great River Road corridor. There are color photographs of most of the markers. Other information given for each marker typically includes location, date placed, condition, text quality, siting, accessibility, and recommended changes.
• The research files contain maps, printed tourism material, Department of Archives and History archaeological survey site forms, National Register of Historic Places nomination and registration forms, photographs, and other materials. The files are basically arranged by county, though more general research materials such as the project director’s correspondence and legislation may be found in Box 19501. Included among the research materials are 17 USGS quadrangle maps, a map produced by the Federal Highway Administration showing national “scenic byways,” and an audio cassette guide to Mississippi arts and culture, produced by the Mississippi Arts Commission. A significant portion of the research files consist of tourism materials: travel planners, maps, brochures, and tourism statistics. Many of these materials were produced by the Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development.
• A CD-ROM contains color images of all photographs taken for the project, as well as text files of the printed Project Report and Appendixes.

See also:
      Series 1488: Mississippi River Parkway Commission Files. 1953-1975.