The Devil's Backbone: The Story of the Natchez Trace.

by Jonathan Daniels and Daniels

Book Overview

The Natchez Trace has as dark and bloody a history as any thoroughfare since the beginning of our nation. The whole dramatic story of the Natchez Trace in fascinating detail.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0070153027
• ISBN13: 9780070153028
• Release Date: January 1962
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Devil's Backbone

Quite entertaining. Full of attention grabbing stories and a very entertaining quick read. A great prelude to traveling the Natchez Trace.

Best book on the Trace

The best book on the Natchez Trace, where Meriwether Lewis died, is The Devil's Backbone by Jonathan Daniels (1962). Very evocative details and a good map too. It's difficult to imagine traveling under such difficult circumstances as faced by people in early America. The Trace was considered an improved road; tree stumps in the road were required to be cut off shorter than 16 inches. As well as being rough traveling, the Old Trace was a dark, heavily forested, and creepy place. Some years later, Audubon made special note of the vultures that flew low to the ground in this area, looking for food. There were human vultures as well. One entire chapter of The Devil's Backbone is devoted to Lewis's death.

Natchez Trace History

For anyone who likes Southern history, particulary history of the Natchez Trace, this book is a must. The book is full of information about the use and /or settling of the land around the Natchez Trace. The book, however, is often hard to follow since it contains so much information and various names of settlers and infamous historical figures that used the Trace. Once you begin to read it, you become mesmerized and will find it hard to put down.