Tunica, Mississippi

Tunica is a small, quiet town off US 61 in Northwest Mississippi. The community of about 1,000 residents is the county seat of Tunica County - both named after the Tunica Tribe. Today, the community is more known for the nearby resorts and casinos along the Mississippi River.

A quiet Tunica on a warm July Sunday afternoon.

Tunica was laid out in 1884 on land owned by Edwin Harris. Like many towns formed during the time, railroad access was the key driver in creating Tunica. Harris sold plots of his land for the town in exchange for a coveted railroad depot. A unique part of Harris' transfer of land is that he required that Tunica be a regularly scheduled rail stop vs. a flag stop.

Tunica's Town Clock within the village green. The Tunica County Courthouse stands in the background.

In 1888, the town of Tunica was incorporated. Later, railroad officials would try to end service in Tunica. However, the clause from Harris' land transfer kept service alive. Passenger rail service would eventually be terminated.

Downtown Tunica

With the opening of resort casinos in the early 1990s, the area surrounding Tunica has seen growth and improvement. A nearby airport opened in 2003 that has offered commercial air service. Charter flights to the resort communities remain very popular. Through all the changes and benefits, the town of Tunica remains a quiet and charming small town.

All photos taken by post author - July 2023.

Sources & Links:

Town of Tunica
Communities of Tunica County ---Mississippi GenWeb
Tunica Indians ---Mississippi Encyclopedia
NW Mississippi Photos @ roadfan.com ---Sandor Gulyas
Tunica, MS Photo Album on Flickr ---My personal photos from Tunica

How To Get There:

Comments

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l

Ghost Town Tuesday; Mannfield, FL and the stairway to Hell

Back in 2015 I went searching the Lecanto Sand Hills for the original Citrus County Seat known as Mannfield. Unlike Centrailia in Hernando County and Fivay in Pasco County I did find something worth seeing. Mannfield is located in the Lecanto Sand Hill section of Withlacoochee State Forest somewhat east of the intersection of Citrus County Route 491 and Mansfield Road. Mannfield was named after Austin Mann and founded in Hernando County in 1884 before Citrus County Split away. In 1887 Citrus County was split from northern Hernando County while Pasco County was spun off to the south. Mannfield was selected as the new Citrus County seat due to it being near the county geographic center. Reportedly Mannfield had as many as 250 people when it was the County Seat. The town included various businesses one might include at the time, even a sawmill which was common for the area. In 1891 Citrus County voted to move it's seat to Inverness which set the stage for the decline of M

The National Road - Pennsylvania - Great Crossings Bridge and Somerfield

West of Addison, US 40 crosses the Youghiogheny River at what once was the town of Somerfield. When crossing the current modern two lane bridge, you many not realize that it is actually the third to cross the Yough at this site. The first - a stone arch bridge - was known as the Great Crossings Bridge. Built in 1818, this three arch bridge was part of the original National Road. The name Great Crossings comes from the men who forded the Youghiogheny here - George Washington and George Braddock. (1) If you cross the bridge at the right time, this historic bridge and what was once the town of Somerfield will appear out from underneath this massive man-made lake. Historical Postcard showing the 'Big Crossings' bridge and Somerfield. Image submitted by Vince Ferrari. The Great Crossings Bridge was located in the town of Somerfield. Somerfield, originally named Smythfield until 1827, would develop as a result of the National Road. (1) Somerfield would go through va

Gribblenation

Search This Blog