Natchez Trace Parkway to Show Chickasaw Nation Film First Encounter
TUPELO, MS: The Tupelo area was the location of a historic first encounter in the 1540s. This is the area where the Chickasaw people first met with Europeans. The encounter between the Chickasaws and Hernando de Soto proved to be the beginning of the downfall of the de Soto expedition’s search for gold.
The documentary First Encounter is produced by the Chickasaw Nation and features reenactments and historical experts’ interpretations of the Chickasaw/de Soto encounter. It gives new insights into life and survival in the Tupelo area in the 16th Century.
The film is being shown on demand at the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center near Tupelo throughout the month of November to commemorate American Indian Heritage Month. A photo exhibit of American Indian sites in national parks is also on display in the visitor center auditorium.
This 25-minute film and the photo exhibit are free to the public. The Parkway Visitor Center is located along the Parkway at milepost 266, just north of Tupelo, Mississippi. For more information about this and other Parkway programs, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/natr, or call 1-800-305-7417.
