Skip to content
Sections
  • Obituaries
  • eEdition
  • Popular Content
  • Submit a Tip
July 7th, 2022
  • QUICK LINKS
  • Obituaries
  • eEdition
  • Popular Content
  • Submit a Tip
  • News
  • Columbus & Lowndes County
  • Starkville & Oktibbeha County
  • West Point & Clay County
  • Area
  • State
  • National
  • Business
  • Sports
  • High School Sports
  • College Sports
  • Local Columns
  • Opinions
  • Local Columns
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Roses & Thorns
  • Dispatch Editorials
  • Obituaries
  • Lifestyles
  • Columns
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Transitions & Announcements
  • Community
  • Religion
  • Classifieds
  • Photo Galleries
  • Public Records
  • Building Permits
  • Marriages & Divorces
July 7th, 2022

Open eyes, open minds.

Articles by Rufus Ward

Ask Rufus: 80 Years of training the world’s best pilots

After being waylaid by an accident last month, I had my first outing Thursday evening. It was to a gathering at Columbus Air Force Base of the Base honorary wingmen to say goodbye to Col. Seth Graham, commander of the 14th Flying Training Wing.

Ask Rufus: The Coming of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad

Living on Southside Columbus, I am sometimes awakened around 2 a.m. by the moanful whistle of a passing train. At first I often think it might be my good friend Brandon Smith “highballing“ through town (at about 10 mph), but then my thoughts always drift to the story those train tracks have to tell. The history of the construction of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad through Lowndes County is an interesting one.

Ask Rufus: Mrs. Munroe, Mrs. Monroe, what are you doing?

I first heard the story of Mrs. Munroe from my grandmother when I was a small child. It is the local must-tell ghost story for children, for it always happens just as the story says.

Ask Rufus: Barbecue sauce

As warm weather descends on the Black Prairie and the Columbus, Starkville, West Point area, it is hard not to think of barbecues.

Rufus Ward: Luxapalila fossils

It’s springtime and my favorite time of the year. Last week I wrote about the flowers of spring, and this week I will look at something I enjoy seeing even more than flowers: fossils.

Ask Rufus: Every flower tells a story

At Easter, I really feel like spring is in full bloom.

Ask Rufus: 200 years ago Columbus flooded while flowers covered the prairie

One of my favorite descriptions of the Black Prairie was in a letter written by William Goodell, a missionary visiting the Mayhew Choctaw Mission in April 1822.

Ask Rufus: General Grant’s Columbus ploy

Visitors to Columbus — especially during pilgrimage — often ask why if Columbus wasn’t burned by Union troops like so many other Southern towns, especially since it was a major Confederate military industrial and supply center during the Civil War.

Ask Rufus: The Air Service’s Victory Loan Flying Circus of 1919

I have written on several occasions about Payne Field, a historic World War I Army Air Service (grandfather of the Air Force) pilot training airfield four miles north of West Point, and about 10 miles west of Columbus Air Force Base.

Ask Rufus: A Choctaw dinner

Last week I was engaged in several conversations on Choctaw history, culture and foods.

Ask Rufus: World War II and the women of the Greatest Generation

Last week I was thinking how so often, in discussions of the greatest generation and World War II, it is almost always the men who are mentioned. World War II brought a major change in the role of women in both the military and society.

Ask Rufus: A Historic Marker for the First Union Academy

A couple of weeks ago I wrote of the need for a historic marker at the site of the first bridge over the Tombigbee at Columbus. It was a bridge by Black bridge builder Horace King in 1842.

Ask Rufus: It’s Mardi Gras season

My grandmother Lenore Hardy Billups majored in art at Newcomb College in New Orleans 1908-1913. In her desk I came across this invitation to a Mardi Gras ball at the French Opera House there.

Ask Rufus: Horace King needs a historic marker

In Columbus it is past time to place a historic marker at a known site that I have written about in the past and whose history has been documented by the late Sam Kaye, Carolyn Kaye, Gary Lancaster and myself.

Ask Rufus: Timeline of Columbus history

Next month the Preservation Society of Columbus will present its Pilgrimage Jubilee of Homes. With the interest in Columbus’ history that accompanies pilgrimage, the publication of a timeline of early Columbus history is in order.

Ask Rufus: Lt. Col. Alva Temple and the first Air Force Top Gun competition

On Thursday January 20th CBS News ran a story that 73 years ago an “all Black group of military pilots won the first Top Gun Competition but weren’t recognized” for their achievement. Not only that, their trophy for winning the competition was put in storage. The Air Force found the trophy in storage in 2005 and put it back on display and is now giving that group of Tuskegee pilots the recognition they deserved in 1949.

Ask Rufus: The block where downtown began

The old Gilmer Hotel Block downtown is one of Columbus’ most historic city blocks and traces the early history of the town. Its legal description is fitting, Block 1 North of Main Street.

Ask Rufus: Columbus 1819-1822

History is never simple and can be awfully confusing, especially when you fall down a rabbit hole.

Ask Rufus: New Year’s tribulations 1814

This year’s New Year’s Day arrived with more than a fair share of worries.

Ask Rufus: The Foods of Christmas

As Christmas approaches, one of the most popular holiday topics is always food.

Posts navigation

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 27
  • »

Search

Popular

Community Profile: Man and his tractor keep each other going

By Caroline Beach

Damms: Once a catalyst for its disorder, the transfer portal has helped breathe new life into Mississippi State women’s basketball

By Colin Damms

Letter: Oktibbeha supervisor Howard should step down

By George Sills

Mississippi justices block more DNA tests in death row case

By Emily Wagster Pettus/The Associated Press


Public Information Links

  • City of Columbus
  • Lowndes County
  • City of Starkville
  • Oktibbeha County
  • City of West Point
  • Clay County
  • Building Permits
  • Marriages & Divorces
  • MS Dept of Health Restaurant Inspections


On This Day 2021

Tanner Allen gives back to Mississippi State with NIL trading cards, T-shirts

By Theo DeRosa

Featured Podcast

The C Dispatch Podcast

Sections

  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Lifestyles
  • Obituaries

Info

  • About
  • Contact
  • Submit a Tip
  • Terms & Service
  • Popular Content

Dispatch

Contact Us

Main Switchboard:

(662) 328-2424

Physical Address:

516 Main Street
Columbus, MS 39701

Mailing Address:

PO Box 511
Columbus, MS 39701

cdispatch.com © 2022 – The Commerical Dispatch

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT