More than 482 years ago, it is said the first pork barbecue was held in Mississippi when Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto made his way from the Native American town of Mobila to Chicasa, crossing the Tombigbee River in the Golden Triangle area.
Mobila is said to be close to modern day Demopolis, Alabama, and Chicasa is thought to be around modern-day Starkville.
“They camped on the Tombigbee,” Rufus Ward, local historian, said. “… The camp was in the Columbus area for three days while they built a flat boat or raft to cross the Tombigbee, which was flooded. They may have had a barbecue there or north of Starkville, but that would’ve been the first pork barbecue in Mississippi, which is kind of a momentous event.”
This event and the sequence of events that started it and followed will be the topic of the “Footprints of de Soto” program hosted by the Columbus Art Council and the Billups-Garth Foundation at 1 p.m. March 4 at the Rosenzweig Arts Center.
Archaeologists from all over the Southeast will converge in Columbus to discuss their findings from the two sites, which mark important battles between Native Americans and some of the first contact they’ve had with Europeans, Southeastern Regional Director of the Archaeological Conservancy Jessica Crawford said.
Guest speakers will include Tony Boudreaux from Mississippi State University, Charles Cobb from Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida, Ashley Dumas from the University of West Alabama, James Knight from the University of Alabama and Brad Lieb, director of Chickasaw Archaeology for the Chickasaw Nation.
“The cool thing is the research these people are doing is some of the most important and exciting research to happen in this part of the Southeast, certainly in Mississippi and Alabama,” Crawford said. “It’s the first time all of these scholars who have been involved in and worked at two de Soto-affiliated sites have been together in one place speaking to the public and able to answer questions and give summaries of what they’ve been doing. As an archaeologist, I’m excited about that.”
The free event gives the public an opportunity to hear an update on the research done in the sites. It includes a look at artifacts such as Spanish metal that dates back to the early 16th century.
Columbus is a central area between the sites, and Crawford said some of it took place in the Columbus area. Ultimately, the groups are looking to confirm the sites as the official battlegrounds.
“(Between West Point and Starkville) is where they’re looking for the site of the Battle of Chicasa, which was between de Soto and the Chickasaw, and the other site is in Alabama,” Crawford said. “It hasn’t been definitively located, but they’re finding the same Spanish metal from the same time period, so they know they are in the area of the battle site. … They’ll explain Saturday what they need to make them more assured, more confident that they have found the battle site.”
How to go
■ WHAT: Footprints of de Soto
■ WHEN: March 4 at 1 p.m.
■ WHERE: Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main St., Columbus
■ HOW: Free admission to public
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
