MEMPHIS READS: MEMPHIS, 1800-1900 by Carole M. Orelas-Struve and Frederick Lee Coulter


Marilyn reviews Memphis 1800-1900 by Carole M. Orelas-Struve and Frederick Lee Coulter, edited by Joan Hassell.

The city of Memphis, Tennessee was deliberately planned and developed on the banks of the Mississippi River. American settlers lived among the Chickasaw tribe even before William Lawrence surveyed the land that Andrew Jackson, John Overton, and James Winchester wanted to develop into a city.

This series of books chronicles the growth of Memphis, from its start of a small group of settlers in 1819 until the city was embracing changes and challenges in the pending new era of the 20th century. The three volumes inform readers of the many triumphs and crises while trying to settle the land eventually known as Shelby County. The three books, entitled Years of Challenge, 1800-1860, Years of Crisis, 1860-1870, and finally, Years of Courage, all have plenty of illustrations to accompany the chapters.

Despite the fact citizens had to face frontier challenges, civil war on its soil, a multitude of diseases in first few years of development and even governmental debt, eventually Memphis, Tennessee was able to emerge as a majorly prominent city on the Mississippi River banks.