The Glorious Story Behind The Origin Of Memphis

Any city or any country will have a story behind it. It carries unique traditions and rich culture along with the years of its development into the present day’s city it has become. . Similarly, Memphis has quite a story. It has its glory of highs and lows. It has seen the best and the worst of people.

If you are interested to read anything related to the history of Memphis, or you wish to get any authentic information about Memphis, then check out the website of We are Memphis. They have a very well organized information under various categories like events, food, sports, other activities, boarding and lodging, rental houses and even planning local trips.

Origin of Memphis – The Chickasaw Indians 

The Chickasaw Indians were the residents of the place initially. Even though the state of Tennessee was formed already, the city of Memphis was not formed yet. In the year 1818, they sold their land to the US government, and the new town, Memphis was born. It was formed by three Tennesseans.

The there men were none other than Andrew Jackson, the future president, John Overton, and James Winchester who were entrepreneurs. They felt that if a town like Memphis was formed on the bluffs, then it had immense potential for revenue generation. The name of the city, Memphis, grossly translates to ‘place of good abode’.

Europeans and African Americans 

In 1819, Tennessee was open to European settlements. African slaves were brought in to work in the cotton industries, which remained the main support of the economy until after the civil war.

The civil war 

Tennessee was one of the eleven southern states that wanted the confederate states of America and that eventually led to the civil war in the year Memphis strongly believed in and wanted confederacy. People united to form 70 confederate companies and fought a 90-minute war to only lose it to the Union army. But the city soon reconciled with the union.

The epidemic attack 

Since the city of Memphis was along the riverbanks of Mississippi, it was very beneficial and successful. The very same reason led to its first adversity. There was no proper planning to do the city and the waterways. This left the city flooded with water often and it became the breeding ground for the mosquitoes.

And eventually, the spread of epidemics affected the city badly and reduced the population almost by 50%.

Post these epidemics, almost at the end of the 19th century, the leaders who were in reign then made improvements to the city and the sewer systems. More developments focusing on the infrastructure of the city was done and it entered the next century with a renewed glory.

Hope today’s article was as entertaining as much as it was informative. Do you have anything interesting to add to the story, please write to us. You can also leave your comments in the comments section. We would love to hear from you.