Mississippi may be known for its flat delta region and rolling hills, but did you know there are some small mountain ranges hidden within the state? Though not as grand as the Rocky Mountains out West, these ancient uplifts and ridges make for intriguing riddles and brainteasers for Mississippians and visitors alike.
In this article, we’ve compiled 44 riddles centered around facts, stories, and myths about mountains found across Mississippi. Test your knowledge of Mount Zion, the Bienville National Forest, the Pontotoc Ridge, and more while learning about some of the most scenic high points in the Magnolia State!
1. What Amory-area “mountain” takes its name from a Chickasaw chief?
Answer:
Oka Kapassa Mountain, located south of Amory, is named after the 19th century Chickasaw leader Chief Oka Kapassa.
2. Which long ridge bisects Mississippi from Pontotoc County down to Walthall County?
Answer:
The Pontotoc Ridge, a nearly 200-mile uplift of hills and small mountains stretching diagonally across the state.
3. What kind of rare bird can sometimes be spotted soaring over Mount Zion outside Hattiesburg?
Answer:
Visitors occasionally catch sight of a Mississippi kite, a graceful raptor with gray and white plumage, circling above the pine forests cloaking Mount Zion.
4. How did towns like Blue Mountain and Rienzi get their names?
Answer:
These towns likely were named after local hills that early settlers thought resembled blue mountains and the Italian city of Rienzi.
5. Which waterfall drops nearly 30 feet over a bluff in Tishomingo State Park?
Answer:
Tishomingo Falls tumbles spectacularly over a sandstone outcropping carved by Bear Creek; it’s considered one of the most picturesque spots in the state.
6. During the Civil War, which ridge served as a strategic site for Confederate artillery?
Answer:
Artillery was placed atop Sweatman’s Hill along the Pontotoc Ridge during the Battle of Tupelo in 1864 to fire down upon Union troops.
7. What road allows visitors to drive along the spine of the Pontotoc Ridge?
Answer:
The 115-mile Natchez Trace Parkway crosses over the Pontotoc Ridge between mile markers 171 and 204, following the geological formation for 33 miles through the picturesque hills.
8. Which Chickasaw leader purportedly jumped to his death from a bluff to avoid capture by Hernando de Soto?
Answer:
According to legend, Chief Mingo-Ho-Ma sacrificed himself by leaping from the 100-foot-tall Mingo Bluff into the Tombigbee River during de Soto’s march through Mississippi in 1540.
9. What gritty residue found on Red Bluff indicates the presence of what prehistoric creature?
Answer:
Petrified shark teeth discovered on the bluff point to sharks that swam over the area when it was covered by ocean waters millions of years ago.
10. Which American painter frequently depicted Blue Mountain in her iconic Works Progress Administration paintings?
Answer:
Expressionist artist Theora Hamblett painted the north Mississippi mountain landscape numerous times, drawn to its rolling pastures and farmsteads.
11. Before becoming Mississippi’s first state park, what was Roosevelt State Park’s original name?
Answer:
From 1935 to 1937 it was known as Puskus State Park, taking its name from nearby Puskus Lake which is now called Roosevelt Lake.
12. WhichCivil War battle was fought in the rugged terrain of the Baldwyn Mountain range?
Answer:
Portions of the 1864 Battle of Brice’s Cross Roads took place around the forested ravines of Baldwyn Mountain before the fighting shifted northward.
13. What is the tallest mountain fully contained within Mississippi’s state borders?
Answer:
Woodall Mountain reaches elevation 807 feet in the foothills between the PontotocRidge and the Tennessee River; it’s the high point of the state.
14. Which woodpecker known for “drumming” makes its home around the pine and oak woodlands of Adaton Mountain?
Answer:
The red-cockaded woodpecker bores cavities for nesting in older growth trees; Adaton’s mix of shortleaf pines and upland forest offers good habitat.
15. How did Mount Olive get its name?
Answer:
The town was originally called Mount Pleasant when founded in the early 1800s, but as a competing Mount Pleasant post office existed in state, residents chose the biblical name Mount Olive instead.
16. Which Chickasaw mythological figure is said to dwell deep below the surface of Tishomingo State Park?
Answer:
Some Chickasaw tales describe how the powerful horned serpent Ababinili lurks in an underwater cave beneath the plunging cascade of Tishomingo Falls.
17. What 1859 novel features the fictional settlement of Hambeldon on the slopes of Blue Mountain?
Answer:
In George Washington Harris’s classic Sut Lovingood Tales, the title character spends time in the bucolic village of Hambeldon which is lorded over by the imposing peak.
18. Which Mississippi mountain range shares its name with a railroad line?
Answer:
The Pine Mountain range extending from northeast Itawamba County southwest toward Natchez takes it name from the Pine Mountain Railroad that once operated steam trains hauling timber between the communities of Egypt and Pine Springs.
19. What organizations help protect rare species living in habitats around Adaton Mountain near Starkville?
Answer:
Both the Nature Conservancy and the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science own land around Adaton dedicated to conservation that shelters rare flora and fauna.
20. Which historic battleground from the Creek War overlooks the town of Ecru?
Answer:
Loosausau Mountain was the site of the 1813 Battle of Holy Ground fought between General Andrew Jackson’s troops and a faction of rebelling Creek warriors.
21. What Chickasaw cultural area sits near the headwaters of Topashaw Creek flowing down from the Pontotoc Ridge?
Answer:
The preserved Chickasaw village Chikasha Poya’ka’ was continuously occupied for over 500 years in the same location at the base of Sweatman’s Hill in Pontotoc County.
22. Which nature enthusiast wrote about finding solace and inspiration while hiking through the Bienville National Forest?
Answer:
Conservationist Aldo Leopold describes exploring timber stands and longleaf pine savannas across south Mississippi after bereavement, later advocating for wilderness protection.
23. What was the reported height of Relief Mountain before road construction cut it down to size?
Answer:
Some 19th century accounts listed Relief Mountain near Meridian as reaching 600 feet, but subsequent grading to build Route 145 greatly reduced the summit’s original elevation.
24. Which South Mississippi city bore the name Blue Mountain for several years in the mid 19th century?
Answer:
New Augusta in Perry County went by the name Blue Mountain from 1852 until 1856 when it reverted back to the original Augusta name.
25. During the Civil War, what nickname did locals bestow on the Confederate troops defending Rienzi due to the blue tinge of their uniforms?
Answer:
The soldiers garrisoned in Rienzi were dubbed the “Blue Mountain Boys” since impurities in homespun dyeing techniques lent their uniforms a distinct bluish cast.
26. Which modern-day state park contains mounds and other archaeological remnants of the ancient Mount Nebo culture?
Answer:
Evidence of the Mount Nebo people from over 1,500 years ago has been found at J.P. Coleman State Park north of Itawamba County.
27. During their forced removal in 1837, which waterway did Choctaw refugees use to escape into the mountains?
Answer:
To avoid the horrors of the Trail of Tears march, some Choctaw used the cover of darkness to cross the Pearl River and hide among hillside hollers and canebrakes now protected in Choctaw Wildlife Management Area.
28. What peak northeast of Okolona did Union troops capture to monitor Confederate movements during the Civil War?
Answer:
In 1862 Federal cavalry took control of rugged Pemberton’s Lookout to help guard the approaches to Corinth and Memphis from its 360-degree vistas.
29. Which 19th century Methodist congregation hosts camp meetings every August high atop Campground Hill?
Answer:
Since 1828, the Taylor’s Sumrall United Methodist Church has faithfully conducted a 10-day outdoor tent revival atop their sacred meeting ground called Campground Hill.
30. Long before becoming a state park, what ominous name did pioneers give to the towering river bluffs at Tishomingo?
Answer:
Settlers dubbed the foreboding 300-foot-tall cliffs overlooking Bear Creek “Devil’s Backbone” in reference to rocky features named similarly in eastern Tennessee.
31. What was allegedly found imprinted on a limestone boulder atop Marble Mountain in 1816?
Answer:
Two missionaries passing through what’s now Tishomingo County claimed to have discovered a giant footprint measuring 14 inches long fossilized in stone as evidence of a Biblical giant from ancient times wandering the area.
32. Which Civil War clash unfolded around Hernando despite its town center being shielded by surrounding hills?
Answer:
Confederate cavalry forces decisively defeated Union troops in the little-known but impactful 1862 Battle of Hernando despite the relative protection afforded by the DeSoto County town’s environs.
33. What folklore surrounds Remus Branch and the rugged domain of the mythical hellhound he escaped one evening?
Answer:
Local legend tells of a figure named Remus Branch fleeing one night through overgrown ravines and caves where he was stalked by a monstrous canine until daylight finally came to his rescue.
34. During the Civil War, which three peaks did Confederate troops mount artillery upon to shell invading Union fleets on the Mississippi River?
Answer:
Rebel canons were placed atop lofty Walnut Hills north of Vicksburg, Kings Mountain south of Natchez, and Fort Hill in Grand Gulf to fire upon Yankee ships and troops navigating the waterway.
35. What Native American structure still stands as a sacred site within Chickasaw Cession lands in the mountains of northeast Mississippi?
Answer:
Alone on a remote hilltop enveloped in hardwood forest sits Cofitachique Mound, an enigmatic 12-foot-tall earthen mound constructed by Chickasaw ancestors centuries ago for ceremonial gatherings.
36. Which antebellum planter who owned nearby Oak Hill estate purportedly arranged to be buried upright atop his mountainous property?
Answer:
According to local legend, William Fort of Holly Springs stipulated in his will that he wished to be interred while seated atop Fort Mountain facing westward overlooking his domain.
37. What forgotten Civil War skirmish unfolded around Okolona’s windswept prairie highlands in 1862?
Answer:
A sharp clash between opposing cavalry detachments occurred two miles east of Okolona around Waverly Plantation and Archer Heights though its outcome mattered little in the overall direction of the conflict.
38. Which Chickasaw leader safely retreated to the mountains with his people following the fierce fighting at Pontotoc in 1832?
Answer:
The defiant Chief Tishomingo gathered surviving warriors and elders west of the daring assault at Three Prong before withdrawing into secluded upland hideouts to avoid Federal troops.
39. What landmark court decision cleared the way for construction through nearly 50 miles of timberland wilderness spanning Bienville National Forest?
Answer:
The 1908 preservationist defeat known as Magnolia Gap allowed railroad interests to log and grade through pristine longleaf pine savannas that later became federally protected lands.
40. Which extinct creature’s remains have been discovered buried within Mississippi’s Jersey Mountain ridge?
Answer:
Paleontologists have unearthed mastodon fossils deposited inside the hollows of Jersey Mountain, indicating these elephant-like beasts once inhabited the region in great numbers.
41. What was George Washington reportedly gifted by Choctaw Chief Franchimastabé upon the colonists’ withdrawal from Fort Adams near the looming heights of Walnut Hills?
Answer:
Seeking peaceful terms in 1790, the retiring President was presented an ornate peace pipe by the chieftain, representing safe passage for American forces as they decamped from the bluff-lined stronghold guarding the Mississippi.
42. Which Spanish explorer sent raiding parties up surrounding hills seeking mythical riches he dubbed the White Gold Mine of the Chickasaws?
Answer:
De Soto dispatched armed contingents up forested slopes all across north Mississippi in 1541 hoping to chance upon a rumored lode of silver or another gleaming treasure to fund his expedition.
43. What prehistoric settlement once found atop Ecru Mound hints at advanced celestial understanding according to some archaeologists?
Answer:
The remains of an ancient structure aligned to the summer solstice sunset suggests its Mount Nebo builders possessed unexpected knowledge of astronomy.
44. Which Mississippi mountain still bears remnants of wartime trench works hastily abandoned by General Earl Van Dorn’s forces?
Answer:
Circular rebel rifle pits dug along ridgelines of the strategic Vaiden Highlands were deserted during the Confederate army’s rapid withdrawal following the 1862 Siege of Corinth.
Conclusion
How many of these brainteasers did you solve correctly? Though the Magnolia State is best known for mighty rivers, cypress swamps, and cotton fields, it holds some real surprises for nature lovers willing to venture uphill. From a shark tooth-covered Red Bluff holding clues to prehistoric times to the majestic soaring views from Mount Olive, Mississippi’s mountains have countless stories left to tell. Next time you find yourself craving blue skies and new heights, skip the crowded peaks out West and make your own discoveries among the hidden highlands here at home. Just be sure to keep one eye on the ridgeline – you might glimpse a rare Mississippi kite gliding by!
