Many years ago on the place of the modern city was located a small Indian village named Chickasaw. In 1819 a settlement called in the name of the Egyptian city of Memphis was founded on the territory of the village. Andrew Jackson - a well-known military and political leader, who later became a president - was one of the founders of the city. The town's name has been chosen not occasionally because Mississippi is often called the American Nile. Originally the city developed as a large center of cotton industry, so huge territories around it were occupied by cotton plantations. The majority of the population was involved into agriculture as well. Memphis got the status of the town 7 years after its foundation. During the Civil War it was a major military center. In 1870 the city suffered from a huge disaster - the yellow fever took lives of thousands of people. The city was also damaged during the Second World War, but once the war was over, the city began to develop rapidly and reached the status that can be seen today.
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guide to Memphis with maps, photos and weather conditions.
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