This digital story was created in conjunction with the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street program and its Stories from Main Street student documentary initiative, called "Stories: Yes." The project encourages students and their mentors to research and record stories about small-towns and rural neighborhoods, waterways, personal memories, cultural traditions, work histories, as well as thoughts about American democracy. These documentaries are then shared on Smithsonian websites and social media.
Robert Matthews: History of the port... The Bolivar County, which is the county we're located in, decided that they needed to have a port. We did not have one in the past. They selected a site along the river. It's called the Log Loader. This used to be a shoot off the river where they loaded logs for the lumber companies. They decided to develop it into a port. They petitioned the federal government for money. The federal government, this was during the Ronald Reagan years, said yes they would give them the money if they could find a plant that would, or a facility, that would locate in the port. Once they found a facility, so they knew the port had a future, they would release the money for the port.
Robert Matthews: (0:57) Cives Steel Company was looking for a place to locate along the river at that time, and was looking for a place between Vicksburg and Memphis. NPNL had a development team who knew about the port's problem about needing to have a tenant before they could get the money. And they knew about Cives' need to find a location along the river. So, they hooked us up, along with the Mississippi Development Authority at that time, and Cives came, the Bolivar County officials took them out, showed them along the levee where the port was going to be, and asked us if we would locate here. And we decided, yes. So, with our agreement to locate a port here, the federal government turned their money loose and the port was constructed.
Niha Singh: (1:46) Rosedale, within the U.S., is in the bottom 10% of towns economically, so there is definitely a certain set of struggles that folks in Rosedale face. And there are a number of reasons for that. But, it could be doing a lot better.
Robert Matthews: (2:15) At the time that we came here, most of the steel was manufactured. And what we did was we fabricate structural steel for large projects, like high rises, sports arenas, things of that nature, and chemical plants. The steel at that time, when we were looking to locate here, was mostly manufactured up North. Bethlehem Steel, U.S. Steel, those kinds of places. And we wanted to be located on the port so we would be able to get cheaper freight to get the steel delivered to us, maybe in bulk and by barge at the time. Also, we were looking at it as maybe we may have a project that's big one day that we need to send out by water. So, by locating on the water, we can hopefully do both of those, get material in and get material out.
Roderick Funches: (3:06) We feed people. We grow soybeans, and we'd use a lot for soybeans for a lot of different things for a great purpose. If you would look around to grow, harvest, [inaudible 00:00:03:22]. That's what we do. We grow crops. That's how they handle their business, through them, through selling their grains. It goes to the port. For the road there, right? [crosstalk 00:03:41] Yeah. It goes to the port road. They're all asking me all the... You got [inaudible 00:03:46], but we're closer. And that's where they do their business. It says it's right across the levee . . .
Asset ID: 8599
For a complete transcript, please visit the Museum on Main Street website: www.museumonmainstreet.org
