BALDWYN, Miss. (AP) — Clark Richey of Baldwyn has heard the legends of the Natchez Trace throughout the course of his lifetime, growing up just miles away from the 444-mile stretch of ancient land.
“I’ve always been interested in the time period when North Mississippi was a part of the wild west, when we were the most western frontier,” Richey said.
One legend, in particular, has always piqued Richey’s interest.
Meriwether Lewis traversed the unexplored areas of the United States when the country was still young — just 13 colonies and a handful of other territories. His partner, William Clark, joined him in the famous multiyear expedition.
However, Lewis’ time on Earth came to an abrupt end when he mysteriously died in October of 1809 after stopping for a night at Grinder’s Stand, an inn located on the Natchez Trace.
The peculiar circumstances surrounding Lewis’ death prompted Richey to write a screenplay about the explorer’s life and death while stuck at home during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When the pandemic hit, I started writing some screenplays,” Richey said. “That’s when I started writing the Meriwether Lewis story.”
Richey said the haunting mystery of Lewis’ death stuck with him from childhood.
“Being so close to our area and to the Natchez Trace, I’m familiar with the stories up and down the Trace,” he said. “Lewis was this big hero who died in the middle-of-nowhere Tennessee.”
For Richey, “Mysterious Circumstances: The Death of Meriwether Lewis” is the culmination of a lifetime of dabbling in history, theatre and writing.
The movie stars “The Dukes of Hazzard” actor John Schneider, along with Evan Williams, Sonny Marinelli and North Mississippi native Amye Gousset. Williams stars as the titular character; Richey is taking on the role of William Clark. It premiered Friday in Mississippi.
In 2022 alone, the U.S. history-based movie has already garnered multiple award nominations and 19 wins including a Best Picture accolade at the Los Angeles Film Awards.
Although Richey is no stranger to the arts, he’s mostly worked in business and engineering for the last three decades.
“I’ve always operated as an engineer, but I’ve always had this creative side,” said Richey, who owns the the Claude Gentry Theatre. “The pinnacle of storytelling is to make a movie. You create the story and present it to the world.”
The entire film was shot in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, less than 200 miles from where Lewis died.
What started as a project born out of boredom for Richey has turned into a theatrical and educational experience that people all over the U.S. can enjoy.
“I’ve lived several different chapters of life. This has been the most exhilarating and rewarding of all the things I’ve worked on,” Richey said. “I hope it continues to be and that this is not the end but, instead, the end of the beginning.”
