Folklore: What Crossroad?

Subject: Folklore: What Crossroad?
From: GUEST,Doug Todd
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 02:04 PM

I have seen the crossroad in the Robert Johnson story mentioned as having been in "Rosedale" and, more commonly, in "Clarksdale". Where was it in the original story?

Subject: RE: Folklore: What Crossroad?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 03:48 PM

US61 and US49 cross just outside Clarksdale -- that's one theory.

Another theory contends that it's an intersection of two *railroads,* not highways: "where the Southern cross the Dog." The "Dog" is the "Yellow Dog," a rail line whose real name I forget -- Yazoo Something-or-other, maybe; the "Southern" is the Illinois Southern, a north-south line connecting Chicago and New Orleans.

There's been at least one previous thread on this subject, with plenty of well-researched answers. Maybe we'll see a list of Related Threads atop this page if the topic stays alive long enough.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What Crossroad?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Nov 04 - 05:14 PM

Yes, Yellow Dog is the Yazoo Delta Line. It crosses the Southern at Moorhead, according to "The Southern Blues," by Broonzy. Thread 67986 for the song. Southern Blues
There are threads with more information, if you use the Search. Poppagator discusses the Clarksdale intersection in thread 59387: Johnson

There are others.