Tupelo, Mississippi

==History==
===European settlement===
Indigenous peoples, including the [[Chickasaw]] and [[Choctaw]], occupied the area prior to European settlement.  The French and British traded with these indigenous peoples and tried to form alliances with them. The French established towns in Mississippi mostly on the Gulf Coast. At times, the European powers came into armed conflict. On May 26, 1736, the [[Battle of Ackia]] was fought near the site of present-day Tupelo; [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] and [[Chickasaw]] soldiers repelled a [[French colonization of the Americas|French]] and [[Choctaw]] attack on the then-Chickasaw village of Ackia. The French, under [[Louisiana]] governor [[Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville|Jean Baptiste Le Moyne]], Sieur de Bienville, had sought to link Louisiana with [[Acadia]] and the other northern colonies of [[New France]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Our History|url=https://tupelo150.com/our-history|access-date=2021-04-13|website=Tupelo 150|language=en-US}}</ref>

In the early 19th century, after years of trading and encroachment by European-American settlers from the United States, conflicts increased as the US settlers tried to gain land from these nations. In 1830, Congress passed the [[Indian Removal Act]] and authorized the relocation of all the Southeast [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] to federal territory west of the [[Mississippi River]], which was completed by the end of the 1830s.

In the early years of settlement, European-Americans named this town "Gum Pond", supposedly due to its numerous [[tupelo]] trees, known locally as "blackgum". The city still hosts the annual Gumtree Arts Festival.<ref>{{Citation|title=Tupelo's 150 Years- How Tupelo Got Its Name|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewattVUpnaw| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ewattVUpnaw| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2021-04-13}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Civil War and post-war development===
During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Union and Confederate forces fought in the area in 1864 in the [[Battle of Tupelo]] or battle of oldtown Creek. Designated the [[Tupelo National Battlefield]], the battlefield is administered by the [[National Park Service]] (NPS). In addition, the [[Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield]], about ten miles north, commemorates another American Civil War battle.

After the war, a cross-state [[railroad]] for northern Mississippi was constructed through the town, which encouraged industry and growth. With expansion, the town changed its name to Tupelo, in honor of the battle. It was incorporated in 1870.<ref>{{cite web |author=Dale Cox |url=http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/tupelo.html |title=Tupelo, Mississippi - Historic Sites and Points of Interest |publisher=Exploresouthernhistory.com |date=1935-01-08 |access-date=2013-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418235040/http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/tupelo.html |archive-date=April 18, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

===20th century to present===
By the early twentieth century the town had become a site of cotton [[textile mill]]s, which provided new jobs for residents of the rural area. Under the state's segregation practices, the mills employed only [[White people|white]] adults and children. Reformers documented the child workers and attempted to protect them through labor laws.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gumtreechronicles.com/tupelo.html |title=Tupelo, MS |publisher=GumTree Chronicles |access-date=2013-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004224132/http://www.gumtreechronicles.com/tupelo.html |archive-date=October 4, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The last known bank robbery by [[Machine Gun Kelly (gangster)|Machine Gun Kelly]], a [[Prohibition]]-era gangster, took place on November 30, 1932, at the Citizen's State Bank in Tupelo; his gang netted $38,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|38000|1932|r=-3}}}} in current dollar terms). After the robbery, the bank's chief teller said of Kelly, "He was the kind of guy that, if you looked at him, you would never thought he was a bank robber."<ref>{{cite web |title=George "Machine Gun" Kelly: American Robber and Kidnapper |work=crimelibrary |date=2007-07-18 |url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/kelly/5.html |access-date=2007-11-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204170324/http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/kelly/5.html |archive-date=February 4, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

During the [[Great Depression]], Tupelo was [[Electrification|electrified]] by the new [[Tennessee Valley Authority]], which had constructed dams and power plants throughout the region to generate hydroelectric power for the large, rural area. The distribution infrastructure was built with federal assistance as well, employing many local workers. In 1935, President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] visited this "First TVA City".

Tupelo had only 20 Jewish residents at the beginning of the Great Depression, out of 20,000 total residents.<ref name="auto7">Richelle Putnam (2017). [https://books.google.com/books?id=fK84DwAAQBAJ&dq=Temple+B%27Nai+Israel++Tupelo,+Mississippi&pg=PA80 ''Mississippi and the Great Depression,''] History Press.</ref> [[Temple B'nai Israel (Tupelo, Mississippi)|Temple B'nai Israel]] was established in Tupelo in 1939.<ref name="auto2">Vicki Reikes Fox, Marcie Cohen Ferris (2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=MVW2wyy3nwoC&dq=Temple+B%27Nai+Israel++Tupelo,+Mississippi&pg=PA71 ''Shalom Y'All; Images of Jewish Life in the American South,''] Algonquin Books.</ref> The congregation first met in Tupelo City Hall.<ref name="auto7"/><ref name="auto4">Sid Salter (2015). [https://books.google.com/books?id=cxoaCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Temple+B%27Nai+Israel%22++%22Tupelo%22&pg=PT102 ''Jack Cristil; Voice of the MSU Bulldogs''], University Press of Mississippi, Revised Edition.</ref><ref name="auto5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.djournal.com/opinion/leesha-faulkner-tupelos-jewish-community-thrived/article_6b64b31a-d304-5b7c-bbe0-d3d791adfe90.html|author=Leesha Faulkner|title=Tupelo's Jewish community thrived|website=Daily Journal|date=January 18, 2020}}</ref> It later rented space on South Spring Street above the Fooks' [[Chevrolet]] dealership.<ref name="auto7"/> In 1953, it moved to space over Biggs Furniture Store.<ref name="auto5"/><ref name="auto6">{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.isjl.org/mississippi-tupelo-encyclopedia.html|date=2020|title= Tupelo, Mississippi|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities|publisher=Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life}}</ref> A synagogue building was dedicated in 1957, with then-Mayor James Ballard giving the remarks.<ref name="auto5"/>

[[File:Tupelo, Mississippi Railroad Depot (circa 1900).jpg|thumb|left|Tupelo Railroad Depot, circa 1900]]
Into the late 1950s several long-distance trains served Tupelo. These included the [[Gulf, Mobile & Ohio]]'s ''[[Gulf Coast Rebel]]'' (St. Louis - Mobile) and the [[Frisco Railroad]]'s ''[[Kansas City-Florida Special]]'' (Kansas City - Memphis - Jacksonville), ''Memphian'' (Memphis - Birmingham) and its ''Sunnyland'' (Kansas City to the west; sections east to Birmingham and Pensacola).<ref>{{cite journal |title=Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, Table 3|journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=87 |issue=7 |date=December 1954}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=St. Louis-San Francisco Railway - Frisco, Tables 23, 25|journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=87 |issue=7 |date=December 1954}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track1/gulfcoastrebel195008.html|title=The Gulf Coast Rebel - August, 1950 - Streamliner Schedules|website=Streamlinerschedules.com|access-date=November 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track2/kcflaspecial196104.html|title=The Kansas City-Florida Special - April, 1961 - Streamliner Schedules|website=Streamlinerschedules.com|access-date=November 13, 2021}}</ref> The Frisco's ''Southland'' ceased running on December 9, 1967, marking the last passenger train in northeast Mississippi.<ref>{{cite journal |title=St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, Table 4|journal=Official Guide of the Railways |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |volume=99 |issue=7 |date=December 1966}}</ref><ref>Cox, Jim. ''Rails Across Dixie,'' McFarland and Col., Inc., 2011, p. 166. {{ISBN|9781476666013}}.</ref>

In 2007, the nearby village of [[Blue Springs, Mississippi|Blue Springs]] was selected as the site for [[Toyota]]'s 11th automobile manufacturing plant in the United States.

In 2013 Gale Stauffer of the [[List of law enforcement agencies in Mississippi|Tupelo Police Department]] died in a set up ambush following a bank robbery, possibly the first officer killed in the line of duty in the department's history.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/29/justice/bank-robber-manhunt/index.html?hpt=hp_t2|title=Phoenix police fatally shoot man suspected in multi-state robberies, cop killing|publisher=CNN|first=Susanna|last= Capelouto|date=December 29, 2013}}</ref>

President Donald Trump visited the city of Tupelo twice, in 2018 and 2019. He held a campaign rally for Senator [[Cindy Hyde-Smith]] on November 26, 2018, at the [[Tupelo Regional Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=PHOTOS: President Trump holds rally in Tupelo|url=https://www.djournal.com/news/photos-president-trump-holds-rally-in-tupelo/collection_ffb4e6ec-aaa8-5d1e-bc4c-4473e772dda1.html|access-date=2021-04-12|website=Daily Journal|language=en}}</ref> Nearly one year later, the president returned to Tupelo to hold another rally (this time for Governor [[Tate Reeves]]) on November 1, 2019, at the [[BancorpSouth Arena]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Follow the latest from President Trump's Tupelo visit|url=https://www.djournal.com/news/follow-the-latest-from-president-trumps-tupelo-visit/article_1d37ecb9-b228-5464-8404-d8e53e416054.html|access-date=2021-04-12|website=Daily Journal|language=en}}</ref> These campaign rallies were broadcast on national television and received attention from news networks, such as [[CNN]] and [[Fox News]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rambaran|first=Vandana|date=2019-11-01|title=Trump rallies supporters in Mississippi after House impeachment probe vote, ahead of tight governor's race|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-appears-at-rally-in-mississippi-ahead-of-tight-race-for-governor|access-date=2021-04-12|website=Fox News|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Live: Trump holds rallies in Mississippi|url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-rally-mississippi-nov-18/index.html|access-date=2021-04-12|website=CNN|language=en}}</ref>

===Severe weather===
[[File:1936 Tupelo Miss. tornado cleanup.png|thumb|left|Students clear the ruins of the segregated [[Carver High School (Tupelo, Mississippi)|Lee County Training School]], a month after the 1936 tornado]]
The spring of 1936 brought Tupelo one of its worst-ever natural disasters, part of the [[1936 Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak|Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak]] of April 5–6 in that year.<ref>[http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/tornado/exhibit/ "Tupelo-Gainesville Outbreak"], Digital Library of Georgia, 2008, retrieved 12 Sept 2011</ref> The storm leveled 48 city blocks and over 200 homes, killing 216 people and injuring more than 700 persons.<ref name="MSouth"/> It struck at night, destroying large residential areas on the city's north side. Among the survivors was [[Elvis Presley]], then a baby. Obliterating the Gum Pond neighborhood, the tornado dropped most of the victims' bodies in the pond. The storm has since been rated F5 on the [[Fujita scale]].<ref>[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tornadoes-devastate-tupelo-and-gainesville "This Day In History; Tornadoes Devastate Tupelo and Gainesville"], The History Channel online, retrieved 13 September 2011</ref> The Tupelo Tornado is recognized as one of the deadliest in U.S. history.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/30/us/deadliest-tornadoes |title=The 10 deadliest U.S. tornadoes on record |publisher=CNN.com |access-date=2013-07-02}}</ref>

The Mississippi State Geologist estimated a final death toll of 233 persons, but 100 whites were still reported as hospitalized at the time. Because the white newspapers did not publish news about blacks until the 1940s and 1950s, historians have had difficulty learning the fates of blacks injured in the tornado. Based on this, historians now estimate the death toll was higher than in official records.<ref name="MSouth">[http://www.midsouthtornadoes.msstate.edu/info.php?id=162&county=Itawamba&state=MS&count=2 "Significant Tornadoes Update 1992–1995"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520102236/http://www.midsouthtornadoes.msstate.edu/info.php?id=162&county=Itawamba&state=MS&count=2|date=May 20, 2013}}, Mid-South Tornadoes, Mississippi State University</ref><ref>Martis D. Ramage, Jr. ''Tupelo, Mississippi, Tornado of 1936'',</ref> Fire broke out at the segregated Lee County Training School, which was destroyed. Its bricks were salvaged for other uses.

The area is subject to tornadoes. On [[Tornado outbreak sequence of May 7–11, 2008|May 8, 2008]],  one rated an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale struck the town. On [[Tornado outbreak of April 27–30, 2014|April 28, 2014]], another large EF3 tornado struck Tupelo and the surrounding communities, causing significant damage. On the night of [[Tornado outbreak of May 2–4, 2021|May 2, 2021]], two EF1&nbsp;tornadoes formed near town with the second being a large tornado that directly struck the northwest side of downtown, prompting a [[tornado emergency]] to be issued by the [[National Weather Service]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/02/us/tupelo-mississippi-tornado/index.html |title=A large and destructive tornado has touched down in Tupelo, Mississippi |publisher=CNN.com |access-date=May 3, 2021}}</ref>
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