Wiggins, Mississippi : A funny rest area on U.S. Highway 49
- Makio Mukai
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
In my last column, I wrote about my visit to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. The purpose of my visit was to see the exhibits on Dizzy Dean, a pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1930s and was inducted into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame, and his brother Paul, who was also a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Actually, before arriving at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, something unexpected happened.
As I was driving on the Interstate Highway from Alabama to Mississippi, I suddenly thought, "I should get the latest map of Mississippi first." So, after crossing the state line into Mississippi, I immediately stopped at the public information center for tourists, where I could get the latest map for free. If you can get it for free, that’s probably the best thing to do.
At the public information center, I was able to easily obtain the map I needed for free. It was piled up on the counter so that I could take it as I pleased. Having achieved my goal, I was about to leave immediately, but then I noticed something strange in the atmosphere and stopped in my tracks.
There were no other tourists in the center except for me. It was extremely quiet. So quiet it was almost eerie. The four ladies working behind the counter looked bored. So I casually asked them if I could have a chat. "I'm going to Jackson to look up the Dean brothers, who played in the major leagues a long time ago, but you don't know anything about the Dean brothers, do you?” However, they all replied in unison, "Yes, we do," which shocked me. They also told me something unbelievable.
The ladies told me that there was a rest area named “Dizzy Dean Rest Area” on U.S. Highway 49 in Mississippi. ... I have seen roads named after sportsmen in the United States several times. But I have never seen a rest area named after a sportsman. Is there really such a thing?
When I went to the place the ladies told me about, I found the rest area. There was a neat, one-story building there.
I later found out that this rest area is in a city called Wiggins in Mississippi. Dizzy Dean spent his later years five miles north of Wiggins (probably in a place called Bond, his wife's hometown). Because of this connection, a rest area named after him was built on U.S. Highway 49, which runs through Wiggins. I apologize if there are any mistakes in my research. I would like to rewrite this information correctly, so I would appreciate it if you could tell me the correct information.
When I went inside the single-story building, it was very quiet. There was no one there except me. There was not even a staff member there.
There was a photo of Dizzy Dean on the wall just inside the building, but it wasn't a particularly interesting photo. However, as I headed further in, I came across something really interesting.
Dizzy Dean was not only an outstanding pitcher, but was also famous for his cheerful personality and the way he was well-liked by everyone. A large, amusingly caricatured painting capturing these characteristics of Dizzy Dean was hanging on the back wall.
Next to the painting was a list of the amazing records Dizzy Dean had in the major leagues. At the top was the fact that he was the National League's strikeout leader for four consecutive years (1932-1935).
I was in the rest area for nearly two hours, and no one came in during that time. So I couldn't help but think, "Maybe there are many days when no one comes here. And besides, is this rest area really necessary?"
When I went outside, I thought to myself as I got into my car. "I think this rest area may not be necessary, but please don't destroy it. It's valuable just for existing. I'll be coming here many times from now on."
( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)