Memphis, located on the Mississippi River in the southwest corner of Tennessee, is the largest city in the state. Settled by Native Americans and later the French, Memphis was founded in 1819 and incorporated in 1826. After falling to Union forces during the Civil War, then suffering yellow fever epidemics in the 1870s, the city declined and went bankrupt. With its prime location on the Mississippi, Memphis rebounded, becoming a natural distribution center for the South and Midwest.