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Oktibbeha means icy or bloody water, probably because of a battle fought on creek banks. Choctaw were the primary inhabitants of Oktibbeha county and Tibbee Creek located 10 miles North East of the campground was the border between the Choctaw nation and the Chickasaw nation. Choctaw Indians inhabited the area of Indian Mound Campground until they ceded there land to the U.S. government in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in September 27, 1830. They traded 11 million acres in Mississippi for 15 million acres in Oklahoma.

The first whites to settle permanently in Oktibbeha County were Presbyterian missionaries led by Cyrus Kingsbury. They developed Mayhew Mission in 1820 where Ash Creek flows into the "Tibbee" in the northeastern corner of the county. It contained a school for the Indians, a grist mill, a blacksmith shop, and several other buildings. Three years later, Calvin Cushman established a mission at Hebron, about three miles northwest of present-day Starkville.

White settlers now began pouring into the region, many bringing slaves with them. A number of these newcomers were attracted to the Starkville area by two large springs and the favorable lay of the land. A mill south-west of the site provided clapboards which were used for many of the original buildings. From this, the settlement came to be known as Boardtown. Oktibbeha County was formally organized on December 23, 1833, with the first court meeting at Hebron the following year. By 1835, the county seat had been established at Boardtown, which changed its name to Starkville in honor of Gen. John Stark, a hero of the Revolutionary War. (note: above info taken from http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/counties/mississippi/oktibbeha.html)

Neighboring Counties: Noxubee County, Winston County, Choctaw County, Webster County, Clay County, Lowndes County
 

 
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