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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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