History On Us

Mississippi was first explored by Hernando De Soto, Hes the one who discovered the Mississippi River in 1540, the region of land was claimed by France.

In 1699 a french group established the first permanment settlement near what is now known as Ocean Springs.

Great Britain took over the area in 1763 after the French and Indian War.

For alittle more than a hundred years, from when after the state got through the Great Depression, cotton was the undisputed king of Mississippi's largely land economy.

Mississippi had diversified its economy by balancing out the agricultural output with the increased industrial activity.

Today, agriculture continues as a major part of the state's economy.

For almost four decades soybeans was the most popular, while cotton remained the largest cash crop. In 2001, more acres of cotton were planted than soybeans, and Mississippi jumped to second in the nation in cotton production.

The state's farmlands also harvests  corn, peanuts, pecans, rice, sugar cane, and sweet potatoes as well as poultry, eggs, meat animals, dairy products, feed crops, and horticultural crops. Mississippi remains the world's leading producer of pond-raised catfish.