The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-07-03

incorporated in 1922, and William l.
Moore was the first mayor. II was ial
1921, that Monroe County, Of which
Columbus was originally a part, was
organized. The same legislature pro-
viding for the organization of Mon
roe County, provided also for the sur
vey and lease of the sixteenth sect
ion, upon which Columbus is located,
and for the establishment of Frank
! Inn Academy. Special mention will be
made later Of this, the first "free"
school in the state of Mississippi.
Mention has been made of the
treaty of Dancing Rabbit Greek, and
of the fact that the Indians were sup
posed to remove during the falls Of
1831-1833. By this treaty, and one
with the Chickasaws, 1882, large ter
ritory in the state was opened for
white settlement. 1t will be remem-
bered that Columbus was isolated
from other states, and from other
parts of our state, before these lands
were opened for settlement. In Lips
combs History, we are told of the in
fluence upon Columbus of the sale of
these lands as follows: after 1880,
the town of Columbus Increased very
rapidly in population and buildings
of every kind. Hotels and boarding
houses, stores of all kinds of merchan-
disc, and shops for mechanics and
artisans were hurriedly and rapidly
erected. Public attention, especially
in the states of Tennessee, Virginia,
North and South Carolina was at
tracted to Columbus on account of its
location Immediately ON the border
of the great Choctaw Nation, which
had just been purchased by the Uni
ted States. That part of the Choc-
taw Nation Immediately west of CO. |
lumbus, was composed of large and
very fertile prairie lands, and es-
pecially adapted to the growth of
cotton, which had become the leading
staple of Southern production. The
Chickasaw land sales occurred at
Pontotoc, Mississippi, beginning Jan
uary 1st, 1886. The influx of land
spectators and people desiring to
purchase these lands, began to flow
into Columbus many months before
the land sales. The hotels and board
ing houses were crowded to the ut
most limit of their accommodation.
Rooms and bedsteads were almost
A place to eat and
room enough on the floor to sleep,
we're the best that could be obtained.
The houses of most of the citizens
we're converted into boarding houses,
and many companies of friends
brought with them their own tents
and provisions. 49,
Exact facts and figures on the in
fluence of this settlement after the
Ghoctaw treaty of 1880, upon one
.rossing on the Noxubee, is interest
ng in this connection. If true of
.his crossing on the Noxubee, why not
IN the Tombigbee Also The follow
ng passage is taken from Major
loves article on "Historic Locations
N the Noxubee River: "The crossing
first in Importance, within the his
.oric period at least, is in the south
,rn part of Oktibbeha County, very
near the NoXubee line. 1t is locally
Inown as the turnpike. This place
vas brought into prominence in 1926,
ny the opening of the Robinson Gov
,rnment road from Columbus to
Jackson The first owner and &C.
,upant of the place was Daniel Nail
, halfbreed Choctaw. In 1882, Ora
Del Lhcecum bought his interest,
whatever that may have been, for
$500, and built bridge, the first
perhaps on the river, or in the nation.
What concessions the ChOctaws or the
United States Government allowed
lim is not known, but he at least ex-
,rcised the privilege of charging toll.
On the Organization of 0ktibbeha
county in 1888, an annual apprOpria-
ion of $780, was made by the citi-
tens of this county for the benefit of
is citizens. In 1884, Lincecum sold
his toll bridge to Mckinney Holder
less for 81 600 Holderness sold it to
:. Watkins for $500. He sold it the
irabel Lincecum and John Watkins
or $4,000. They sold it to GroOch for
10000. Grooch sold it to Dulaney
or $4,000. He then sold it to
ames Stewart for $500" These fig
Tres, as We see, show the rise and fall
# immigration and traffic from the
asst, that was pouring into the newly
cquired territory.
Meantime. in 1880. the same year
f the Dancing Rabbit Greek Treaty,
.owndes County had been organized,
nd named after William Lowndes.
nember Of Congress for South Car
linz Colup,hus was made the cOun-