The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1945-01-05
By Cyril E. Cain
No. S
Countries and Capitals We Have
Served

The country along the Pasea-
gouia has been claimed by sever
al nations and its citizens have
had to go 10 different capitals in
order to transact their legal af-
fairs.
The first of these national
claims may be passed over with
the mere statement that from
1910 to 1899 no settlements ma
terialized and consequently there
was mo business to transact any
where.
When the French, basing their
claims on LaSalle's explorations,
made good by planting a settle
ment at Ocean Springs in 1899,
the first capital appeared, al
though it was under the juris-
dietion of the Governor General
of Canada with headquarters at
Quebec. All explorations till 1902
were made from the Ocean
Springs headquarters. AT that
time a war had broken out be-
tween England on the one side
and France and Spain on the 9th
er, and il was thought best TO
move the infant settlement near
er the S%paniards at Pensacola.
The new settlement was made at
Mobile with Dauphine island at
the mouth Of Mobile as their
magazine (warehouse). Soon af-
ter this the Chaumont and Du-
vefnet grants at Pascagoula be-
gan to be settled.
In l7l7 a storm so ruined the
harbor at Dauphine island that
their magazines had to be moved
back to Ship island, and the next
near the colony was moved back
to Ocean Springs. A new fort,
Maurepas WIS built but probably
not on the site of the original
fort. This location was abandon
ed for what was thought to be
a better site where Biloxi now
stands. BY 1922, the capital was
changed to New Orleans, thus fl
nally carrying out the original
plan.
In 1923 il was decided to free
Louisiana from any dependence
on Canada and nine districts
were organized with a judge and
a commandant, sometimes the
same person filled both offices
These districts were ID Alaba.
mous, (2l Mobile, (3) Biloxi, "a
New Orleans, 60 Natchez, Co.
YaZoo, % Illinois and Wabash
60 Arkansas, 90 Natehitoches
Ocean Springs was evidently un.
der the Biloxi jurisdiction but i
is not known whether the Pasea-
goula settlements were also OF
were under Mobile.
The coming of the British If
l1763 and the establishment Of
British West Florida brought OF
the third national allegiance ano
a new capital at Pensacola. Brit.
ish West Florida did not include
New Orleans, which belonged to
the Spaniards, but did include
everything else east of the Mis-.
sissippi river as far north as the
mouth of the Yazoo; a line ran
east from there to the Chatta.
hoochee river, and all south o.
that line was English. This or
%ganizaiion continued for seven.
teen years when the Spaniards
taking advantage of the Ameri.
can Revolution, conquered thi.
area but the treaty OF peace be.
tween the Americans and Brit
ish limited Spain TO the ares
south of the 3lst parallel.
The Spanish regime brought on
a return to the first national al.
legiance with Baton Rouge, Mo
bile. and even Havana as the
headquarters for the handling o.
business. This organization con
tinued until 1910. when the set
tiers copying their American
neighbors staged a revolution.
The setting up of the Republic
of West Florida, with their CAPT
tai at st. Francisville, brought
about the shortest national juris.
dietion, Just seventy-four days
The United States took over, ex.
ercising their so-ealled rights thai
West Florida was a part of the
Louisiana Purchase.
The United States government
placed West Florida under the
governor of the Territory of Or
leans, with its capital at New Or.
leans. This arrangement LASTED
for a little over a year.
In 1872 that part of West Flor.
ida lying between the Pearl ane
the Perdido river was added tt
the Mississippi territory, and il
1917 a division was made int
Alabama and Mississippi, Will
the Paseagouia river in Mississip.
pi, though one proposal befor,
Congress would have placed it II
Alabama.
Jackson and George countie,
have remained . part of Missis.
sippi. going with II into the Con
federacy and then back into the
Union, but at one time they
threatened to seeede. When the
northern counties of the state