Bolivar County,
Mississippi GenWeb
Site last updated on 04-14-2008
Delta Cotton
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Bolivar
County was formed in 1836 from the Choctaw Cession. Bolivar was named for
General Simon Bolivar, a South American patriot. Bolivar County was created
February 9, 1836. The current area is 879 square miles. The county is bounded
on the north by Coahoma County, on the south by Washington County, on the
east by Sunflower County, and on the west by the Mississippi River. Bolivar County is now divided into two judicial districts,
each having its own county seat. Rosedale is the county seat of the west
district, and Cleveland is the county seat of the east district. The first settlers of
Bolivar County were planters who found the forty to sixty foot deep Delta
soil to be rich and fertile. The land had to first be laboriously cleared
of the evergreen, cane and bamboo, but once cleared, the settlers found
rivers, bayous, and lakes filled with edible fish, such as perch, jack,
trout, bass, and big river catfish weighing as much as 200 pounds. Game,
such as wild ducks, turkeys, deer, and quail were found in large
numbers. The levee system was
first implemented during the 1850's to the 1860's. The first settlement
in Bolivar County was Georgetown, located in the southern part of the
county. Georgetown was a river landing, and was located on a plantation
called Timber Lake Place, and belonging to John L. MARTIN of Kentucky.
Visitors since 05 AUG 2004