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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.
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