History

The history of Ridgeland, like most other American cities, is closely associated with the “rivers of commerce” upon which they are located. In Ridgeland’s case, these “rivers” have always been based upon overland transportation.

The Natchez Trace
Recorded history shows the area originally occupied by members of the Choctaw tribes who were frequent users of an ancient trail that came to be known as the Natchez Trace. Research suggests that large animal migrations probably created the path as much as 10,000 years ago, well before human occupation. There is further evidence to indicate that members of the Mississippi Basin Mound Builders culture traveled along this corridor 2,000 years ago. During the European exploration and settlement the trail became a well-traveled “river” of commerce, especially from the late 1700s, when “boatmen” returned north from markets in Natchez and New Orleans.

Land negotiations between the United States and the Choctaw Tribe led to the establishment of the Choctaw Indian Agency in 1805 on the eastern edge of present day Ridgeland. It was called Turner Brashear’s Stand with Silas Dinsmore as the agent in charge. Andrew Jackson and other famous Americans passed through Ridgeland on the Natchez Trace including Meriwether Lewis and John James Audubon. This facility passed through several owners under several names and was used as a headquarters for the Confederate Army during the War Between the States. Later known as Hawthorne Vale, it was destroyed by fire in 1896.

Illinois Central Railroad
In 1856 the railroad, a second “river of commerce”, was laid along the high ridge lands and would have a profound effect on the settlement of the Ridgeland area. Yellowley’s Switch, named after James Yellowley who had purchased the “Ridgeland area” in 1853, became a stop on the Illinois Central between Memphis and New Orleans. The industrial age of transportation had arrived and made importing and exporting goods possible for future settlers of the area.

In 1896, opportunistic Chicago investors Edward M. Treakle and Gorton W. Nichols purchased the Yellowley property and formed the Highland Colony Company with the intent of bringing northern settlers to the area. The land on both sides of the railroad was surveyed, lots were laid out, streets were cleared, and on December 29, 1899, the new village was named Ridgeland. As agricultural families from the Midwest arrived, they found the area’s sloping soils generally unsuitable for large scale row cropping. The railroad provided the raw materials for community building as well as an export vehicle for crops. Hotels, sawmills, schools and mercantile businesses followed. In 1928 electrical service arrived and the settlement’s prosperity as a farming community and center of commerce continued.

Highways
By the early 1940s the United States was moving steadily to an automobile culture. As a result, new “rivers of commerce” would be brought to bear on communities and begin to reshape those communities. U.S. Highway 51, built roughly parallel to the railroad in the 1920s, became Ridgeland’s principal transportation artery between Memphis, Jackson and New Orleans. The presence of this highway in an era of muddy state roads and non-existing county roads had a significant impact on the community. By 1947 the town was incorporated and the population was approaching 1,000 residents.

In 1957 construction of Interstate 55 was started in Coldwater, Mississippi. Over the next twenty years the completion of Ridgeland’s newest “river of commerce” would once again redefine the community. Located west of the older “rivers” the Interstate would encourage growth to the west and placed Ridgeland squarely along a major multi-modal transportation corridor. In contrast to the now traffic-choked city streets of Jackson, the ease of movement afforded by the new Interstate added great value to the sleepy community as a comfortable suburb to Jackson. In 1960 the construction of the Ross Barnett Reservoir began. The combination of easy access along I-55 and recreational opportunities of the lake was too much to resist. Ridgeland experienced a housing construction boom in the 1960s and 70s. By 1990 the population had grown to 11,000 and Ridgeland had become a city.

There are many other factors not mentioned here that have led to the success of the Ridgeland of today - good leadership, good schools, and high quality of life - which need to be continued in order to ensure Ridgeland’s continued prosperity. Careful planning of future growth that respects the historic roots of the past and takes advantage the technologies of the future is an essential ingredient for continued success.