Olive Branch, Mississippi
                History of Area

         What A Unique Name, You Say.
          And You're Right! Only One
            Other Community In The
             United States Is Also
              Named Olive Branch

Like many other cities, Olive Branch had a
different name when it was first founded near
where several old Chickasaw Indian Trails
crossed. It was originally called Watson's
Crossroad. Then, in 1846, when the first Post
Office was established, Mrs. Frances Wilson
Blocker - a descendant of one of the
community's founders - suggested the name Olive
Branch. She thought, it is said, that the new
name symbolized a dove bringing a Branch to the
seagoing Noah.

Whatever the reason for her choice, the name
was informally adopted by the 185 residents. On
May 1, 1874 Olive Branch was incorporated as a
town and on March 6, 1888 it progressed to
Village status.

But there was a lot of history before Olive
Branch was formally named. Mississippi had
become a State on December 10, 1817. Until then
it had been known as Mississippi Territory and
included what is now Alabama.

Fourteen years before the Olive Branch Post
Office opened, President Andrew Jackson was
just beginning his second term. He decided that
extensive Indian-held land east of the
Mississippi River should be given to frontier
settlers for clearing and farming so he
dispatched General John Coffee to northern
Mississippi. General Coffee's assignment was to
persuade the Chickasaw Indians to sell some of
their land. He succeeded when in October, 1832
the tribal chieftains signed the Pontotoc
Treaty which allowed them to keep certain
designated lands. The remainder was opened to
settlers.

A Spanish Explorer Leaves His Mark...

Seventeen counties were created soon after the
Treaty including, in 1836, DeSoto County. The
name was derived from the famous Spanish
explorer Hernando DeSoto. And Hernando,
Mississippi became the DeSoto County Seat.