Choctaw county was established in
1847. It has been usually classed among the timber counties of the
State, but its fertile lands, which are so largely productive of cotton,
and its location, give it a place in the rank of cotton counties. It is
highly favored, both with respect to its magnificent forests of
timber and its domains of fertile soil. Some of the most splendid cotton
plantations of the South are found in Choctaw county. Its area is 930
square miles.
Population in 1870. 12,676;
population in 1880, 15,731. White, 7,390; colored, 8,341.
Tilled Land: 77,182 acres.—Area
planted in cotton, 31,086 acres; in corn, 25,613 acres; in oats, 3,338
acres; in rice, 38 acres; in sugar-cane, 101 acres; in tobacco, 23
acres; in sweet potatoes, 748 acres.
Cotton Production: 9,054
bales.
Both the topography and the soils of
Choctaw county are greatly varied. The county throughout is diversified
with hills, valleys, and extensive table-lands. These table-lands
throughout Choctaw are overlaid with both brown loam and sandy soils,
which give them great variety.
Near the center of the county there
passes, in a southwesterly direction, a sandy ridge which divides the
waters of the two principal streams which flow through it. Both north
and south of this ridge are found many valuable farming lands. The soils
found in the broad creek bottoms, and those known as "shell prairie,"
are the lands most eagerly sought. The high uplands, which are
overspread with a magnificent growth of yellow pine, oak, and hickory,
are also valuable and easilly tilled. In some portions of Choctaw are
found regions of land which have a stiff, limy, red loam, while others
again are black prairie.
In the neighborhood of the sandy
ridge, already alluded to, there is a region of high and steep hills,
with deep, narrow ravines. But, where the valleys are broad, they are generally fertile, as the
soils which compose them have a considerable proportion of
lime.
Altogether, the county is a desirable
location for residence, as it is healthy and affords soils of every
shade and variety. Along the shell prairies and the expansive valleys
are found charming farms. Owing to the diversity of lands there is a
diversity of crops. Of these, com, cotton, peas, and oats are the
leading. Both domestic and wild grasses flourish, affording luxuriant
herbage to stock. Like the counties of this section of the State,
Choctaw is much devoted to stock-raising. Cattle, sheep, horses, and
mules are raised with gratifying results. Vast numbers of hogs are
fattened and slaughtered by the citizens every year for home
consumption.
Fruits peculiar to the Southern
climate are grown with satisfaction and profit. Excellent peaches and
pears are grown in the orchards of Choctaw. The forests abound in wild
fruits, such as hickory-nuts, plums, persimmons, and the various
Southern berries. In some portions of the county there is considerable
wild game.
The value of the lands of Choctaw is
enhanced in a number of places by reason of the existence of marl beds.
Green sand is found at several points along the Tombigbee river. Traces
of petroleum have been discovered. Near Bladon Springs there is dug from
the earth a soil, the curative properties of which have been pronounced
marvelous. Large quantities of this medicine are manufactured in Mobile
under the name of Acid Iron Earth.
The pine forests of the county are
extensive. The other varieties of timber are magnolia, chestnut, poplar,
gum, cypress, hickory, ash, beech, willow, cedar, and bay. Along the
streams and in the swampy forests, in the central and southern portions
of Choctaw, the trees are draped in long, swaying moss.
The county is as highly favored in
its water supplies as any other in the great Cotton Belt. Its water is
both excellent and abundant. The chief streams are the Tombigbee
river, and Okatuppah, Clear, Yantley, Kinterbish, Tickabum, Bogue
Chitta, Wahalak, Bogue Loosa, Surveyor's, Pascus, and Turkey creeks.
The county abounds in many superior springs, both of freestone and
mineral waters. One of these mineral springs, Bladon, has attained
considerable note as a watering-place. These famous springs are located
just three miles from the Tombigbee river, and are regarded as having
superior curative waters. This is especially true concerning diseases of
the stomach and liver. The surroundings of these springs are
healthy.
The chief towns and villages are
Butler, the county-seat, with a population of about 300, Mt. Sterling,
and Pushmatuha. The survey of the projected route of the Pensacola
and Memphis railroad passes directly through Butler and Pushmatuha. This new line,
when completed, will impart fresh life to the county and develop its
agricultural and timber resources. At present, there is no railroad
that touches the county. For transportation, the people of the county
rely largely upon the Tombigbee river, which flows along its
eastern border. The Mobile and Ohio railroad, which runs not a great
distance from the western boundary, through the State of
Mississippi, affords transportation for the inhabitants of that
section.
Schools in nearly every part of the
county are good. Butler, Mt. Sterling, Pushmatuha, and Bladon Springs
have first-class schools and churches. Educational facilities are
within easy reach of every populated section of Choctaw.
Lands may be purchased in many
sections of the county at one dollar per acre. They extend in value up
to six dollars. Public lands, which are always subject to entry, are
found. The people are friendly to immigration. There are 109,640 acres
of government land in the county.
Source: Alabama As It Is by Benjamin Franklin
Riley, D. D., 1887 , Transcribed by C.
Anthony
