A brief Hstory of DeSoto County
Courtesy of the DeSoto County Geneological Society
Days of Expansion 1850-1861
In 1852, the state legislature chartered a stock company to build a plank road 22 miles long from Memphis to Nesbit. A similar road was built from Holly Springs to Memphis. These were toll roads and travel on them was not cheap. However, they offered relief from dust and mud. Highways 51 and 78 of today reflect these routes.
The Tennessee and Mississippi Railroad was chartered in 1853. On February 12, 1856, the railroad opened 12 and one-half miles to Horn Lake Depot. The first train arrived in Hernando to great celebration on April 22, 1856. On October 8, 1856, the trains ran 37 miles to Senatobia Depot, where the traveler could make connection with a four-horse stagecoach and make the trip on to Grenada in only 18 hours.
Gradually recovering from the Panic of 1837, DeSoto Countians cleared and developed the rich farm lands and built communities throughout the area. They did not know of the great tragedy that lay just ahead for the county and the state.
