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DIRECTIONS
The area
is easily accessible from I-55. Go west on Miss. 7 and 8
from the Grenada exit to Holcomb. In Holcomb the two highways
intersect with Miss. 35. To reach Crossriver Farm, go right on
Miss. 8 toward Oxberry for about five miles, crossing the
Yalobusha River. For Bellevue, go left on Miss. 35 about a mile,
then left on Sweethome Road.
Click each map to enlarge
Crossriver
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This area is rich in history
| From Choctaw Indians and early traders and
missionaries, the Holcomb area has a complex, vibrant
heritage. The town of Holcomb takes its name from its founder, David
Lafayette Holcomb, who came to Mississippi after the Civil
War and began to build the town in 1901.
Visit Holcomb's Web site:
www.holcomb.org for a
closer look. The Oxberry community is named for James Oxberry,
a member of the Choctaw Nation who served as an interpreter
for the U.S. government land office that sold off the former
Choctaw lands. |
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Photo
by Pat Holcomb Koester |
| Holcomb's old downtown. |
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He and his family stayed in Mississippi and claimed land
rather than being removed westward with the rest of their tribe in
1830. Choctaw
heritage is strong today in the state's
place names
and in the presence of many Choctaws who have built a strong
economic presence in Mississippi. Choctaw chief Greenwood Leflore
is remembered in the names of both the city of Greenwood and Leflore
County. The name of his home, Malmaison, is reflected in the name of
today's
Malmaison Wildlife Management Area near Oxberry.
The Yalobusha River, a Choctaw name meaning "place of the
tadpoles," runs north of Holcomb. The river is reflected in the name
Crossriver Farms. It is 165 miles long and is a principal tributary
of the Yazoo, its waters, via the Yazoo, eventually flowing into the
mighty Mississippi.
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