Many local native tribes used to live here in Mississippi before the Europeans entered this land in 1540. However the first European permanent settlement came in 1699 at Ocean Springs.
The area passed through the control of Spain, British or French until the French and Indian War and the treaty following it. Under the treaty, all French held lands had to be ceded to the British. On April 7, 1798 its territory was ceded to Georgia and South Carolina. Its final territory kept expanding as most of its land was acquired by the US govt. from the native americans. Ultimately on 10 December, 1817 Mississippi became the 20th state of the Union.