Pine Belt (Mississippi)

[1] The Pine Belt includes 9 counties: Covington, Forrest, Greene, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Perry, and Wayne.

[2] Before the arrival of Europeans, the area that would later become the state of Mississippi was populated by several Native American tribes, including the Natchez and Pascagoula in the Pine Belt.

[3][4] The native population declined as a result of armed conflicts with the Europeans, attrition from diseases, or coalescence with other tribes.

These railroads provided an inexpensive means for moving passengers as well as logs and lumber, and opened Mississippi's Pine Belt to both industrial growth and community development.

[1] Camp Shelby is the largest state owned military training facility in the U.S. and covers more than 134,000 acres (54,000 ha).