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Those who did a little research found that their new environment was home to a history rich in subplots. Among the stories told at stops along the Okatoma are tales of early settlers who, for the most part, were citizens of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia searching for a new beginning for their families. These early settlers found a land covered with virgin timber, laced with cool creeks, and inhabited by a small band of Choctaw Indians. As treaties gradually pushed the Choctaws farther west, homesteaders began the process of building a life in the wooded wilderness which officially became the County of Covington in 1819.
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Ask those who have retired to Covington County how they discovered this Okatoma River Country, and they may tell you it was as a tourist. They made that first visit to the county and became enchanted with a thriving economy, diverse recreational possibilities made possible by a four-season climate, and friendly residents. As one recently retired couple to the area exclaimed: "Covington Countians see southern hospitality as their specialty!"
General Leonard Covington, a Maryland native stationed in the Mississippi Territory in the early 1800s, was more than familiar with the people and landscape which was soon to bear his name.