Mississippi | State Facts & History

Mississippi State History. First explored for Spain by Hernando de Soto, who discovered the Mississippi River in 1540, the region was later claimed by France. In 1699, a French group under Sieur d’Iberville established the first permanent settlement near present-day Ocean Springs.. Great Britain took over the area in 1763 after the French and Indian Wars, ceding it to the U.S. in 1783 after …

: https://www.infoplease.com/us/states/mississippi