Editing Ridgeland, Mississippi (section)

==History==
In 1805, the [[Choctaw]] Indian Agency, headed by [[Silas Dinsmoor]], was located in what is now Ridgeland. The structure was then called "Turner Brashear's Stand" until about 1850. It was adapted for use as a hotel named the King's Inn. During the [[American Civil War]], General [[Stephen D. Lee|Stephen Lee]] used the inn as a headquarters. The hotel continued to operate until 1896, when it was destroyed by fire.

In 1853, James B. Yellowley founded the community of Yellowley's Crossing (later named "Jessamine" after his wife). In 1896, Edward Treakle and Gordon Nichols, two real estate developers from [[Chicago]], purchased the land from Yellowley and established the Highland Colony Company. They created plans for a town to be named "Ridgeland" and launched an advertising campaign to entice people from the northern United States to move south. Agriculture was the community's dominant revenue source, with pears and strawberries as the leading crops grown for sale.

In the early 20th century, Ridgeland was home to a hotel, sawmill, and a canning company. The main business section of Ridgeland was along Jackson Street, due to the [[Illinois Central Railroad]] located on the street. In 1910 a two-room school was created, and the schools combined with those of Madison by 1925. Rapid growth in the city's population began in the 1960s.

[[Northpark Mall (Mississippi)|Northpark Mall]] opened in 1984 and brought more growth to the area. Highland Colony Parkway was built in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitridgeland.com/about-2/ |title=About Ridgeland &#124; Ridgeland Tourism |website=Visitridgeland.com |date=December 29, 1999 |access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref>