History

Osyka Veterans ParkAs with much of North America, the land now incorporated as the township of Osyka, was originally occupied by native Choctaw Indians.The first white settler was Jessie Redmond (1791) who served in the War of 1812 under General Andrew Jackson. In 1830 a treaty was signed with the Choctaws who moved out as settlers began to move in. Osyka, an Indian name meaning “Soaring Eagle”, chartered in 1858, was the terminus for the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad by 1854.

Osyka Veterans ParkDuring the period 1854 to 1871 various businesses and civic enterprises were established. But in the period 1872 ~ 1882 outbreaks of Yellow Fever and Smallpox ravaged the population resulting in numerous deaths. Following these epidemics, the town continued development and local businesses supplying required items for homes and families, e.g., groceries, dry goods, hardware, clothing and jewelry, livery stables. A number of doctors set up practice, churches were organized, and rail transportation was extended north.

In the wake of the Civil War a number of beautiful residences were built, some of which have endured over time and with authentic restorations exist today as historic landmarks of a people of optimism and vision with appreciation of the natural attributes of the area.

Participation in national defense from 1812 to the present through various armed conflicts and including the “Cold War” in which our nation has been involved is a hallmark of Osyka’s citizens.

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