Magna Vista or… Great View.

The meaning of the name was confirmed when President Theodore Roosevelt traveled to the Mississippi Delta for his famous Bear Hunt. This tract of land has been owned and managed by some of the most conservation minded legacy companies in the country. Crown Zellerbach,  James River and then Crown Vantage throughout most of the 1900’s. It has been privately owned and managed for wildlife for the past 30 years. Magna Vista. The name alone conjures up the well deserved, deeply revered reputation that belongs to the Mississippi Delta alone.

The Story of the Mississippi Bear Hunt

It was in mid-November of 1902 that Governor Andrew Longino invited President Theodore Roosevelt to the grounds of Onward, Mississippi, to join him on a bear hunt. The president accepted, and journeyed deep into the Mississippi woods along with his hosts. Although Roosevelt was a renowned and experienced hunter, he was the only individual in his party who had not spotted a bear after three days. In an effort to thwart embarrassment, his assistants cornered a small black bear, tied it to a willow a tree, then summoned Roosevelt so that he might have a bear to shoot. However, the President refused the opportunity, claiming that it would be unsportsmanlike to kill the captive bear. News of such a display of character then spread across the nation; eventually capturing the attention of a New York entrepreneur who was inspired by the compassion of the President to name two stuffed bears made by his wife “Teddy’s Bears.” The rest is history.