Chattahoochee County was given its territory from parts of Marion and Muscogee counties in 1854. The river which Indians called Chattahoochee (meaning red rock) is the origin of its name, while Cusseta, the county seat, is named for one of the principal Lower Creek Indian tribes. Fort Benning Military Reservation takes up nearly three-quarters of Chattahoochee County's territory. Near the fort's present day headquarters is the site of the "Peace Town of the Lower Creeks" which Hernando DeSoto mentioned in his journal in 1540.