Before the 1890s, the town of Ridgeland was known as Gopher Hill because of the abundance of gopher tortoises in the area's sand hills. Gopherus Polyphemus, commonly called the gopher tortoise, are long-lived herbivores that typically live 40 to 60 years and spend much of their lives in the deep burrows they dig. Although they can still be found in the rural areas of Jasper County, they are no longer abundant and are now a protected endangered species.