Cotton Gin Port, Mississippi
Cotton Gin Port, Mississippi, was a town located in Monroe County, Mississippi.
Geography
Cotton Gin Port was located at 33° 58′ 15″ N 88° 32′ 35″ W.
History
Cotton Gin Port was the first town in North Mississippi. It was located on the east bank of the Tombigbee River at a crossing of vital Indian trails. It was a base of expeditions of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville in 1736 and Vaudreuil in 1752. The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad caused extinction as the townfolk moved to the new town of Amory.
The early U.S. government built a cotton gin in the early 1800s at Cotton Gin Port in order to build a better relationship with the local Chickasaw Indians. A road, Gaines Trace, was built to the town by George Strother Gaines from close to Muscle Shoals on the Tennessee River.