The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1904-05-06
COTTON GIN PORT AND
GAINES TRACE.
PAPER READ BY q. y. LEFTWlCH BE
PORE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
COTTON GIS PORT.

Cotton Gin Port. in Monroe
county, H. no doubt the oldest
abandoned town in Northeast
Mississippi. The Indians called
the place Tollana-toxa, signifying
where abe first strung the bow, y
the name having reference 10
Bienville's disastrous expedition
against the Chickasaws in 1886
1t Is situated something over a
mile below the junction of Town
creek and the Tom bigbee river.
both of which streams until recent
years were navigable for some
distance aboye 4 plateau Of con
siderable elevation forms the
eastern bank of the river at and
near the ferry. On this the town
of Cotton Gin Port was built. II
IL now uninhabited save by the
ferryman snd widely scattered
population of negroes. An arte-
sian well pours fourth "A stream Of
pure water. which runs down the
EN- bank xment Until the building
OF the Kansas City. Memphis and
Birmingham Railroad during the
year 1887 and the founding OF
Amory. about two miles northeast.
Cotton Gin Port was iiourishing
trading point. post office. boat
landing and voting precinct. Pop
ulous neiehborhoods ARE Oh both
sides of the river.
IN. -, th. vrraaf a.. hIrfI Inr
eel by level plain of half to a
mile in width. partly cultivated.
but subject 10 overflow On the
western side Of the plain steep
declivity arises to the level Of the
prairie belt. which extends north.
sonth and west.
The accompanying plat. made
after careful survey of the To-
csiity by Mr.. George Gaines Tyn-
dali. for many years county sur
veyor of Monroe county, gives the
student an excellent idea Of this
historic place The public road
leading west from the ferry, forks
at the foot of the hill One fork
leads up Town creek TO old Cam
argo, the other toward Okolona.
On this road one mile west of the
ferry, near the top of the hill, was
constructed n cotton gin by the
Federal Government about the
first year Of the nineteenth cen
tury, now over one hundred year,
ago This was then Chickasaw
territory That tribe of Indians
had their principal towns tnorth
east of Cotton Gin Port near the
present town of Tupelo, and still
farther on i'm Pontotoc county
Their wigwams were scattered
over the broad prairie. They were
always allies of the English. Trad
ers from Savannah and Charleston
had lived among them long before
BienviIle's day. Our government
labored long To root out their anti
American prejudice. The erec-
tion of the cotton gin, which II IS
said was advised by Washington,
was TO encourage the cultivation
of cotton among them, and was
besides shrewd stroke OF diplo-
macy cultivated to secure their
friendship. Near this cotton gin
(Which together with the fact that
boats landed here gave name TO the
town., was the ancient council
tree" an oak of huge proportions.
under which traders and Gov
ernment agents and factors treated
with the Indians 1t has only
lately been thoughtlessly destroy
cd bv the fires of campers built
near it. This council tree" Is
said to have been the redezvous
appointed 10y Tecumseh just be
fore the Greek war, when the
prophet was preaching his crusade
for the determination of the whites
The Chickasaws being allies of
the English were constantly Civ
ing trouble to the French and
Spanish settlements on and near
the gulf. This bad feeling reach
ed the boiling point after the
Natchez massacre of 1929. when
some of the Indians who escaped
found refuge among the Chicka
SAWS. Bieuville. the French
Governor. had notified the home
government of his purpose TO es
tablish fort near the Chickasaw
towns. and now he carried it into