As I recall from articles on the Chickasaw lands on the western side of Monroe County (surrounding the early county except for the Alabama border), Cotton Gin Port was on the border of the Chickasaw territory at the western edge of Monroe County and processed the cotton grown by many of the Chickasaws. The Chickasaw chief kept a trading post on the Indian side of the border. The Chickasaws were more westernized than most Indian tribes, having log and wooden homes and slaves, as well as growing cotton. They also intermarried with white people and were allowed to remain in Mississippi when other Indian tribes were forced to go to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). But their leaders were so disappointed in the deterioration of their culture exposed to white infiltration (especially due to alcohol and exploitation) that they decided to make the trek to Oklahoma voluntarily. They were promised supplies and support for their trek through Arkansas by the government, but it failed to materialize (again due to exploitation and graft) and many of them died there on their trail of tears. Some of my Parchman distant cousins lived near Cotton Gin Port in the 1820s. Here are some links I found: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ms/monroe/history/cottongp.txt http://www.swroadsigns.com/mscrossings/cgp2.htm http://books.google.com/books?id=IvzXNLjyzJkC&pg=PA147&lpg=PA147&dq=Cotton+Gin+Port+Mississippi+Chickasaws&source=bl&ots=-814WbMA5N&sig=IkxqF81fKjH3G2KiVD2zh4dDUEA&hl=en&ei=C5_ISpKrHdCSlAf0zJmSAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#v=onepage&q=Cotton%20Gin%20Port%20Mississippi%20Chickasaws&f=false This latter link must be pasted in its entirety into the web URL space. Gerry Parchman

Wow , Gerry, thanks so much for posting this ! Molly ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gerry Parchman" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 6:19 AM Subject: Re: [MSMONROE] Where was Cotton Gin Port ? > As I recall from articles on the Chickasaw lands on the western side of > Monroe County (surrounding the early county except for the Alabama > border), > Cotton Gin Port was on the border of the Chickasaw territory at the > western > edge of Monroe County and processed the cotton grown by many of the > Chickasaws. The Chickasaw chief kept a trading post on the Indian side of > the border. The Chickasaws were more westernized than most Indian tribes, > having log and wooden homes and slaves, as well as growing cotton. They > also intermarried with white people and were allowed to remain in > Mississippi when other Indian tribes were forced to go to Indian Territory > (Oklahoma). But their leaders were so disappointed in the deterioration > of > their culture exposed to white infiltration (especially due to alcohol and > exploitation) that they decided to make the trek to Oklahoma voluntarily. > They were promised supplies and support for their trek through Arkansas by > the government, but it failed to materialize (again due to exploitation > and > graft) and many of them died there on their trail of tears. > > Some of my Parchman distant cousins lived near Cotton Gin Port in the > 1820s. > > Here are some links I found: > > http://files.usgwarchives.net/ms/monroe/history/cottongp.txt > > http://www.swroadsigns.com/mscrossings/cgp2.htm > > http://books.google.com/books?id=IvzXNLjyzJkC&pg=PA147&lpg=PA147&dq=Cotton+Gin+Port+Mississippi+Chickasaws&source=bl&ots=-814WbMA5N&sig=IkxqF81fKjH3G2KiVD2zh4dDUEA&hl=en&ei=C5_ISpKrHdCSlAf0zJmSAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#v=onepage&q=Cotton%20Gin%20Port%20Mississippi%20Chickasaws&f=false > > This latter link must be pasted in its entirety into the web URL space. > > Gerry Parchman > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Thank you from me too. The history of Cotton Gin Port is wonderful. Robin