Due to no river freight terminals, either public or private, where the Tennessee River flows along the Northeast corner of the state, the Northeast portion of Mississippi did not directly benefit from the national inland waterways system. A public port facility in this area would provide an opportunity for existing industries to utilize barge transportation and would serve as an attraction to new industry. A site on Yellow Creek, which extends into Mississippi from the Tennessee River, was selected as the best location in the area for a public port facility.As a joint venture between the federal government and state and local agencies, Yellow Creek Port was created.
