Previous cutoffs had been constructed along the river, and were of commercial benefit because they allowed ships to bypass lengthy U-shaped bends.

Typically, cutoffs were created by digging a channel across a peninsula, leaving the bypassed bend to form an oxbow lake.

In 1884, the area was flooded when a nearby levee broke, and when the floodwaters receded, steamboats could no longer land because a large sandbar had been left between Austin and the Mississippi River.

At the northern end of Tunica Lake is a small community with cottages, fishing camps, bait shops, an RV park, and four boatramps.

This channel permits spawning fish to enter Tunica Lake, and provides recreational boaters with access to the river.