Misplaced Pages

#587412

80-668: Citico Creek is named after the ancient Overhill Cherokee village of Citico , which was located at the creek's mouth along the Little Tennessee River . The village site was inundated by the creation of Tellico Reservoir in 1979. Most of the Citico Creek watershed was logged in the early 1920s by the Babcock Lumber Company, and most of what was not logged was destroyed by a massive forest fire in 1925. The United States Forest Service purchased

160-465: A French agent, Priber quickly abandoned his mission. He adopted Cherokee customs, learned the language, and quickly gained the tribe's trust. Priber attempted to organize Cherokee society in accordance with early 18th-century European idealism. He promoted the idea that all things should be held in common, including wives and children. Claiming the English were fraudulent and greedy, he suggested moving

240-596: A Friend of the great Moytoy, and Jacob the Conjurer . Cuming learned that Moytoy was trying to gain control of the entire Cherokee people, who were highly decentralized, with power associated with regional settlements. Cuming agreed to help Moytoy if the chief would help him get the Crown of Tanasi. On March 30, 1730, Cuming followed the Warriors' Path from Great Tellico to Tanasi, which he found "pleasantly situated" along

320-637: A co-commander at Kings Mountain, was dispatched, along with several thousand militia, to the south on a punitive expedition to the Overhill towns. After defeating the Cherokee in a fierce battle at Boyd's Creek (in modern-day Sevier County), Sevier proceeded southward. He destroyed most of the remaining, lightly defended villages, including the chief city of Chota . After the Cherokee defeats at Heaton's Station and Fort Watauga in 1776, most Cherokee chiefs, including Attakullakulla and Oconastota , signed

400-422: A dam was constructed in a major Tennessee Valley Authority project. Archaeologists conducted extensive excavations prior to this, during which they identified most of the Overhill towns and extracted thousands of artifacts, helping them develop volumes of invaluable information regarding the region's Cherokee and pre-Cherokee inhabitants. They learned that different cultures of indigenous peoples had lived along

480-653: A dialect distinctive from that found in the Middle and Lower towns, although all the people identified as Cherokee. For most of the 17th century, the British colonies on the Atlantic coast dealt with the Cherokee via representatives of other tribes acting as middlemen. As the fur trade expanded in importance with rising demand in European markets, traders and trappers went to the Overhill settlements for direct contact with

560-647: A diplomatic mission to the Overhill towns to address the issue of unlicensed traders, who were underselling merchants conducting business legally. Chicken arrived in Great Tellico in July. He described the village as "compact and thick settled;" the town and tribe had long competed in the region with the Creek tribe. Chicken followed the Warriors' Path north to the Little Tennessee River, where he met

640-674: A fort be built to protect the area's women and children while the warriors were away. In 1756, the colonies dispatched Captain Raymond Demeré and engineer John DeBrahm to the area with several wagon loads of supplies for the construction of a fort along the Little Tennessee River. The fort, named after John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun , stood at the junction of the Little Tennessee and the Tellico rivers. The Cherokee village of Tuskegee developed in its vicinity. Shortly after

720-620: A lack of provisions forced them to surrender. The British colonies responded swiftly to the fall of Fort Loudoun. South Carolina sent Colonel James Grant against the Lower Towns; Virginia dispatched Colonel William Byrd to attack the Middle Towns in western North Carolina; and Colonel Adam Stephen detached from Byrd's regiment and marched to Long Island on the Holston (near modern-day Kingsport, Tennessee ) with plans to attack

800-468: A meeting with local Cherokee leaders. He arrived fully armed at the meeting at the town council house, in defiance of custom. There he made a prepared speech saying that he was a private citizen wishing only to see their country, and that if any Indians wished to return to England with him, he would take them. He asked them to join his party in a toast to the health of King George II, and to kneel in allegiance. He told his guides that he would have set fire to

880-571: A party that included Eleazar Wiggan, future Cherokee leader Attakullakulla , and two Tanasi warriors named Clogoittah and Oukanaekah to present to the king. The crowning of Moytoy in 1730 shifted the Cherokee center of power to Great Tellico, which was situated along the Tellico River roughly 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Tanasi. After the death of Moytoy in 1741, however, Old Hop , the chief of Chota, began to consolidate power. The influence of Chota soon overshadowed that of Tanasi, and by

SECTION 10

#1732790618588

960-859: Is bordered on the east by the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness and on the north by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (on the other side of the Little Tennessee River). The Bald River Gorge Wilderness is located immediately to the southwest. The Cherohala Skyway traverses the southern boundary of the Citico Creek Wilderness, and the Benton MacKaye Trail roughly follows its eastern boundary. Overhill Cherokee Overhill Cherokee

1040-414: Is nearby. 35°33′08″N 84°00′27″W  /  35.55231°N 84.00737°W  / 35.55231; -84.00737 Tallassee ( Ta'lasi ) – located in present-day Blount and Monroe counties along the Little Tennessee River, a mile or so downstream from the modern Calderwood Dam. The modern town of Tallassee is situated much further downstream, and its location should not be confused with that of

1120-547: The Appalachian Mountains from the east to reach them. The two towns are grouped as a single listing on the National Register of Historic Places , although Tanasi was given its own site designation (40MR62) in 1972. Both sites were submerged by the creation of Tellico Reservoir , after completion of a dam on the Little Tennessee River in 1979. Archeological surveys were conducted of these sites in

1200-674: The Creek . Chicken indicated in his journals that the chief of Tanasi— known as the Tanasi Warrior or Head Warrior of Tanasi— ruled over the Cherokee Overhill, Middle, and Valley towns in the region. (But this would have been unusual. The designation of Middle and Valley Towns generally referred to groups of towns on the eastern side of the Appalachians in Western North Carolina . Kituwa

1280-499: The Crown of Tanasi — described as resembling a wig made of dyed possum hair— which he hoped to present to the king of England. To obtain this headdress, Cuming enlisted the aid of Moytoy , chief of Great Tellico. Cuming used his flamboyance to convince the Cherokee to crown Moytoy "Emperor of the Cherokee." In exchange, Moytoy obtained the headdress sought by Cuming. Cuming departed for England shortly thereafter, taking with him

1360-719: The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation . The Little Tennessee River flows northwestward from North Carolina from its source in the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia. It traverses a 40-mile (64 km) stretch of northern Monroe County before emptying into the Tennessee River near Lenoir City . In 1979, the construction of Tellico Dam at the mouth of the river created a reservoir that spans

1440-680: The Paleo-Indian period) were uncovered at the Chota-Tanasi sites, the excavations were focused mostly on the period of Cherokee occupation. Investigators hoped to identify the locations of each town and to find evidence that might define the Cherokee peoples' relationship to those occupying the area in the South Appalachian Mississippian culture -era (c. 1000–1600 A.D.). The 1972 excavations uncovered 191 features, 22 burials, 1005 postmolds, and 6 structures at

1520-533: The Tennessee Valley in what is now Tennessee. The Overhill capital, or "mother town," shifted between Great Tellico, Tanasi, and Chota. The Overhill settlements were established sometime between the late 16th century and the late 17th century, although scholars disagree on a more exact timeframe. The major towns were well-settled by the time the first Euro-American explorers arrived in the late 17th century. The Overhill Cherokee were recognized as speaking

1600-624: The Unicoi Mountains , where the river levels into a fertile plain. The site has been developed as farmland. The term Hiwassee means "savanna" or "plain." Hiwassee is sometimes called "Hiwassee Old Town." 35°14′35″N 84°34′53″W  /  35.24314°N 84.58149°W  / 35.24314; -84.58149 The Overhill settlements were connected by a series of well-established Native American trails: Early Euro-American explorers in Southern Appalachia noted that

1680-437: The "Crown of Tannassy." Although he had planned to present the party and crown to King George II, a delegation from Charleston arrived claiming Cuming had defrauded them. While Cuming's schemes led to his own downfall, his visit to the Overhill towns helped to solidify an alliance between the Cherokee and the English. Around 1736, Christian Priber , a German utopian idealist, reached Great Tellico. Although initially working as

SECTION 20

#1732790618588

1760-623: The "Head Warrior" of Tanasi and the chiefs of Citico and Tallassee. Sir Alexander Cuming arrived in Charleston, South Carolina , in December 1729. Although he lacked official diplomatic credentials, Cuming managed to convince several Charlestonians that he was an agent of King George II of Great Britain on a mission to gain the loyalty of the Cherokee. Cuming set out for the Overhill town of Tanasi in March 1730, his stated goal being to gain

1840-444: The 1740s, Chota had become the more prominent of the two towns, holding the townhouse where the community met, and chiefs would meet with colonial emissaries. Although Chota and Tanasi had distinct political, social, and demographic traits, research excavators in the late 1960s determined that the two towns are archaeologically indistinguishable. They were among the numerous Overhill Towns, as called by English colonists, who traveled over

1920-491: The 1970s prior to their flooding, and thousands of artifacts were recovered. In the 1980s, the Tennessee Valley Authority placed a monument on the shoreline above the submerged site of Tanasi that commemorates its history and its legacy as the origin of the name Tennessee. This monument is approximately 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Vonore , just off Highway 455 (Citico Road). The site is managed by

2000-494: The British against the rebellious American colonies, hoping to push the encroaching settlers out of their territory. In 1776, the Cherokee initiated a plan to drive the settlers out of the Washington District, North Carolina , and invade Virginia. Virginia merchant Isaac Thomas— later a co-founder of Sevierville — was warned of the invasion by Nancy Ward , a Cherokee Beloved Woman and diplomat. Thomas passed on

2080-539: The Cherokee and other western tribes. In 1673, Virginia merchants sent agents James Needham and Gabriel Arthur on a trip west of the Appalachians, hoping to open a direct trade route. While Needham was killed on the return trip, Arthur stayed behind. He later claimed to have accompanied the natives (possibly the Cherokee) on raids of Spanish settlements in Florida. In 1725, South Carolina sent Col. George Chicken on

2160-617: The Cherokee capital to modern-day Alabama , where it would be closer to the French colonial territory of La Louisiane . The English tried to arrest Priber in 1739 but were prevented by the Cherokee. He was finally captured by the Creek people in 1743 and turned over to South Carolina authorities. At the outbreak of the French and Indian War , the Cherokee aligned with the British. The Overhill towns agreed to provide military support, but asked that

2240-490: The Cherokee were concentrated around three general regions. The "Lower Towns" were centered on the town of Keowee in the hills of South Carolina and northeastern Georgia. The "Middle Towns" were centered on Nequassee and Tassetchee amidst the Great Balsam Mountains and eastern Unicoi Mountains in western North Carolina. The Overhill Cherokee lived in settlements located between the Appalachian Mountains and

2320-644: The Cherokee. On November 8, 1794, Blount met Hanging Maw (representing the Overhill Cherokee) and John Watt (representing the Lower Cherokee) to sign a treaty ending the Cherokee–American wars. Over the next ten years, the U.S. made several other treaties with the Cherokee, persuading Cherokee leaders to cede large portions of land in East and Middle Tennessee, including the Overhill towns along

2400-520: The Chickamauga towns in 1782, Dragging Canoe moved the Chickamaugas southwest to modern-day Marion County, Tennessee , where he continued his struggle. After the assassination of Old Tassel in 1788, Chief Hanging Maw was recognized as the leader of the Overhill towns. With violence spiraling out of control, Hanging Maw petitioned territorial Governor William Blount for a fort to protect

2480-540: The Chota townhouse, indicating Chota had usurped Tanasi as the more dominant town. Missionary William Richardson visited the Overhill towns in the late 1750s and described Chota and Tanasi as being separated by a "small river." Richardson's description is supported by Timberlake's 1762 map, which recorded the two towns' sites. Cyrus Thomas, working for the Smithsonian Institution 's Bureau of Ethnology in

Citico Creek Wilderness - Misplaced Pages Continue

2560-475: The English and the Cherokee had grown to the extent that the colonists wanted to regulate it. Ethnologist James Mooney reported that the meaning of the town's name is unknown, but noted that it was used for other places among Cherokee lands in Tennessee and North Carolina. The Cherokee name for the river upon which Tanasi was situated was probably Callamaco. Early Euro-American explorers and traders renamed

2640-549: The Hiwassee River south of modern Etowah , and along the Tellico River in modern Tellico Plains . Although Native Americans used most of the western side of the Great Smoky Mountains primarily as a hunting ground, early Euro-American explorers recalled seeing abandoned villages and temporary hunting camps scattered around the region. These were often found in the game-rich coves of the northern part of

2720-602: The Little Tennessee River, about 10 miles (16 km) south of modern-day Vonore. Chota was the de facto Cherokee capital in the mid-18th century, considered a 'mother town,' and the birthplace of several prominent chiefs. At the time of Timberlake's visit in 1761, Chota was centered around a large councilhouse, which could seat 500, and about 60 residential houses. The town's name is sometimes spelled "Echota." 35°33′18″N 84°07′52″W  /  35.55507°N 84.13104°W  / 35.55507; -84.13104 Citico ( Si'tiku ) – located in present-day Monroe County, at

2800-535: The Little Tennessee River. The town was the capital of the Overhill Cherokee c. 1721–1730. The Little Tennessee was originally simply called the "Tennessee," which was an alternate spelling of "Tanasi." European-American settlers eventually applied the name to the entire state. 35°33′00″N 84°08′01″W  /  35.55005°N 84.13374°W  / 35.55005; -84.13374 Chota ( Itsa'sa ) – located in present-day Monroe County, along

2880-686: The Little Tennessee River. Timberlake reported a councilhouse in Tomotley where a "death hallow" was sounded to signify the return of a war party. 35°34′19″N 84°11′13″W  /  35.57182°N 84.18697°W  / 35.57182; -84.18697 Toqua ( Dakwa ) – located in present-day Monroe County, at the confluence of Toco Creek and the Little Tennessee River, just south of modern-day Fort Loudoun State Park. 35°34′11″N 84°10′21″W  /  35.56984°N 84.17248°W  / 35.56984; -84.17248 Tanasi – located in present-day Monroe County, adjacent to Chota along

2960-629: The Little Tennessee, in an attempt to gain peace. With the cession of Overhill lands, the Cherokee Nation 's center of power shifted south to New Echota in Georgia . Settlers migrating throughout the Southeast kept up pressure to gain Cherokee lands. In 1967, the Tennessee Valley Authority began construction on Tellico Dam just above the mouth of the Little Tennessee. The impoundment created Tellico Lake and effectively flooded all of

3040-622: The Little Tennessee. Cuming met with the Tanasi Warrior, whom he understood to be the de facto leader of the Overhill at the time. After gaining the Tanasi Warrior's allegiance, Cuming returned to Great Tellico. He accompanied Moytoy back across the Unicoi Mountains to Nequassee, and helped the chief be crowned as "Emperor of the Cherokee." Cuming returned to England on June 5, 1730, accompanied by several Cherokee and carrying an opossum -hair headdress, which he referred to as

3120-478: The Overhill Towns. The Cherokee immediately sued for peace, which was granted. To help solidify the peace, Colonel Stephen dispatched Lieutenant Henry Timberlake and Sergeant Thomas Sumter to accompany a Cherokee delegation on a tour of the Overhill towns. After a five-day journey down the Holston, French Broad , and Little Tennessee rivers, Timberlake arrived in the Overhill town of Tomotley. There he

3200-689: The Overhill towns and burned Tuskegee and Citico. The major faction of the Cherokee made peace shortly thereafter, under the Treaty of De Witt's Corner . In 1780, while the North Carolina militia from the Washington District, often referred to as the "overhill militia", were away at the Battle of Kings Mountain , the Cherokee launched sporadic raids against the settlers there. Upon his return, Colonel John Sevier , who had gained fame as

3280-455: The Tanasi site alone. Two townhouses were uncovered at the Chota-Tanasi sites, one of which was slightly smaller and older than the other. The older of the two townhouses may have been the Tanasi townhouse, which traders and emissaries had reported in the 1720s. However, it is also possible that the older townhouse was an earlier version of the Chota townhouse, and that excavators failed to uncover

Citico Creek Wilderness - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-747: The Tellico Blockhouse site, the foundations of which have been identified and marked. The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, near Fort Loudoun in Vonore, is dedicated to the creator of the Cherokee alphabet. The Unicoi Trail, a cross-country hiking trail, now connects the Sequoyah Museum with Murphy, North Carolina , roughly following the ancient Trading Path. The Frank H. McClung Museum at the University of Tennessee contains hundreds of Cherokee artifacts obtained from various excavations which

3440-508: The Treaty of De Witt's Corner. Dragging Canoe and Ostenaco refused to recognize this treaty, claiming the settlers were unlikely to abide by the treaty's terms. Along with several renegade tribesmen from across the Cherokee tribes, they moved south to Chickamauga Creek , in the vicinity of what is now Chattanooga , and set up a series of villages. Settlers called them the " Chickamauga Cherokee " after their location and to distinguish them from

3520-553: The ancient village. The Cherokee Tallassee is sometimes referred to as "Tallassee Old Town." 35°30′20″N 84°00′01″W  /  35.50556°N 84.00028°W  / 35.50556; -84.00028 Great Tellico ( Talikwa ) – located in present-day Monroe County, in Tellico Plains , where the Tellico River levels out at the base of the Unicoi Mountains. Great Tellico rose to prominence in early 18th century under its chief Moytoy . Sir Alexander Cuming , who visited

3600-420: The area. Colonel John Herbert visited Tanasi on a similar mission in 1727 and reported meeting with the "King and Long Warriour" of Tanasi at the Cherokee townhouse. In 1730, Sir Alexander Cuming , a trader claiming to be an emissary of King George II , journeyed to Tanasi and obtained the Tanasi Warrior's allegiance for England. As evidence of his success, Cuming sought an esteemed symbolic headdress known as

3680-607: The close of the Seven Years' War, Euro-American settlers began trickling into east Tennessee from the eastern colonies. In 1772, several pioneers negotiated a lease for Cherokee lands in northeast Tennessee and formed the Watauga Settlement . In spite of the agreement, tensions between the pioneers and the Cherokee rose steadily. By the outbreak of the American Revolution , the Cherokee were allied with

3760-440: The confluence of Citico Creek and the Little Tennessee River. The town's name is sometimes spelled "Settaco." 35°32′56″N 84°05′56″W  /  35.54887°N 84.09891°W  / 35.54887; -84.09891 Chilhowee ( Tsu'lun'we ) – located in present-day Blount and Monroe counties at the confluence of Abrams Creek and the Little Tennessee River. The junction of modern U.S. Route 129 and Foothills Parkway

3840-506: The confluence of the Tellico and Little Tennessee rivers south of modern-day Fort Loudoun State Park . Tuskegee was the birthplace of Sequoyah, noted as the first person to independently create a written alphabet, which he did for the Cherokee language . 35°35′30″N 84°12′08″W  /  35.59167°N 84.20222°W  / 35.59167; -84.20222 Tomotley – located in present-day Monroe County, adjacent to Toqua along

3920-478: The decline of the Overhill towns. The Cherokee were forced to cede most of their lands in this area through a series of unfavorable treaties with the United States. For a time, they migrated to the south and west, deeper into Georgia and Alabama, and away from settler pressure. The Overhill town of Chota , in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee , was recognized as the de facto capital and mother town of

4000-603: The devastated land in the 1930s, and its policy of allowing natural processes to heal the forest has led to the development of a mature, second-growth deciduous forest along Citico Creek. Diverse cove hardwood forests — which include yellow poplar, white oak, red oak, and hemlock — are found in the bottomlands along stream beds. The ridge slopes are covered by a mixed hardwood-pine forest consisting primarily of white oak, red oak, and hickory in moist areas and substantial stands of white pine, pitch pine, and shortleaf pine on drier slopes and ridgecrests. While most of

4080-599: The difficult journey to the interior over the mountain range. By the middle of the century, the Overhill towns were consistently courted by both British and French emissaries, as the two powers struggled for the control of the North American continent and the lucrative fur trade . During and following the American Revolutionary War , in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the westward thrust of Euro-American settlement resulted in conflict and

SECTION 50

#1732790618588

4160-508: The early 1750s, Chota had become the more dominant town. In 1765, Henry Timberlake , who had visited the Overhill towns as an emissary in 1761–1762, reported 12 dwellings and 21 warriors at Tanasi, and identified Old Hop as chief of both Chota and Tanasi. In 1775, the Tanasi Warrior was among the chiefs who signed a treaty with the Watauga Association of Carolina colonists, who wanted to create an independent jurisdiction west of

4240-427: The entire Cherokee Nation for most of the 18th century, when it was the major settlement. The town of Tanasi became the namesake for the state of Tennessee. Many prominent Cherokee leaders, including Attakullakulla , Oconastota , Nancy Ward , and Sequoyah , were born and raised in Overhill towns. In the 1970s, most of the former Overhill sites were submerged by the impoundment of the Little Tennessee River after

4320-660: The fabled "Crown of Tannassy." Cuming moved quickly along the Trading Path, interacting briefly with Lower and Middle chiefs. In just under a month, Cuming had crossed the Unicoi Mountains into the Overhill country, a dangerous place at the time because of the Cherokees' ongoing war with the Creeks. Years later, colonial trader Ludovick Grant, who lived in Great Tellico and briefly accompanied Cuming during his tour, described Cuming's techniques. In each town, Cuming arranged

4400-545: The forest is second-growth, two pockets of old growth forest remain within the wilderness area. One is a 187-acre (0.76 km) stand of primarily beech and maple in the vicinity of Falls Branch Falls, which is easily accessible from the Cherohala Skyway via the Falls Branch Falls Trail. The other is an isolated 200-acre (0.81 km) patch of hemlock near Glenn Gap. Citico Creek Wilderness

4480-427: The fort's construction, relations between the English and the Cherokee soured. Several Cherokee returning home from battle were killed by settlers, and an increase in horse thefts created tension in Virginia. After a contingent of Cherokee chiefs were detained at Fort Prince George in late 1759, the Cherokee, under Chief Standing Turkey , laid siege to Fort Loudoun . The fort's garrison held out until August 1760, when

4560-453: The greater Cherokee tribe. The Chickamauga (or "Lower Cherokee" as they were also sometimes called) proceeded to carry on an unconventional war against the encroaching Euro-American settlers, ambushing small patrols and attacking small settlements. After Oconastota's death in the early 1780s, Chief Old Tassel was recognized as the leader of the Overhill Cherokee. He sought more distance from the Chickamauga. After an expedition by Sevier destroyed

4640-500: The late 1880s, conducted a mound survey at the Chota-Tanasi site. Thomas reported the discovery of 13 burials and several artifacts. In 1939, Thomas Lewis and Madeline Kneburg directed an excavation at the Chota-Tanasi site with funding by the Works Progress Administration to pay for laborers. Lewis and Kneburg, who were searching for cultural data with which to compare their earlier finds at Hiwassee Island , uncovered 22 burials, 85 pit features, 982 postmolds, and one structure. With

4720-439: The lower Little Tennessee , lower Tellico , lower Hiwassee and upper Tennessee rivers, the Overhill towns rose to prominence within the Cherokee Nation in the early 18th century. They began to standardize trade with British colonists. In the early part of the century, the Overhill towns' remote location at the far end of the Trading Path meant they were reached only by those traders and explorers adventurous enough to make

4800-430: The lower 33 miles (53 km) of the Little Tennessee and the lower 22 miles (35 km) of its tributary, the Tellico River , flooding former important Cherokee town sites. Tanasi was located along the west bank of the Little Tennessee 27 miles (43 km) upstream from the river's mouth. The site was opposite a sharp bend in the river known as Bacon's Bend. Tanasi was situated on a relatively flat terrace flanked by

4880-406: The mountains, in what became Tennessee. Tanasi's relationship with Chota has long puzzled historians and archaeologists. Some have speculated that the two towns were a single community with two districts and two governments, not unlike the situation that reportedly existed in Great Tellico and Chatuga around the same time. Archeological excavators in the early 1970s noted virtually no differences in

SECTION 60

#1732790618588

4960-427: The namesake for the state of Tennessee . It was abandoned by the Cherokee in the 19th century for a rising town whose chief was more powerful. Tanasi served as the de facto capital of the Overhill Cherokee from as early as 1721 until 1730, when the capital shifted to Great Tellico . The Cherokee town of Chota developed immediately north of and later than Tanasi. The two sites were divided by an unnamed stream. By

5040-401: The original known Overhill sites along the Little Tennessee River. Before the flooding, the University of Tennessee conducted extensive archaeological excavations, identifying Chota's townhouse and the grave of Oconastota. The site of Chota's townhouse was covered with fill, raising it above water levels. A monument with eight pillars— one for the Cherokee Nation and each of its seven clans—

5120-404: The peaceful Overhill villages from vengeful settlers. In 1794, Hanging Maw donated land at the junction of Nine Mile Creek and the Little Tennessee River to the U.S. government for the construction of the Tellico Blockhouse . Along with a small garrison of federal soldiers, the Tellico Blockhouse was the headquarters of the Tellico Agent, William Blount, the official liaison between the U.S. and

5200-570: The range and near the junctions of major streams. Mialoquo ( Amaye'le'gwa ) – located in present-day Monroe County, on a now-submerged island in the middle of the Little Tennessee River. This was just north of the modern U.S. Route 411 bridge. Mooney believed Mialoquo might have been the village of Nilaque, which the naturalist John Bartram recorded visiting. The term "Mialoquo" means "Great Island." 35°36′55″N 84°14′26″W  /  35.61534°N 84.24048°W  / 35.61534; -84.24048 Tuskegee ( Taskigi ) – located at

5280-461: The residents greeted him with a long dance. After smoking a peace pipe with the town leader Cheulah, Timberlake proceeded southward to Chilhowee, where he gained similar assurances of peace. He returned via the trail to Long Island on the Holston. Timberlake's journals, published in the 1760s, contain detailed descriptions of Cherokee council-houses, residences, canoes, and other facets of everyday Cherokee life; these were invaluable to historians. At

5360-418: The river after Tanasi. Among the earliest English traders to reside at Tanasi was Eleazar Wiggan— nicknamed "Old Rabbit" by the Cherokee— who operated out of Tanasi as early as 1711. He also served as a guide for later colonial diplomats and emissaries. In 1725, the province of South Carolina dispatched Colonel George Chicken to Tanasi to obtain Cherokee assistance in the colony's struggles with

5440-450: The river for 12,000 years. The Overhill settlements were concentrated around three rivers at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Unicoi Mountains , in what are now Monroe and Polk counties in Tennessee. The northernmost of these three rivers, the Little Tennessee, was the locus of a string of prominent Overhill settlements situated between modern-day Vonore and Calderwood Dam . Other important settlements were situated along

5520-412: The river on one side and a series of high, steep hills on the other. These hills, noted on Timberlake's 1762 map, are part of the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Province , which spans much of the upper Tennessee Valley . The Appalachian Range proper rises a few miles south of the Chota-Tanasi site. Tanasi first appears in the historical record in the early 18th century, at a time when the fur trade between

5600-420: The sites threatened by flooding from a dam and reservoir project, between 1969 and 1974, University of Tennessee archaeologists conducted excavations at the Chota-Tanasi site to establish history and recover as many artifacts as possible. Two excavations—one in 1970 and one in 1972—were focused specifically on Tanasi. Although artifacts dating to the Archaic period (and even a fluted projectile point dating to

5680-400: The submerged former sites of Toqua and Tallassee. Abrams Creek, which traverses Cades Cove and empties into the Little Tennessee, is named after chief Abraham of Chilhowee. In the 20th century, Fort Loudoun was reconstructed by state teams, as well as a replica of a 17th-century village dwelling of Tuskegee; these are located within the Fort Loudoun State Park . The state park also manages

5760-399: The town in 1730, reported that Great Tellico had the fiercest warriors of all the Overhill towns. Great Tellico's sister town, Chatuga , was also located in the valley. 35°21′59″N 84°17′15″W  /  35.36627°N 84.28745°W  / 35.36627; -84.28745 Great Hiwassee ( Ayouwasi ) – located in present-day Polk County, along the Hiwassee River at the base of

5840-525: The townhouse and killed the assembled Indians if they refused. During his stay in Great Tellico, Cuming was impressed by the display of its chief Moytoy. He described the encounter in his journal (referring to his party in third person): They arrived at great Telliquo in the Afternoon, saw the petrifying Cave, a great many Enemies Scalps brought in and put upon Poles at the Warriors Doors, made

5920-584: The types of cultural materials and features uncovered at the two village sites, which had developed on either side of a creek. 18th-century traders and diplomats, however, clearly identified these as two separate towns. Tanasi was reported by Euro-American traders from their first explorations in the region in the early 18th century, but Chota does not appear in the historical record until around 1745. The maps of John Herbert and George Hunter, drawn in 1727 and 1730, respectively, show Tanasi but not Chota. In 1746, English agent George Pawley met with Cherokee leaders at

6000-467: The university has conducted in the Tennessee Valley over the past century. Tanasi Tanasi ( Cherokee : ᏔᎾᏏ , romanized:  Tanasi ; also rendered Tanase , Tenasi , Tenassee , Tunissee , Tennessee , and other such variations) was a historic Overhill settlement site in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee , in the southeastern United States. The village became

6080-439: The warning to the settlers, who prepared their defenses. The first prong of the attack, led by Dragging Canoe , was defeated by colonists at Heaton's Station . The second and third prongs, led by Abraham of Chilhowee and The Raven , were routed at Fort Watauga and Carter's Valley. In response to these attacks, several thousand militia members in two groups led by William Christian and General Griffith Rutherford invaded

6160-452: Was chief among the Middle Towns. Not only was Cherokee society highly decentralized and the towns generally exercised considerable autonomy under their own chiefs, but travel between these territories was difficult in the mountainous region.) Chicken recorded a speech in which the Tanasi Warrior pledged support for the English. The two later engaged in a pipe-smoking session in which the Tanasi Warrior told Chicken of recent Creek hostilities in

6240-407: Was greeted by Ostenaco and witnessed a ceremonial return of a Cherokee war party. After smoking a peace pipe with Ostenaco, Timberlake proceeded southward to Chota, where he was met by some 400 Cherokee. Timberlake smoked a peace pipe with several tribal leaders and recorded the layout and design of the town's large council-house. The following day, Timberlake arrived in the town of Citico, where

6320-415: Was placed at the site along with the reinterred grave of Oconastota. Nearby, a small monument was erected marking the site of Tanasi and recalling it as the root of the state's name. Both sites are managed by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee . Further upstream, Chilhowee Dam was named after the now-submerged site of Chilhowee. Tennessee Reservoir Development Agency (TRDA) boat ramps have been named after

6400-487: Was the term for the Cherokee people located in their historic settlements in what is now the U.S. state of Tennessee in the Southeastern United States , on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains . This name was used by 18th-century European traders and explorers from British colonies along the Atlantic coast, as they had to cross the mountains to reach these settlements. Situated along

#587412