Cherokee County

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Cities/Towns: Andrews - Culberson - Hiwassee - Marble - Murphy* - Oak Park - Peachtree - Postell - Ranger - Suit - Tomotia - Topton - Unaka - VioletUnique places: Appalachia Dam - Hiwassee Dam -Mountain Biking - Nantahala Lake - Nantahala National Forest - Nantahala Outdoor Center ("Best Outfitters on Earth" -- National Geographic Adventure Magazine) - Ocoee Adventure Center - Tri-County Community College - Whitewater Rafting

Local Newspaper (s) - (Community News) - The Andrews Journal, The Cherokee Scout

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Western North Carolina Area Info Mountain Activities Campgrounds

 

Welcome Valley Village is located in Polk County, Tennessee, bordering both Western North Carolina and North Georgia. Our rental cabins are located just a few miles outside the Cherokee National Forest, which is best known for its great rivers and numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation and scenic drives.
Courtesy Valley Village Log Cabins
Valley Village Log Cabins

 

The Upper Ocoee River is scheduled to run 34 days during the 2006 rafting season. Space is limited on Upper Ocoee trips and should be reserved in advance. Call early to reserve a full-river trip (both sections) for a full day of rafting fun! (Includes lunch on the river.)
Courtsey Ocoee Adventure Center
Ocoee Adventure Center Water Release Schedule

 

Warning: You need to always be smart when visiting any wildlife area in the world. As the now infamous far-left and ridiculous Grizzle Man discovered in Alaska, you don't treat wild animals like your average everyday pets . . . read more

 

 

A Brief History of the Formation of Cherokee County

Source: Cherokee County North Carolina

Early Exploration:

The Southern Appalachian Mountains are believed to be among the oldest on the planet. As early as 1540 the mountains and valleys now known as Cherokee County were explored by DeSoto and inhabited by the Cherokee Indians. The great Tennessee, Hiwassee and Valley Rivers were mined for gold as evidenced by old tunnels, shafts, Spanish cannon balls, pistols bearing the Spanish coat of arms and coin molds found along their river banks.

Cherokee Removal:

In the early 1800's as the white man coveted the rich lands and beautiful swift rivers of Western North Carolina, President Jackson sent 7,000 troops into Western North Carolina who built six forts to oversee the removal of the Cherokee to Oklahoma. The largest of these was Fort Butler, built at the present site of Murphy on the Hiwassee River. The removal of the Cherokee along the "Trail of Tears" was described and recorded as "the greatest blot on America's history". More than 4,000 Native Americans died before they reached Oklahoma. Indians who were able to elude their captors hid in the hills and were later granted lands in Cherokee County.

White Settlement:As the white settlers built their forts and towns on the rivers, they farmed near the streams and creeks, and built dams to produce power to operate tub mills, grind flour and create flumes for mining gold. Logging became the first industry in the area and primary means of making a living. Logs flowed down the rivers to the sawmills; rafts, flatboats and canoes brought in supplies. As early as 1820 a Baptist mission school was established at the Old Natchez Town on the Hiwassee River and the first Methodist Church, Harshaw Chapel (a standing historic site) was built in Murphy in 1869.Civil War:

In 1861 Cherokee County raised 1,100 men for the Confederate Army as the state seceded from the union. In 1865 Kirk's Raiders burned the County Courthouse in Murphy (the first of four courthouse fires between 1865 and 1926). The present Courthouse, now over 70 years old, is constructed of solid masonry and blue marble quarried from the county. Following the Civil War, in 1888, the way of life changed for the better with the introduction of the railroad.

 

Source: Cherokee County North Carolina

 

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