Sycamore Shoals
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Sycamore Shoals is a stretch of the Watauga River near present-day Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA, offering a ford crossing of the river.
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[edit] Overview
It was a place where American pioneers met to treaty with the Cherokee during the late 18th century. Later it became the center of the Watauga Settlements and Fort Watauga was built nearby. In 1776, the Cherokees, allied with the British during the American Revolutionary War, launched an attack on the Watauga and Holston settlements. The settlers were warned by the Cherokee leader Nancy Ward and prepared defenses. One battle was fought near the Long Island of the Holston River (in present-day Kingsport, Tennessee), and another near Sycamore Shoals and Fort Watauga. Today, Sycamore Shoals is a Tennessee State Park and Historic Area. A reconstruction of Fort Watauga stands in the park.
[edit] History
In 1772, the pioneers who had settled in northeast Tennessee (along the Watauga River, the Holston River, the Nolichucky River, and Carter Valley) met at Sycamore Shoals to establish a local government known as the Watauga Association.
In 1775, a treaty was held between the Cherokee and a delegation of the Transylvania Company, headed by Richard Henderson. Under the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals (or the Treaty of Watauga) the Transylvania Company purchased a vast amount of land from the Cherokees, including most of present-day Kentucky and part of Tennessee. The treaty was technically illegal since the purchase of land from Native Americans was reserved by the government (the British, the governments of Virginia and North Carolina, and, later, the United States, all forbade private purchase of land from Indians).
During the treaty, Dragging Canoe, son of the Cherokee chief Attacullaculla, made a speech condemning the sale of Cherokee land and broke from the general Cherokee government to form the sub-tribe known as the Chickamauga.
After Henderson's Transylvania Company had bought Kentucky (although other tribes claimed it, such as the Shawnee), Daniel Boone was hired to widen the Indian path over Cumberland Gap to facilitate migration. This road became known as the Wilderness Road.
In September 1780, the "Overmountain Men" assembled, forming a militia under Colonel John Sevier and Colonel Isaac Shelby. The troops later fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain, one of the turning points of the American Revolution.
[edit] National Historic Landmark
Today, Sycamore Shoals is a park. A reconstruction of Fort Watauga stands near the Sycamore Shoals River crossing. The original location is believed to be approximately 1,500 yards (1,500 m) to the southwest of the reconstructed fort. Some historians question the location of Fort Watauga, pointing to discrepancies in the historical accounts and the lack of good primary sources. Archaeological and archival research indicates that there was some kind of fortification near Sycamore Shoals, but it may have been one of many blockhouses built in the region rather than Fort Watauga. A scenic trail leads from the fort to the bank of the Watauga River the historic Shoals. The park is listed as a National Historic Landmark.
There are re-enactments at the fort each year, including a 4th of July celebration and an outdoor drama called The Wataugans.
[edit] References
- Compton, Brian P. "Revised History of Fort Watauga". (Masters Thesis, 2005) [[1]]
- National Historic Landmarks Program - Sycamore Shoals
