Old Cherokee Path

United State] [[Image:Gotoarrow.pn]  [[United States Migration Internal|Migratio]  [[Image:Gotoarrow.pn]  [[US Migration Trails and Roads|Trails and Road]  [[Image:Gotoarrow.pn]  [[Old_Cherokee_Path|Old Cherokee Path

The Old Cherokee Path connected the Lower Cherokee Indian villages, in particular Tugalo just southwest of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_River Savannah Rive in what is now [[Georgi (but also villages in [[South Carolina Genealogy|South Carolin]), with several Indian trails, especially the [[Great Indian Warpath]] or Great Valley Road as it was called in [[Virginia Genealogy|Virgini]. Tugaloo, Georgia was at a nexus of several other Indian trails. The Great Valley Road was one of the most significant settler migration routes in America. The Old Cherokee Path was not fully opened to European settlers until the Cherokee were forced out of South Carolina and part of Georgia in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War after the Cherokee sided with the British in that war. The Old Cherokee Path began in [[Stephens County, Georgi] and ended in [[Washington County, Virgini]. The length of the trail was about 150 miles (241 km).

Historical Background
Scots-Irish (that is Ulster-Irish), and German farmers migrating along the Great Valley Road (sometimes called the Great Wagon Road) through Virginia began settling the counties near the north end of the Old Cherokee Path in the 1750s. However, during part of the French and Indian War from 1754 to 1763 they decided to leave the Washington County, Virginia area. Some settlers after the war in Johnson County, Tennessee and Watauga County, North Carolina were pushing beyond the Proclamation line protecting Indians from intruders. Many of the re-settlers in the area became involved in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watauga_Association Watauga Associatio (a semi-automomous government) starting in 1772. In turn this led to the tentative and short-lived [[State of Franklin|State of Frankli].

From the first contact with Europeans the [[Cherokee Indians|Cherokee Indian] had settlements called the Lower Cherokee Village in the northwest part of [[South Carolina Genealogy|South Carolin and part of [[Georgia Genealogy (state)|Georgi]. The most prominent was the town of Keowe in what became [[Oconee County, South Carolina|Oconee County, South Carolin. Another important town was Tugalo near what became Toccoa, Georgia. Several important Indian trails converged on these villages, including the south end of the [[Old_Cherokee_Path|Old Cherokee Path]. The Cherokee resisted most European settlement near their villages. However, the Cherokee sided with the British during the American Revolutionary War. By 1777 Patriot forces attacked and drove the Cherokee from South Carolina, and Tugaloo, Georgia. Patriot veterans soon began to settle on former Cherokee lands. Eventually the old Indian trails in the area were improved into migration routes for European settlers.

As roads developed in America settlers were attracted to nearby communities because the roads provided access to markets. They could sell their products at distant markets, and buy products made far away. If an ancestor settled near a road, you may be able to trace back to a place of origin on a connecting highway.

Route
The first European colonists settled in counties along this trail (north to south) as follows:


 * [[Washington County, Virgini] 1750s by Scots-Irish (that is Ulster-Irish), and Germans (abandoned during French and Indian War 1754-1763)


 * [[Johnson County, Tennesse] about 1769 mostly by English, including Scots-Irish, and Germans


 * [[Watauga County, North Carolin] 1760s by Scots-Irish
 * [[Caldwell County, North Carolin] 1760s from Burke and Wilkes Counties, NC
 * [[Burke County, North Carolin] 1760s by English/Welsh, and then Scots-Irish
 * [[McDowell County, North Carolin] 1760s from Burke and Rutherford Counties, NC
 * [[Rutherford County, North Carolin] 1750s by Scots-Irish
 * [[Polk County, North Carolin] 1760s from Rutherford County, NC


 * [[Spartanburg County, South Carolin] 1755 by Scots-Irish
 * [[Greenville County, South Carolin] 1777 by Scots-Irish, and Revolutionary War Veterans
 * [[Pickens County, South Carolin] 1753 by English and Scots-Irish near [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Prince_George_(South_Carolina) Fort Prince Georg near [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keowee_(Cherokee_town) Keowe, the primary Lower Cherokee village.
 * [[Oconee County, South Carolin] 1784 by Germans, and Revolutionary War Veterans
 * [[Stephens County, Georgi] about 1777 by Revolutionary War Veterans

Connecting trails. The Old Cherokee Path linked to other trails at each end. Other trails also crossed it in the middle.

The migration pathways connected at the north end in [[Washington County, Virgini] included:


 * Great Indian Warpath pre-historic (overlapped by the Great Valley Road opened to European settlers about 1744).
 * Old Cherokee Path pre-historic
 * Wilderness Road 1775

The migration routes connected at the south end in [[Oconee County, South Carolin], or in Tugaloo, [[Stephens County, Georgia Genealogy|Stephens, Georgi] included:


 * Savannah River
 * Lower Cherokee Traders' Path a pre-historic trail connecting the Lower Cherokee Village to the Catawba Indians ([[Charlotte, North Carolin)
 * Old_Cherokee_Path a pre-historic trail from the Lower Cherokee Village to [[Washington County, Virgini on the [[Great Valley Road]] (also known as the Great Indian Warpath)
 * Coosa-Tugaloo Indian Warpath was a pre-historic path that went toward [[Birmingham, Alabam]
 * Tugaloo-Apalachee Bay Trail was a pre-historic trail headed for the Florida panhandle and probably [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Luis_de_Apalachee Mission San Luis de Apalache
 * Augusta and Cherokee Trail was a pre-historic trail from Tugalo originally to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_Town,_South_Carolina Savannah Town, South Carolin and later [[Augusta, Georgi
 * Old South Carolina State Road 1747 a fork of this road apparently connected Tugalo, Georgia to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Prince_George_(South_Carolina) Fort Prince Georg, to [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbi and to [[Charleston, South Carolin].
 * Fort Charlotte and Cherokee Old Path after 1765 followed the northeast side of the Savannah River from the Old_Cherokee_Path in [[Oconee County, South Carolina|Oconee Count] down to old Fort Charlott in northwest [[McCormick County, South Carolin
 * Upper Road about 1783 (overlapping the Lower Cherokee Traders' Path) connecting [[Fredericksburg, Virgini] to [[Macon, Georgi]
 * [[Unicoi Trail|Unicoi Turnpik] opened to a few European traders 1690, but the wagon road was not opened to settlers until 1813 from near Tugalo headed northwest to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overhill_Cherokee Overhill Cherokee village and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoxville,_Tennessee Knoxvill in [[Tennessee Genealogy|Tennesse

Between those two ends the Old Cherokee Path was also crossed by several other important routes:


 * Jonesboro Road after 1769 crossed the Old Cherokee Path near the Burke/McDowell county border, NC. The Jonesboro Road connected New Bern, North Carolina to Jonesborough and Knoxville, Tennessee.
 * [[Rutherford's War Trac] opended in 1776 through the same place because it overlapped the Jonesboro Road there.
 * Catawba Trail a pre-historic route met the Old Cherokee Path near the North Carolina/South Carolina border. The Catawba Trail connected the Lower Cherokee villages with the Cumberland Gap and Wilderness Road into Kentucky.
 * Old South Carolina State Road opened in 1747 and met the Old Cherokee Path near the North Carolina/South Carolina border. The Old South Carolina State Road made its way to Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina. A branch of the Old State Road also may have followed the Old Cherokee Path to Fort Prince George, Keowee, and Tugaloo.

Modern parallels. The modern roads that roughly match the old Old Cherokee Path start in Toccoa, Georgia. From Toccoa, take US-123 east to Easley, South Carolina, then east on US-124 to Greenville. Go north on US-25 to SC-11. Turn east on SC-11 to Gowensville. Take SC-14 north to Landrum, then northwest on US-176/Asheville Highway to Tryon, North Carolina. Turn north and then east onto NC-108 to Rutherfordton. Take US-64 north to Lenoir, then go north on US-321 to Boone. Take US-421 to Mountain City, then turn northeast onto NC-91 to Damascus, Tennessee. From Damascus take US-58 northwest to I-81, the Interstate version of the Great Valley Road.

Settlers and Records
The Great Valley Road was the trail leading to the north end of the Old Cherokee Path. A few colonists settled in Washington County Virginia in the early 1750s but decided to leave for safety reasons during the French and Indian War. The Lower Cherokee Villages on the South Carolina and Georgia part of the Old Cherokee Path inhibited most European settlements until the American Revolutionary War. Settlers prior to 1777 were most likely using trails other than the Old Cherokee Path to reach their new homes.

No complete list of settlers who used the Old Cherokee Path is known to exist. Nevertheless, local and county histories along that trail may reveal pioneer settlers who arrived after 1777 and therefore who were the most likely candidates to have traveled the Old Cherokee Path.

For partial lists of early settlers who may  have used the Old Cherokee Path, see histories like:

in Washington County, VA:


 * Lewis Preston Summers, History of Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870 (1903; reprint, Baltimore: Regional Pub. Co., 1971) [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/212906700 WorldCat entr.

in Oconee County, SC:


 * Frederick Van Clayton, Settlement of Pendleton District, 1777-1800 (Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, c1988) [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/18802872 WorldCat entr. The old Pendleton District embraced the present counties of Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens. Includes plats and their owners taken from the "State Record of Plat Books."

in Stephens County, GA:


 * Katheryn Curtis Trogdon, History of Stephens County, Georgia (Toccoa, Ga.: Toccoa Womans Club, [c1973]). [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/623349 WorldCat entr.

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