America’s 250th Scavenger Hunt – STOP TWO

Pre-1700s
Pre-Historic peoples such as the Paleo, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian people inhabited and hunted the area.

1700s
Williamson County served as home and hunting grounds for primarily the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Shawnee people.

1783- The Treaty of French Lick:
Nashville, at the time, was referred to as “French Lick” for the natural salt lick that attracted wildlife and French settlers. The treaty was an informal agreement in which American Frontier settlers and Native American groups promised to keep peace, recognize settlement around Nashville, and coexist under loosely defined land boundaries.

1796- Tennessee becomes a state.
The pressure for settlers to move south and west into Indigenous territory increases rapidly.

1805: Treaty with the Chickasaw of 1805:
The treaty signed on July 23, 1805, was the first major land cession by the Chickasaw, in which they gave up a large portion of Middle Tennessee to the United States for $20,000—much of it used to settle debts. This agreement, negotiated by leaders like James Robertson, George Colbert, and Chinubbee, opened the land for white settlement and led directly to the founding of towns like Franklin.

1830: Indian Removal Act/Treaty of Franklin:
The Franklin Crisis began after the Indian Removal Act, when Andrew Jackson met with Chickasaw leaders in Franklin at the Masonic Hall to sign the Treaty of Franklin—the first removal treaty—marking the beginning of their forced displacement.

1837-1839: The Trail of Tears:
This was the forced removal of thousands of Native Americans—especially the Cherokee—from their homelands in the Southeast to present-day Oklahoma under the Indian Removal Act. The journey was brutal, and thousands died from disease, starvation, and exposure along the way.

Present Day:
While the tribal governments were moved to Oklahoma, many individuals stayed behind or eventually returned. Today, Middle Tennessee is home to thousands of Indigenous people from many different nations.

Fewkes Group Archaeological Site: Located in Primm Historic Park (Public Access)

Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park: Located in Manchester, TN (Public Access)

Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area: Located in Harpeth River State Park (only accessible through a guided ranger tour)

The Glass Mounds: Located in the Westhaven area of Franklin (Private)

Old Town- Located near Natchez Trace (Private Residence)

The Coats-Hines Site: Near Cool Springs

The French Lick/Salt Trade Site: Near Cumberland River in downtown Nashville