Native nations
The Cherokee, Tuscarora, Catawba, Lumbee and the other nations of North Carolina, their towns, wars and removal. 115 places on the trail.
Before 1585
Colonial North Carolina, 1585-1774
- B-72AQUASCOGOCAlgonquian village; was in this vicinity. Burned, July 18, 1585, by Roanoke colonists in their first dispute with Indian...
- L-69CATAWBA INDIAN RESERVATIONBy survey of 1772 the Catawba Indian reservation boundary in S.C. was made the N.C.-S.C. boundary in this area.
- F-36CATECHNAFortified Indian town & site of the Tuscarora conspiracy of Sept., 1711. Capitulated, 1712, after a 10-day siege by Col....
- Q-5CHEROKEE DEFEATIn the French and Indian War Col. Grant's force of whites, Chickasaws, and Catawbas defeated the Cherokee warriors near ...
- Q-6CHEROKEE VICTORYIn the French and Indian War, the Cherokees defeated a colonial and British force from N.Y. under Colonel Montgomery nea...
- Q-10CHEROKEE WARMajor George Chicken of South Carolina led first English military expedition against the Cherokee in this area, 1715.
- B-69DASEMUNKEPEUCAlgonquian village at the time of Roanoke voyages. Home of leader, Wingina, slain by colonist, 1586. Abandoned in 1587, ...
- C-32FORT BARNWELLConstructed by Colonel John Barnwell of South Carolina in campaign against the Tuscarora Indians in April, 1712. Remains...
- M-1FORT DOBBSBuilt in 1756 by colony. Was garrisoned by North Carolina Provincials during French & Indian War, until 1762. Site 1 mi....
- L-21GRIFFITH RUTHERFORD ca. 1721-1805Militia general. He led expedition against the Cherokee, 1776. Colonial & state official. Lived nearby on Grant's Creek.
- A-2INDIAN WOODSReservation established in 1717 for Tuscaroras remaining in N.C. after war of 1711-1713. Sold, 1828. Five miles N.W.
- D-90JAMES INNES ca. 1700-1759Commanded N.C. troops at Cartagena, 1740; led colonial forces, 1754-56, in French and Indian War. Grave 4 miles W.
- F-3JOHN LAWSONAuthor of "History of Carolina," explorer, and Surveyor-General, was executed Sept. 20, 1711, by Tuscarora Indians at Ca...
- G-118JOHN LEDERERPioneer German explorer traveled into Piedmont 1670 with Indian guide. Recorded observation of landscape & inhabitants. ...
- Q-4JUDACULLA ROCKSoapstone boulder carved with Indian symbols between 500 & 1700 A.D. Sacred to the Cherokee. Petroglyphs 3 1/2 mi. SE.
- Q-57KITUWAHCherokee mother town. Council house stood on mound here. Town was destroyed, 1761, by James Grant's forces.
- A-45LANE'S EXPEDITIONRalph Lane and a group of English colonists explored the Chawanook Indian country and the Chowan River, 1586, north to t...
- B-42MATTAMUSKEETLargest natural lake in N.C. Center of an Indian reservation, established 1715. Twice drained and farmed. Wildlife refug...
- D-63MAURICE MOORELeader in Tuscarora and S.C. Indian Wars. One of original Cape Fear settlers. Founded Brunswick, 1726. His plantation wa...
- A-77MEHERRIN TOWNVillage of the Meherrin Indians, an Iroquoian tribe, inhabited circa 1685-1727. Was located on the Meherrin River 2 1/2 ...
- Q-9NIKWASIThis mound marks site of old Cherokee town, Nikwasi. A council of Sir Alexander Cuming with the Indians here led to a tr...
- F-37NOOHEROOKATuscarora stronghold. Site of decisive battle of the Tuscarora War, March 20-23, 1713, when 950 Indians were killed or c...
- G-33OCCANEECHIVillage of Occaneechi Indians on the Great Trading Path. Inhabited ca. 1680-1710. Visited in 1701 by the explorer John L...
- F-38TORHUNTAA Tuscarora Indian community, destroyed by Col. John Barnwell's S.C. forces in Tuscarora War, 1712. Site is nearby.
- O-77TRYON MOUNTAINLandmark on Cherokee boundary, negotiated by Gov. William Tryon and Cherokee chiefs, 1767. Elevation 3,231 feet.
- A-46WEAPEMEOCThe principal town of the Weapemeoc Indians, visited by Ralph Lane and his colonists in 1585-1586, stood near present-da...
- A-47YEOPIMReservation established for Yeopim Indians in 1704; sold after 1739. Northern boundary nearby; village was 2 miles S.E.
Revolution and founding, 1775-1789
- L-22BATTLE OF COWAN'S FORDCornwallis, pursuing Greene, crossed the Catawba, 7 mi. w., after sharp fight, Feb. 1, 1781.
- E-44BENJAMIN HAWKINSMember Continental Congress, United States Senator, 1789-1795, U.S. Indian Agent to the Creek Nation, 1796-1816. Home wa...
- N-26CATHEY'S FORTA rendezvous for the North Carolina militia led by General Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee in 1776, was one mil...
- Q-7CHEROKEE DEFEATDuring the American Revolution, S.C. forces under Colonel Andrew Williamson defeated the Cherokees, nearby, at the “Blac...
- N-31FRONTIER FORTEarly outpost against Indians. Used by Gen. Rutherford in expedition against Cherokee, Sept., 1776. Stood nearby and gav...
- P-82HOWARD GAP ROADRoute used by Indians & settlers in crossing the Blue Ridge. Named for Capt. Thomas Howard, 1776 militia leader.
- P-37RUTHERFORD TRACEThe expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, September, 1776, passed nearby on the banks of the ...
- P-38RUTHERFORD TRACEThe expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, Sept., 1776, passed nearby.
- P-39RUTHERFORD TRACEThe expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, Sept., 1776, camped nearby along Hominy Creek.
- P-40RUTHERFORD TRACEThe expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, Sept., 1776, passed nearby along Hominy Creek.
- P-41RUTHERFORD TRACEThe expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, Sept., 1776, passed here, through Pigeon Gap.
- P-42RUTHERFORD TRACEThe expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, Sept., 1776, passed here, through Balsam Gap.
- Q-42RUTHERFORD TRACEThe expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, Sept., 1776, passed nearby along Savannah Creek.
- Q-43RUTHERFORD TRACEThe expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, Sept., 1776, passed nearby, through Cowee Gap.
- N-32SWANNANOA GAPUsed by Indians and pioneers in crossing Blue Ridge. General Rutherford's expedition against Cherokee passed here, Septe...
- L-24TRADING FORDOn famous trading path used by Indians and early settlers. There Greene, retreating from Cornwallis, crossed on Feb. 2, ...
- Q-44WILLIAM BARTRAMPhiladelphia naturalist, author, exploring this area, met a Cherokee band led by their chief, Atakullakulla, in May 1776...
- P-54WILLIAM MOORECaptain of militia force which marched against the Cherokee in Nov., 1776. A fort which he built stood near here. His ho...
The young state, 1790-1860
- P-50'CATALOOCHEE TRAIL'An old Indian path across mountains used by early settlers and in 1810 by Bishop Asbury. Trail passed nearby.
- P-51'CATALOOCHEE TRAIL'Indian path across the mountains used by early settlers and in 1810 by Bishop Francis Asbury. Trail passed nearby.
- Q-40BAPTIST MISSIONFor Cherokee Indians, established in 1817, consisting of a chapel, school, farm, and mills. Was 3 1/2 miles north.
- L-59CATAWBA COLLEGECoeducational, liberal arts. Affiliated with Evangelical & Reformed Church. Opened at Newton, 1851. Moved here, 1925, an...
- O-51CATAWBA COLLEGECoeducational, liberal arts. Affiliated with Evangelical & Reformed Church. Opened 1/2 mi. N., 1851. Moved to Salisbury,...
- Q-14CHEROKEE INDIAN RESERVATIONEstablished by United States for Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians after removal of 1838. (Reverse) (LEAVING) Established...
- Q-11FORT BUTLEROne of forts in which Gen. Winfield Scott gathered the Cherokee before moving them west in 1838. Stood 1/4 mile southwes...
- O-23HOKE SMITHSecretary of Interior, 1893-1896, Governor of Georgia, United States Senator, was born, 1855 at Catawba College, then lo...
- Q-32INDIAN BOUNDARYNear here the highway crosses Meigs-Freeman Line, surveyed in 1802, boundary between whites & Cherokees until 1819.
- Q-2JUNALUSKA ca. 1779-1858Cherokee warrior, fought for U.S. in Creek War, 1814. Granted citizenship and land by N.C., 1847. Grave is one mile S.W.
- A-65LAFAYETTEOn his American tour Lafayette spent night of Feb. 26, 1825, at Indian Queen Inn which stood two blocks north.
- O-68M. L. McCORKLE 1817-1899Superior Court judge; a founder of Catawba College; state senator & Confederate colonel. His home stood here.
- M-2MONTFORT STOKES 1762-1842Governor, 1830-1832; U.S. Senator; Federal Indian Commissioner. Home stood 1 mi. N.
- I-26ROBERT STRANGEU.S. Senator, 1836-40; author of "Eoneguski, or Cherokee Chief," first novel about North Carolina (1839). Home and grave...
- Q-3TSALICherokee who resisted removal & escaped from U.S. troops; executed nearby, 1838. Story inspired Unto These Hills.
- Q-12YONAGUSKA ca. 1760-1839Chief of Oconaluftee Cherokee. He advocated temperance and opposed removal of his people from their homeland. Lived in t...
Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877
- O-49CATAWBA SPRINGSFashionable "watering place," a recreational and social center prior to 1861. The hotel stood five miles northeast.
- Q-8DEEP CREEKSite of Union attack on Thomas’s Legion, Feb. 2, 1864. Reduced Cherokee support for Confederacy. One mile northeast.
- I-87HENRY BERRY LOWRIEIndian. Champion of the poor. Declared outlaw, he eluded capture and disappeared in swamps, ca. 1872. House 3 mi. NW.
- Q-58NIMROD JARRETT SMITH 1837-1893Principal Chief, Eastern Band of Cherokee, 1880-1891. Led incorporation of Band & centralization of Tribal government on...
- P-7QUALLA BOUNDARYSoco Gap, initial point of U.S. survey, 1876, of Cherokee Reservation, created through earlier efforts of W. H. Thomas, ...
- Q-56THOMAS'S LEGIONWilliam H. Thomas led Confederate "Legion of Indians & Mountaineers." Cherokee companies raised nearby in 1862.
- Q-46WILLIAM H. THOMASWhite chief and agent of N.C. Cherokee. Secured reservation for them. Confederate colonel. State senator. Home, "Stekoih...
The New South, 1878-1929
- I-8BURNT SWAMP ASSOCIATIONBaptist churches serving Lumbee and other tribes. Association was formed in 1881 at Burnt Swamp Church, then 2 1/2 mi. N...
- O-62CHARLES H. MEBANESuperintendent of Public Instruction, 1897-1901; president of Catawba College, 1901-04; newspaper editor. Home 3 blocks ...
- I-68CROATAN NORMAL SCHOOLEst. in 1887 to educate teachers of Indian youth. It was the forerunner of UNC-Pembroke. Building was 2/10 mile east.
- Q-45ECHOTA MISSIONMethodist. Maintained by Holston Conference for Cherokee c. 1840-1885. School established 1850. Missionary's house stand...
- E-59JIM THORPE 1886-1953Indian athlete, star of the 1912 Olympics, made his professional baseball debut with Rocky Mount Railroaders, 1909. Ball...
- I-30UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT PEMBROKEEstablished 1887 as the State Normal School for Indians. Since 1972 a campus of The University of North Carolina.
Modern North Carolina, 1930 on
- I-93"BATTLE OF HAYES POND"The Lumbee and other American Indians ousted the Ku Klux Klan from Maxton, Jan. 18, 1958, at rally, 1 1/2 miles SW.
- M-26PILOT MOUNTAINLandmark for Indians and pioneer settlers. Elevation 2,420 feet. State park since 1968. Stands 3 miles west.
- K-67TOWN CREEKAn Indian village that represents Mississippian mound-building tradition (A.D. 1150 to 1450). The reconstructed site, fi...
- KK-2TOWN CREEK INDIAN MOUND STATE HISTORIC SITESite of American Indian civic-ceremonial village, with platform mound, dating to circa 1,000 C.E. Studied by archaeologi...
Battlefields, sites and undated markers
- I-95BUIE MOUND
- A-84CHOANOACPrincipal village of the Choanoac Indians, led in 1580s by Menatonon, was 3 mi. east. Largest Algonquian group in N.C. a...
- I-98COHARIE INDIAN TRIBE
- Q-39COWEEPrincipal settlement of the Cherokee Middle Towns. Council house stood on mound 300 yds. S. Town destroyed during the Re...
- OO-1EARLY TRANS-CATAWBA HISTORY
- I-97EAST CAROLINA INDIAN SCHOOL
- P-47ESTATOE PATHTrading route between mountain settlements of the Cherokee and their town Estatoe, in what is now South Carolina, passed...
- P-48ESTATOE PATHTrading route between mountain settlements of the Cherokee and their town, Estatoe, in what is now South Carolina, passe...
- P-45FLAT ROCKLandmark for Indians and the pioneer white settlers of this area, lies nearby. Town of Flat Rock named for this natural ...
- Q-15FORT HEMBREEOne of the forts where General Winfield Scott's United States forces gathered the Cherokee before moving them west, stoo...
- P-83GARDEN CREEKCherokee villages and mounds 1/3 mile west a key site for archaeologists. Occupied from 8000 B.C. to 1600s A.D.
- E-130HALIWA-SAPONI INDIAN TRIBE
- J-44LOWER SAURA TOWNA village of the Saura Indians, abandoned by that tribe in the early 18th century, was on Dan River, 2 1/2 mi. N.E.
- I-96LUMBEE TRIBE
- A-95MEHERRIN TRIBE
- G-142OCCANEECHI INDIAN TRIBE
- P-27PAINT ROCKPictographs on cliff face were created by Indians ca. 2500 B.C. & long have been landmark for travelers. 5 1/2 mi. N.W.
- G-143SAPPONY TRIBE
- N-7SINK HOLE MINEAmong oldest of area mica mines. Evidence indicates it was first worked by Indians. Remains 4 mi. S.W.
- E-30TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Carolina, ...
- G-31TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Carolina, ...
- G-32TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Carolina p...
- G-34TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to the Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Caroli...
- G-35TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Carolina, ...
- K-18TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to the Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Caroli...
- K-19TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Carolina, ...
- K-20TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Carolina, ...
- K-21TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Carolina, ...
- L-30TRADING PATHColonial trading route dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to the Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Carolin...
- L-33TRADING PATHColonial trading route started in 17th century; extended from southern Va. to land of Catawba & Waxhaw Indians in N.C. P...
- L-34TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from the seventeenth century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to the Waxhaw Indians in Carolin...
- L-35TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from the seventeenth century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to the Waxhaw Indians in Carolin...
- L-36TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from the seventeenth century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to the Catawba Indians in Caroli...
- L-37TRADING PATHColonial trading route, dating from the seventeenth century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to the Catawba Indians in Caroli...
- J-43UPPER SAURA TOWNA village of the Saura Indians, abandoned by that tribe in the early 18th century, was on Dan River, two mi. S.
- D-123WACCAMAW SIOUAN INDIAN TRIBE