Historical Overview
Hicks, John Ross, Lewis Ross, John Martin, James Brown, George Lowrey, Gideon Morgan, Jr., Cobbin Smith, Stephen Rabbitt, Samuel Wood, John Walker and Cherokee Dick.
Calhoun was chosen as the first county seat in 1819 but in 1823 Athens was designated to represent the county and its people. Eli Hurst, a merchant in Athens, was credited with naming the town in 1821. The ridges and hills surrounding Athens reminded him of descriptions of the capital of Greece.
Calhoun, being the oldest town in the county, was settled in 1821 and named for Secretary of War, John C. Calhoun, who served as Vice President under Andrew Jackson. Being situated on the Hiwassee River, it was an ideal location for a paper mill which is today, the largest newsprint plant in the United States.
Etowah was first known as Grady before the L&N Railroad organized the town in 1905 and in 1906 gave it the name of "Etowah". The name is contributed to it being a Creek word for "tribe" or "town" and also for it being a Cherokee word for "muddy waters".
WELCOME TO A PORTION OF THE TENNESSEE OVERHILL
This area was named because it was home to the Cherokee towns that were on the western slopes of the Appalachian Mountains - overhill from the Lower Cherokee settlements. The OVERHILL is composed of the southeast counties of McMinn, Monroe and Polk, as well as the southern portion of the Cherokee National Forest.
This is the richly detailed site that you need to start with for your Cherokee learning adventure.
