Tennessee Geography Intersecting with Tennessee History A Unit Presented by John M' Isabell

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Tennessee GeographyIntersecting with Tennessee
HistoryA Unit Presented byJohn M. Isabell
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Geologic Map of Tennessee
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Six Geologic Regions of Tennessee

• Blue Ridge Mountains
• Great Valley of Tennessee
• Cumberland Plateau

• Highland Rim
• Nashville Basin (aka Central Basin)
• Gulf Coastal Plain

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Relief Map of Tennessee
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Major Rivers Lakes of Tennessee

• The Mississippi River
• The Tennessee River
• The Cumberland River

• Reelfoot Lake

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Annual Precipitation in Tennessee
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Climate Facts About Tennessee

• Average Summer Temperature is 85-95 degrees
  Fahrenheit
• Average Winter Temperature rarely falls below 10
  degrees Fahrenheit

• Tennessee Averages 50 inches of Precipitation a
  year

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Prehistoric Native American Groups in Tennessee

• Paleo-Indians (15,000 years ago)
  Hunters/Gatherers
• Archaic Indians (8,000 years ago) First to
  begin farming

• Woodland Indians (1000 800 B.C.) First
  permanent settlements and were mound builders
• Mississippian Indians (1000 A.D.) Mound
  builders with large, complext societies

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Mound near Nashville, TN
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Old Stone Fort of Mississippian Era
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Artists rendition of a Mississippian Village
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Marble Statues of Mississippian Culture
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Painting of Mississippian Era Indian circa 1565
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Major Historic Native American Groups in Tennessee

• Cherokee
• Chickasaw

• Creek (includes remnants of Yuchi)
• Shawnee

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Detail Map of Location of Major Eastern Native
American Tribes
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Spanish Explorers in Tennessee

• Hernando de Soto (1540)
• Juan Pardo (1566

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French Explorers in Tennessee

• Father Jacques Marquette Louis Joliet (1673)
• Robert Cavalier de La Salle (1680-1682)
• Jean Couture (1696)
• French Traders establish trading post at Great
  Salt Lick/French Lick (Nashville)

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English Explorers

• James Needham Gabriel Arthur (1673)
• Needham is killed by guide known as Indian John.

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Long Hunters Explore Tennessee

• Dr. Thomas Walker explores into Kentucky and
  Tennessee Names the Cumberland Gap after Lord
  Cumberland

• Daniel Boone also explores into Kentucky and
  Tennessee and leads many settlers through the
  Cumberland Gap

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Stahlnaker Indian Trader who may have given
Thomas Walker Directions for the Cumberland Gap
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Daniel Boone leading settlers through the
Cumberland Gap
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Settlers Spread into Tennessee

• First settler is William Bean in 1768. Others
  soon follow and establish the settlement of
  Watauga.
• James Robertson leads first large group to what
  will become Watauga in 1770-1771.

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The Watauga Association Commissioners
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James Robertson
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Two Journeys To Cumberland Settlements

• James Robertson leads party of men and livestock
  overland through the Cumberland Gap.
• They have some encounters with Native Americans,
  but have relatively easy trip.

• John Donelson leads women and children by
  riverboat on the Tennessee, Ohio and Cumberland
  Rivers
• They encounter horrid weather, hostile Native
  Americans and endure great hardships.

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The Cumberland Settlements