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TELLICO PLAINS, NC - The Tellico Plains Area Chamber of Commerce is proud and excited to be hosting theTelliquah 2000 Native American Gathering. It's a "Welcoming Home" to all of our Native American brothers and sisters to come visit Tellico Plains, once known as Telliquah, the early home of a mighty Cherokee nation.

The Cherokee Indians called Tellico Plains home for centuries and had Summer Meetings in the fields along the Tellico River (much like today’s family reunions), seeing old family friends, trading goods, arranging marriages, and playing their ball game- Highway 360 is also called Ball Play Road. It’s told that Sam Houston would come here to be with the Cherokee prior to his move to Texas. The earliest Europeans came with Hernando de Soto in March of 1540. Some 600 men on an expedition for gold, silver and other treasures. Not finding these, de Soto took his toll from the Cherokee. Journals record a visit to the town of Coste (thought to be Toqua) and the town of Tali (believed to be Tellico Plains). Captain John Pardo led 2 more expeditions, following the earlier route of de Soto, building forts along the trail, later abandoned then destroyed by the Cherokee.

The British passed through here on expeditions establishing Fort Loudoun where the Tellico River (Telliquo) joins the Little Tennessee River, they had a peaceful relationship with the Cherokee. For several years, in 1760 the Cherokee lay siege to FortLoudoun forcing the British to surrender. 28 were massacred near Tellico Plains while trying to return to Charleston SC.

In 1736 Christian Priber, a German socialist, tried to establish a Utopia Kingdom of Paradise with the Cherokee. He was thought to be a spy for the French and was imprisoned by the British.

The first white settler was William L. “Buckie” Hunt who in 1816 had a plantation of some 2000 acres, most of which is presently owned by the Stokley Company. The Hunt family has many descendants still living here.

The trail of tears saw the Cherokees taken through this area to gather at Ross’s Landing near Chattanooga for their long journey to Oklahoma where you will find the town of Tellaquah.

Tellico Plains is located in southeastern Tennessee off Hwy. 68, one county north of the Tennessee/Ga. state lines, and adjacent to the western side of the NC state line. Atlanta Ga. is about 2 1/2 hours south of us, while Chattanooga is 2 hours south, Knoxville is 1 hour north. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge (home of Dollywood) is about 1 1/2 hour's drive away. NC is actually only 4 miles from us, but it's "as the crow flys". A new scenic highway was opened here in October, 1996, named after the Cherokee National Forest and Nantahala Forest which are connected by this road. It's called Cherohala Skyway and is about 51 miles long, connecting Tellico Plains and Robbinsville, North Carolina.

Come celebrate with us the beauty and rich heritage that these mountains hold. Share in its stories, listen to its songs, enjoy demonstrations and shop among the many arts and crafts that will be on display.