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Toqua (Tennessee)
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Toqua (Tennessee)
Toqua (Cherokee: ᏙᏉ, romanized: Toquo) was a prehistoric and historic Native American site in Monroe County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern Woodlands. Toqua was the site of a substantial ancestral town that thrived during the Mississippian period (1000-1600 CE). Toqua had a large earthwork 25-foot (7.6 m) platform mound built by the town's Mississippian-era inhabitants, in addition to a second, smaller mound. The site's Mississippian occupation may have been recorded by the Spanish as the village of Tali, which was documented in 1540 by the Hernando de Soto expedition. It was later known as the Overhill Cherokee town Toqua, and this name was applied to the archeological site.
In 1967 an archeological survey was conducted at this site prior to completion of the Tellico Dam, as that project would result in Toqua's inundation by Tellico Lake. The Toqua site was important as one of the last remaining Dallas-phase platform mound sites in the valley. In 1978 the archeological site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1979 the Toqua site was submerged after the Little Tennessee River was dammed. The lake is managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The shoreline above the Toqua site is now a recreational area managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The Little Tennessee River, which flows westward from its source in the Appalachian Mountains, traverses northern Monroe County for roughly 40 miles (64 km) before emptying into the Tennessee River near Lenoir City. Tellico Lake, created in 1979 by the construction of Tellico Dam at the mouth of the Little Tennessee, covers the lower 33 miles (53 km) of the river and the lower 22 miles (35 km) of the Tellico River. The Toqua site was situated along the south bank of the Little Tennessee at its confluence with Toqua Creek, approximately 22 miles (35 km) above the mouth of the river.
The shoreline above the now-submerged Toqua site comprises the Toqua Day Use Area Beach and Boat Ramp. It is situated along Tennessee State Route 360 approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the road's junction with U.S. Route 411 at Vonore. The site can be easily be observed from both the road and the boat ramp.
The Hernando de Soto expedition (1539–1543) most likely passed through the upper Tennessee Valley en route to the Coosa chiefdom in northern Georgia. The expedition, seeking a passage to the Pacific Ocean, had landed at Florida in May 1539 and marched northward through territory in what are now jurisdictions of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina before crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains via the Nolichucky River into the Tennessee Valley.
After spending several weeks at Chiaha (near modern Douglas Dam), the expedition followed the French Broad River and Tennessee River to the village of Coste, which was on Bussell Island at the mouth of the Little Tennessee River. On July 9, 1540, the expedition left Coste and followed the east bank of the Little Tennessee to the village of Tali, situated on the west bank of the river at what is now known as the Toqua site. The expedition's chroniclers noted that the river at this point was too deep to ford. The sight of the Spaniards created a general panic in Tali, and the villagers attempted to flee downstream in canoes. De Soto apparently deployed his soldiers and forced the villagers to return. The chief of Tali gave the expedition four women and two porters, and de Soto departed with his forces southward the following day. The chief of Tali continued to send rations of sofkee (a gruel similar to hominy grits) and other food until the expedition reached Coosa chiefdom on July 16.
The name "Toqua" comes from the Cherokee word Dakwa'yi, meaning "fish place." The name was rooted in a Cherokee legend regarding the Dakwa, or "Great Fish," that lived at the mouth of Toqua Creek.
The term Toqua first appears in the historical record in 1751, when it was listed as the base of an English colonial trader named Anthony Dean. In 1756, Toqua sent 30 warriors to aide the British during the French and Indian War, as the front in North America was known. Willanawaw, who was chief of Toqua at the time, had previously been listed as a chief of nearby Tanasi. Henry Timberlake, whose peace mission visited the Overhill towns in 1761, noted that Willanawaw was still the headman at Toqua. He reported that the town was composed of 32 houses and a councilhouse, the latter built as typical on top of the town's platform mound.
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Toqua (Tennessee)
Toqua (Cherokee: ᏙᏉ, romanized: Toquo) was a prehistoric and historic Native American site in Monroe County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern Woodlands. Toqua was the site of a substantial ancestral town that thrived during the Mississippian period (1000-1600 CE). Toqua had a large earthwork 25-foot (7.6 m) platform mound built by the town's Mississippian-era inhabitants, in addition to a second, smaller mound. The site's Mississippian occupation may have been recorded by the Spanish as the village of Tali, which was documented in 1540 by the Hernando de Soto expedition. It was later known as the Overhill Cherokee town Toqua, and this name was applied to the archeological site.
In 1967 an archeological survey was conducted at this site prior to completion of the Tellico Dam, as that project would result in Toqua's inundation by Tellico Lake. The Toqua site was important as one of the last remaining Dallas-phase platform mound sites in the valley. In 1978 the archeological site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1979 the Toqua site was submerged after the Little Tennessee River was dammed. The lake is managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The shoreline above the Toqua site is now a recreational area managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The Little Tennessee River, which flows westward from its source in the Appalachian Mountains, traverses northern Monroe County for roughly 40 miles (64 km) before emptying into the Tennessee River near Lenoir City. Tellico Lake, created in 1979 by the construction of Tellico Dam at the mouth of the Little Tennessee, covers the lower 33 miles (53 km) of the river and the lower 22 miles (35 km) of the Tellico River. The Toqua site was situated along the south bank of the Little Tennessee at its confluence with Toqua Creek, approximately 22 miles (35 km) above the mouth of the river.
The shoreline above the now-submerged Toqua site comprises the Toqua Day Use Area Beach and Boat Ramp. It is situated along Tennessee State Route 360 approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the road's junction with U.S. Route 411 at Vonore. The site can be easily be observed from both the road and the boat ramp.
The Hernando de Soto expedition (1539–1543) most likely passed through the upper Tennessee Valley en route to the Coosa chiefdom in northern Georgia. The expedition, seeking a passage to the Pacific Ocean, had landed at Florida in May 1539 and marched northward through territory in what are now jurisdictions of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina before crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains via the Nolichucky River into the Tennessee Valley.
After spending several weeks at Chiaha (near modern Douglas Dam), the expedition followed the French Broad River and Tennessee River to the village of Coste, which was on Bussell Island at the mouth of the Little Tennessee River. On July 9, 1540, the expedition left Coste and followed the east bank of the Little Tennessee to the village of Tali, situated on the west bank of the river at what is now known as the Toqua site. The expedition's chroniclers noted that the river at this point was too deep to ford. The sight of the Spaniards created a general panic in Tali, and the villagers attempted to flee downstream in canoes. De Soto apparently deployed his soldiers and forced the villagers to return. The chief of Tali gave the expedition four women and two porters, and de Soto departed with his forces southward the following day. The chief of Tali continued to send rations of sofkee (a gruel similar to hominy grits) and other food until the expedition reached Coosa chiefdom on July 16.
The name "Toqua" comes from the Cherokee word Dakwa'yi, meaning "fish place." The name was rooted in a Cherokee legend regarding the Dakwa, or "Great Fish," that lived at the mouth of Toqua Creek.
The term Toqua first appears in the historical record in 1751, when it was listed as the base of an English colonial trader named Anthony Dean. In 1756, Toqua sent 30 warriors to aide the British during the French and Indian War, as the front in North America was known. Willanawaw, who was chief of Toqua at the time, had previously been listed as a chief of nearby Tanasi. Henry Timberlake, whose peace mission visited the Overhill towns in 1761, noted that Willanawaw was still the headman at Toqua. He reported that the town was composed of 32 houses and a councilhouse, the latter built as typical on top of the town's platform mound.
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