Great Tellico was aCherokee town at the site of present-dayTellico Plains, Tennessee, where theTellico River emerges from theAppalachian Mountains. Great Tellico was one of the largest Cherokee towns in the region, and had a sister town nearby namedChatuga (Syllabary: ᏣᏚᎩ). Its name inCherokee is more properly writtenTalikwa (Syllabary: ᏓᎵᏆ), but more commonly known asDiligwa. It is sometimes spelledTelliquo,Telliquah or, inOklahoma,Tahlequah. There were several Cherokee settlements named Tellico, the largest of which is distinguished from the others by calling it "Great". The meaning of the word "Talikwa" is thought to be lost by the Cherokees. However, in an article authored by reporter Tesina Jackson of theCherokee Phoenix the meaning of the word is stated as "the open place where the grass grows".[1][2]
The Warrior Path— a branch of theGreat Indian Warpath— passed through Great Tellico, linking it toChota in the north andGreat Hiwassee in the south, viaConasauga Creek. In addition, the Wachesa Trail (aka. "The Trading Path", later called theUnicoi Turnpike),[3] ran from Great Tellico southeast over theUnicoi Range of the Appalachian Mountains, linking theOverhill Cherokee to the Middle and Lower Cherokee towns in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The Trading Path became the main route of trade between the British and the Cherokee during the 18th century (Duncan 2003:245).
In the early 18th century, Great Tellico was the de facto capital of the Overhill Cherokee. Several prominent Cherokee leaders came from the town, such asMoytoy of Tellico. After his death in 1741, Great Tellico began to fade. By the 1750s, Chota was largely recognized as the principal town of the Overhill Cherokee.