Thehistoric Cherokee settlements wereCherokee settlements established in Southeastern North America up to theremovals of the early 19th century. Several settlements had existed prior to and were initially contacted by explorers and colonists of the colonial powers as they made inroads intofrontier areas. Others were established later.

In the early 18th century, an estimated 2100Cherokee people inhabited more than sixteen towns east of theBlue Ridge Mountains and across thePiedmont plains in what was then consideredIndian Country.^{[1][2][page needed][3][notes 1]} Generally, European visitors noted only the towns with townhouses. Some of their maps included lesser settlements, but "the centers of towns were clearly marked by townhouses and plazas."^[4]

The early Cherokee towns east of the Blue Ridge Mountains were geographically divided into two regions: the Lower Towns (of thePiedmont coastal plains in what are now northeastern Georgia and western South Carolina), and the Middle/Valley/Out Towns (east of theAppalachian Mountains). A third group, theOverhill Towns, located on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains, made up the remainder of the Cherokee settlements of the time.^[3] Within each regional group, towns exhibited close economic, linguistic, and religious ties; they were often developed for miles along rivers and creeks.^[1] Satellite villages near the regional towns often bore the same or similar names to the regional centers. The minor settlements shared architecture and a common culture, but they maintained political autonomy.^[1]

No list could ever be complete of all Cherokee settlements; however, in 1755 the government ofSouth Carolina noted several known towns and settlements. Those identified were grouped into six "hunting districts:" 1) Overhill, 2) Middle, 3) Valley, 4) Out Towns, 5) Lower Towns, and 6) the Piedmont settlements, also called Keowee towns, as they were along theKeowee River.^[5] In 1775 – May 1776, explorer and naturalistWilliam Bartram described a total of 43 Cherokee towns in hisTravels in North America, after living for a time in the area. Cherokee were living in each of them.^[5][6]

The Cherokee also established new settlements—or moved existing settlements—using the same or very similar names from one location to another, as the names were associated with a community of people.^[4] This practice complicated the historical recording and tracking by Europeans of many early settlement locations.^[7] Examples of this practice of repeated names include "Sugar Town," "Chota/Echota," and "Etowa/h," to name just a few.^[7]

The Lower Towns in that period were considered to be those in the northern part of theColony of Georgia and northwestern area of theColony of South Carolina; many were based along theKeowee River,^[5] including: the major towns ofSeneca andKeowee New Towne; as well as,Cheowie,Cowee,Coweeshee,Echoee,Elejoy,Estatoie,Old Keowee,Oustanalla,Oustestee,Tomassee, Torsalla,Tosawa (also later spelled Toxaway), Torsee, andTricentee.^[5][8] In addition, since the late 20th century, archeologists have identified historic Cherokee townhouses dating from the sixteenth through the early eighteenth century^[1] at the towns known asChauga (where the Cherokee were identified as occupying it in the last of four phases) andChattooga site, both in present-day western South Carolina; andTugalo, in present-day northeastern Georgia. The latter site is now inundated byLake Hartwell.^[4]

The Middle Towns of westernNorth Carolina Colony were primarily along the upperLittle Tennessee River and its tributaries.^[9] The Cherokee towns and related settlements in this area includedComastee, Cotocanahuy,Euforsee,Little Telliquo,Nayowee,Nuckasee,Steecoy, andWatoge.^[1]

Since the late 20th century, the federally recognizedEastern Band of Cherokee Indians and partners have reacquired some of these former town sites in their homeland for preservation. These include the sites ofNuckasee,Steecoy, andWatoge along the Little Tennessee River. These will be featured as part of the planned "Nikwasi-Cowee Corridor".^[10][11][12]

The Valley Towns consisted of those along the upperHiwassee River and its tributary theValley River, and theNantahala River, which flowed into the Little Tennessee River from the south. These rivers were all south of the Little Tennessee.^[9][13] Valley Towns includedChewohe,Tomately, andQuanassee.^[5]

The Out Towns were located slightly north of the Little Tennessee, mainly along its tributary theTuckaseegee River and its tributary, theOconaluftee River.^[9] Towns and settlements included Conontoroy,Joree,Kittowa (the 'mother town' of the Cherokee, which was reacquired by the EBCI in 1996),Nununyi,Oustanale,Tucharechee, andTuckaseegee.^[5][8][14]

Both the Little Tennessee River and the Hiwassee River flowed through the mountains into what is present-day Tennessee, where they ultimately each flowed into the Tennessee River at different points. Early Cherokee Overhill settlements included those on the lowerLittle Tennessee River:Chilhowee,Chota,Citico,Mialoquo,Tallassee,Tanasi,Tomotley,Toqua, andTuskegee (Island Town); those on theTellico River:Chatuga andGreat Tellico; and those on the lowerHiwassee River:Chestowee andHiwassee Old Town.^{[1][13][5][8]}

Following thefailed two-prong attack against thefrontier settlements of theWashington District in the summer of 1776, the colonies of Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia mounted a retaliatory attack against all the Cherokee towns. It was known as theRutherford Light Horse expedition, and militias attacked the Cherokee on both sides of the mountains, destroying many towns. The Cherokee had allied with theBritish in the hopes of expelling the newly independent US colonists from their territory. After these attacks, the Cherokee sued for peace with the Americans. By January 1777 theUpper Town Cherokee had made a peace.^[15]

A large following of Cherokee, however, refused to settle with the encroaching Americans and moved further south. Under thewar chiefsDragging Canoe,Black Fox, andLittle Turkey, they settled many additional locations throughout thesoutheastern United States, mostly driven by events of the ongoingCherokee–American wars.^[1] ThisChickamauga faction moved further downstream on theTennessee River system, establishing 11 new towns well away from the American frontier.^[15]

Following further conflicts with the military of the fledgling United States, in 1782 Dragging Canoe established five new "Lower Towns" even further downstream along the Tennessee River. The original five towns included:Running Water town (Amogayunyi) (Dragging Canoe's new headquarters);Long Island on the Holston (Amoyeligunahita);Crow Town (Kagunyi);Lookout Mountain town (Utsutigwayi, or Stecoyee); andNickajack (Ani-Kusati-yi, meaning Koasati Old-place). The Chickamauga also re-established a small military presence inTuskegee Island Town at this time.^{[citation needed]}

Additional settlements in the area were quickly developed, following the arrival of more members to join Dragging Canoe's force. These people became known more properly as the Lower Cherokee, as opposed to Chickamauga. Their settlements included the major, regional town ofCreek Path town (Kusanunnahiyi);Turkeytown;Turnip town (Ulunyi);Willstown (Titsohiliyi); andChatuga (Tsatugi).^[16]

The Cherokee were highly decentralized and their towns were the most important units of government.^[17][13] TheCherokee Nation did not yet exist. Before 1788, the only leadership role that existed with the Cherokee people was a town's or region's "First Beloved Man" (orUku).^[18] The First Beloved Man would be the usual contact person and negotiator for the people under his leadership, especially when dealing with European or frontier government representatives.^[17][18]

Starting in 1788, a supreme First Beloved Man was elected to run a national Cherokee council. This group alternated between meeting atWillstown andTurkeytown, but it convened irregularly and had little authority with the people. The First Beloved Man of each town still maintained a substantial amount of authority.^[19] The murders of the Overhill pacifist chiefs—includingOld Tassel, the regional headman—who that same year were lured toparley with theState of Franklin and ambushed instead, resulted in an increasingly violent period between the Cherokee and American settlers. A definitive peace was finally achieved in 1794. The ambush had resulted in driving many of the Upper Cherokee, who at the time were more supportive of some adaptation to European-American ways, into union with the Lower Cherokee leadership.^{[citation needed]}

By the time of Dragging Canoe's death (January 29, 1792), the Cherokee settlements of the Lower Towns had increased from five to seven. The re-populatedNew Keowee was still the principal town of the region.^[19] Up until 1794, when the fighting stopped and the national council ground moved toUstanali,^[15] the Cherokee remained a fragmented people. At the founding of the first Cherokee Nation in 1794, the now united people still controlled a large area encompassing lands now located in several states, including:Tennessee,North Carolina,South Carolina,Georgia, andAlabama.^{[citation needed]}

The Cherokee Nation's five regional councils of 1794 comprised 1) the Overhill Towns; 2) the Hill Towns; 3) the traditional Valley Towns; 4) the new Upper Towns (these were the former Lower Towns of southern North Carolina, western South Carolina, and northeastern Georgia); and 5) the new Lower Towns (newly occupied settlements located in north and central Alabama, southeastern Tennessee, and far northwestern Georgia).^{[citation needed]}

The constant warfare took its toll on the traditional Cherokee settlements. Several had become permanently de-populated by the turn of the 19th century. The settled areas stabilized for a time following the 1794 establishment of theCherokee Nation and partialacculturation^[15] of the people in the east. FollowingThe Removal era (1815–1839), however, many of these settlements were all but abandoned forever.

• 
  Cherokee Nation c.1760^[14]
• 
  A Draught of the Cherokee Country, Henry Timberlake (1762) Overhill Towns
• 
  Post-Revolution Cherokee towns
• 
  Native American settlements of the Southeastern United States (1806)

This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Historic Cherokee settlements" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• The Valley River

• "An Indian Land Grant in 1734" by Mabel L. Webber;"The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine Vol.19, No.4, pp.157–161"

• Cherokee town map – Compiled from Maps by Stuart, Hunter and Royce
• Mooney'sCherokee Country map (1900) – Map of Cherokee Country by James Mooney
• Cherokee Country Sketch – Sketch of Cherokee Country by John Stuart
• Cherokee Nation Map of 1730 – Map of the Cherokee Nation by George Hunter
• Goodspeed Map – The East Tennessee and Chickamauga towns

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• Cherokee towns
• Cherokee Nation (1794–1907)

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