Bredesen signs donation of 220 acres for unique park
CHATTANOOGA (AP) — As a descendant of American Indians who settled near the Tennessee River, Corky Allen applauded Monday as Gov. Phil Bredesen donated state land for a unique national park.
Allen, wearing a red feather in a black cap with a “Euchee” symbol that he identifies as lineal tribal ancestry from the mid-1500s, joined about 100 people under a ceremonial canopy on the Moccasin Bend Peninsula.
The state’s 220 donated acres are part of a planned expansion of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, an addition described by U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Chattanooga, as “the only one of its kind in America.”
Hamilton County and Chattanooga officials also are donating river property next to the state’s regional Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute, which will keep 110 acres.
Allen was among about a half-dozen Indians who listened to Bredesen, Wamp and two mayors talk about the site’s 10,000-year history as home to Indians, its burial grounds, role in the Civil War and prospect for attracting visitors.
“To the Native American leaders and representatives who have followed this project: We’re proud to protect this land, and by doing so, to honor your heritage,” Bredesen said.
The governor spoke as rain fell on the scenic, moccasin-shaped loop in the river at the base of Lookout Mountain.
Bredesen said the planned Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District became a reality because of leadership by Wamp, who guided the property’s designation as a new park through Congress last year. No money was allocated, but funds are expected to be included in the National Park Service’s budget next year.
“For more than a half-century, stake-holders have waited and many have worked to see Moccasin Bend protected and preserved,” Wamp said.
Pat Reed, superintendent of the parks, said planned projects for the expansion include building an interpretive center, stabilizing the riverbank and building walking trails.
He said the center, exploring an “interpretive theme with American Indian history,” could begin opening to the public within two years. Reed said he did not foresee any admission charge.
Allen said archaeological work during Tennessee Valley Authority development in the 1930s identified the Euchees as the “people there at the contact period in 1540 when (Spanish explorer Hernando) DeSoto came through.”
Allen, who said he relocated to Tennessee from Oklahoma and founded the nonprofit Inter-tribal Sacred Land Trust in suburban Chattanooga, said he would like any museum to be affiliated with the Smithsonian.
“What is going to go in the museum?” he said. “Where is it going to come from? These are part of the issues that will be spelled out.”
———
On the Net:
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park: www.nps.gov/chch