Holston River

The Holston River played an important part in the history of Strawberry Plains. The Cherokee Indians named it "Cootclaw". In 1761 Stephen Holston surveyed the river in a canoe. Gradually the river was named Holston after this early explorer. The early settlers in Strawberry Plains arrived from North Carolina traveling down the Holston River.

Cherokee Indians

The Cherokee Indians settled in the area because of the warm climate and plentiful resources. The Indians lived simply off the land and its animals. By 1830 the Cherokee Indians of East Tennessee had become industrious farmers and slave-owners.

By mastering the Cherokee alphabet, invented by Sequoyah (George Gist), they became a literate people with their own newspapers and books. One of the largest Cherokee village remains has recently been excavated in Strawberry Plains.

The Cherokees felt as if the white man were an intruder. Two battles were fought for possession of the bluff overlooking the Knox-Jefferson County line. The Indians were pushed back. Under threat of military action by the Federal Government, they signed away their territories in Georgia and Tennessee in 1835 and within three years had been moved west of the Mississippi. The Cherokee domain became public land and was thrown open to homesteading and purchase.