Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden will explore a bit of “hidden” history at the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District on Saturday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at 9 a.m.
Participants will walk the corridor (but not always the exact alignment) of one of the branches of the Federal Road; move across the ground where a party in the Cherokee Removal traveled; take a look at the site of a longtime important ferry over the Tennessee; learn about the risky and daring seizure of that same point to save an army from being starved into submission.
This three-mile round trip will be a three to four hour venture into the past that requires a little more commitment than that for a standard walking tour, even on Moccasin Bend.
A formal, developed trail is not yet in place and participants need to be aware that we will be going “cross country” and along minimal paths once they leave Pineville Road.
Comfortable, rugged, supportive footwear is strongly recommended.
Along the way, Historian Ogden will relate the history of the Federal Road network in this region, the history of transportation on the Tennessee, the departure of parties in the Cherokee Removal, and, in honor of its 147th anniversary, the story of the opening of the “Cracker Line” in the Siege of Chattanooga during the Civil War.
From U.S. Highway 27, take Manufacturers Road exit. Turn west onto Manufacturers Road and go .6 mile straight ahead past Hamm Road intersection, and follow the special event signs to parking at Chattanooga Bakery.
The Chattanooga Bakery is donating a MoonPie treat for each participant who joins the hike.