Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to participate in a 1.3-mile, two-hour interpretive hike at Moccasin Bend National Archeological District on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015, beginning at 2 p.m. To join this tour take Moccasin Bend Road toward the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute and follow the Special Event signs directing one to the parking area.
Preservationists sought to protect Moccasin Bend from development for years.
However, it was not until recent that the true magnitude of their efforts was realized. In the 1980s and 1990s, archeologists discovered evidence of European contact at a village site referred to as Hampton Place. With that discovery, Moccasin Bend became one of a handful of archeological sites that possibly “witnessed” some of the first interactions between native peoples and Spanish conquistadors in the present-day Southeastern United States. These findings, and others, helped catapult Moccasin Bend to become the newest unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in 2003. This hike will explore what life was like for the Mississippian Indians before and after European contact.
As a reminder, comfortable, supportive footwear, appropriate clothing for the weather and water are recommended for this program.
For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at (706) 866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423 821-7786, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/chch.