Location

Permanent settlement of what is now Middle Tennessee did not occur until the late 18th century. Various explorers and adventurers had been visiting the Tennessee country for many years before permanent settlement took place. The Spaniard, Hernando De Soto, was probably the first European in Tennessee, having made his way from Florida to southeastern Tennessee by 1540, to be followed by Juan Pardo in 1566. By the late 17th century French explorers such as Marquette, Joliet, and La Salle, were pushing into the Mississippi Valley from Canada, and by the early 18th century, English adventurers and traders were crossing the Appalachian Mountains into Tennessee. However, it was not until the coming of the Long Hunters that Tennessee began to be explored in earnest, paving the way for permanent settlement.Read more