|
Synoptical History Of Chattanooga, from 1835 to 1871
Facts and Incidents in Connection with the
Settlement of the Place
Something by the “Old Inhabitants” – John Ross, the
Celebrated Indian Chief
The First Printing Office, Etc., Etc.
The musty records of the past furnish facts and
incidents connected with the settlement of Chattanooga, which, if gathered
together, would fill a large volume, the perusal of which would be full of
interest to the reader.
Events that occurred long before the birth of the
oldest inhabitant of our city, at a time when the region about Chattanooga was
a vast wilderness; where the red man roamed at will, his shrill war whoop
waking the echoes of the hills, and his paddle impelling his bark canoe lightly
on its dancing way over the glad waters of the romantic and beautiful
Tennessee.
Events, we say of those prominent days, would fill
the reader’s heart with wonder and admiration.
But into the Indian hunting ground came the “pale
face,” with his long gun, his “fire water,” his learning, (many of the Indians
about here were highly educated, however,) his sciences and his arts, and, in
the course of time, the red men, who afore time had been as numerous as the
blades of grass in spring, or the stars that lighted them on their trails by
night, wasted away as the snow on the mountain under the burning rays of a
mid-summer sun.
Chattanooga stands on the south bank of the
Tennessee River, in Hamilton County, Tennessee, in Latitude 35 deg. 5 sec,
Longitude 85:20 west of Greenwich.
Most of the city lies on a level plain, part of it
on hills, on either side, east and west.
Toward the southern end, it is beautifully level,
and well adapted to a city site.
The city limits may be put down at two and a half
miles in length, north and south, and two miles in width, east and west, about
2,600 acres in area.
The first settlement was made by the celebrated
Indian Chief John Ross, who established a ferry and warehouse.
His residence was five miles distant, at Rossville,
just over the Georgia state
line, hence the name of Ross’ Landing, as Chattanooga
was first called.
The first settlement by the whites was made in 1835,
by Samuel Williams, (Living,) Daniel Henderson, John Keeney, and a few others.
This settlement found the Indians pretty well
civilized, and to some extent well educated.
The reciprocity of kind feeling was astonishingly
great.
The following year, 1836, it began to be pretty
rapidly settled. Among the new comers we
find the names of:
Aaron M.
Rawlings
Jno. P. Long
D.A. Wilds
W. M. Davis
Samuel Steward
William Long
Dr. Nathan Harris
Of the above, only two have survived the “rapid
flight of years.”
Captain Jno. P. Long is still in our midst hale and
hearty.
This year the removal of the Cherokee Indians began,
and Ross’ Landing was made a military station, and a point of departure for
emigrants.
In April, 1837, the first post office was
established, called Ross’ Landing P.O.
Captain Jno. P. Long was made the first Postmaster, which position he
filled to the honor of his country, as well as himself.
Comparatively nothing more was done this year, in
the way of new settlers except the following:
Jas. W. Smith
Allen Kennedy
R. A. Ramsey
Dr. S. S. M. Doak
A. S. Lenoir
The next year, 1838, the first printing office was
established by F. A. Parham, the father of the writer, the paper being called
the Hamilton Gazette, published weekly.
The first few members were embellished by
contributions from the pen of Lt. Gamison, of the U. S. Army, who a few years
later met his death at the hands of some bands of roving Indians, in the Rocky
Mountains.
In this year, the first mail route was established,
being a tri-weekly line of coaches from Augusta, Georgia, to Nashville,
Tennessee.
R. A. Ramsey had the contract from Augusta to
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, thirty miles this side of Nashville.
The Ross’ Landing Post Office before that time has
been supplied with the mail from Rossville, by private contract.
In this year:
B. Rush Montgomery
Jas. A. Whitesides, (both of whom built a great
portion of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad)
Dr. Milo Smith
Geo. D. Foster
Jas. S. Edwards
removed to the place.
Of the last named all have gone to rest, save Mr.
Foster and Mr. Edwards, both of who are yet in our midst.
The whites coming in pretty rapidly, the red men
became somewhat crowded, and by degrees
“Folded
their tents, like the Arabs, and as silently stole away.”
But their honor, be it said, they made no predatory
excursions on the whites before they left, as rude barbarians would have
done. With that instinctive desire to be
“let alone,” knowing that the whites would soon outnumber the, they dropped a
tear over the resting place of their departed friends, and tramped toward the
west.
The Indians about here, let it be remembered, were
good farmers, most of them, and not a few had educated their sons and daughters
in some white school, among which places of instruction was the Salem, North
Carolina Institute, where several Indians were educated.
But still, there was that inherent disposition to
rove, and to hunt undisturbed and untrammeled by the arts and sciences of the
superior white man; and thus, by degrees, they left this country to the
possession of the latter.
In the fall of this year, 1838, the town was laid
out and called Chattanooga, an Indian name, which interpreted means Crowe foot.
In December of this year the name of the post office
was changed to Chattanooga, and thus Ross’ Landing is abandoned.
1839, this year a lively interest was awakened among
the townsmen, by the first sale of lots.
The town laid off in plots, and the sale was an
entire success.
Lots readily brought as high as $1,680.00, and
scarcely lower then $830.00.
Then the lost toward and near the river were the
most highly valued; while toward the south end, they brought little or nothing,
comparatively.
This was owing to the tremendous trade on the
Tennessee River, there being no railroads as yet.
Still the northern terminus of the W. A. R. R., or
the Georgia State Road, as they called it, with the southern terminus at
Atlanta, Georgia, was established.
Thus began the great work which was made Chattanooga
the important railroad center of the south.
We skip one year, and “fetch up” in the year, 1841,
which witnessed the first incorporation of the town.
James Berry was elected Mayor.
From this time on, eight years of comparative quiet,
and immense produce trade, was in order of the times.
Bacon, flour, Iron, whisky and muslins were as good
as gold, indeed, the latter was even more plenty than the former.
Matters rocked along in the “even tenor of their
way,” the citizens calmly awaiting the march of events, for eight years.
When in December of 1849, the Western and Atlantic
Railroad was completed to this place.
The was an event of great importance, and was hailed with joy.
The dealers and merchants, however, still looking to the wagon and boating trade
as the great and growing means of making Chattanooga a large town.
The population of Chattanooga in 1850, according to
the census, was 3,500.
Increasing in population rapidly, in 1851,
Chattanooga was incorporated as a City.
Her buildings were few and far between; the city was a “place of
magnificent distances,” indeed.
This year, however, several very good, substantial
houses were erected.
The Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad was soon to
be finished to this point, thus, giving us a direct, uninterrupted
communication form the North of us via Nashville to Atlanta, Georgia.
This important road was finished to this point in the
year 1853. The road was build under many
difficulties. The deep cuts through
mountains and hills, and the great amount of trestle and bridge work required a
vast amount of labor and capital.
To Col. Jas. S. Whitesides, deceased, is due much
credit for the successful termination of the work on this road. He was a great railroad man, of plenty of
means, and popular with all. He was a
man of magnanimous spirit, kind and genial.
He died in this city in the year 1861.
To Judge R. M. Hooke, now agent of this road at this
point, is also due credit for much of the progress of the enterprise. He build quite or nearly all of the road from
Sheilmount, Tennessee, twenty miles distant, to this
point.
During the years we have skipped, nay incidents
occurred, no doubt, which would be full of interest. But we ask our readers to pardon this ten
year leap, as we have little room to devote to a complete history of
Chattanooga.
Parham’s
Chattanooga City Directory 1871-1872
.
|