In the 1700s, the Great Smoky Mountains were inhabited by the Cherokee Indians who were a very culturally advanced people. They had their own written alphabet and had permanent towns and intricate political systems in place. During the 1830s, however, the United States government forcibly removed the bulk of the tribe to Indian Territory which later became the state of Oklahoma. In the midst of this exodus, a Cherokee warrior named Tsali led a quiet revolt and stayed hidden with some of the other tribe members in an area that would later become the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Read More
