Cherokee in Colbert County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Chickasaw Hospitality

Natchez Trace Parkway

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 18, 2017

1. Chickasaw Hospitality Marker

Inscription. George Colbert's stand sat atop the ridge before you. As one of many inns that dotted the Trace between Nashville and Natchez, it provided travelers with food and lodging.

With a Scottish father and Chickasaw mother, George Colbert used his bilingual abilities and knowledge of both cultures to build a network of enterprises. As a Chickasaw, he gained the right, by treaty, to operate a ferry across the Tennessee River.

One traveler, Jose Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara, described the stand that Colbert built near his ferry as "a country place." Unlike other frontier buildings, it had an "abundance of glass in windows and doors."

"I find all the Indians on the road, and particularly the Colbert family, are very accommodating to us, we shall be tolerably well supplied in passing through the [Chickasaw] nation..."
Colonel John Coffee
War of 1812

(caption)
As the end of the day nears, post riders and travelers on the Old Trace gather at Colbert's stand.

Erected by Natchez Trace Parkway,  National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in

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these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • War of 1812 • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Natchez Trace series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1812.

Location. 34° 50.17′ N, 87° 56.736′ W. Marker is in Cherokee, Alabama, in Colbert County. It can be reached from Natchez Trace Parkway (at milepost 327.3), 1.4 miles east of N Pike (County Route 21), on the left when traveling east. Marker is located in Natchez Trace Parkway Colbert Ferry Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cherokee AL 35616, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama

and in the Shoals.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 18, 2017

2. Chickasaw Hospitality Marker

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Chickasaw Planter (within shouting distance of this marker); Colbert's Stand (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); George Colbert Memorial (about 400 feet away); Trace Travelers (approx. 0.2 miles away); Colbert Ferry (approx. ¼ mile away); Safe Crossing (approx. ¼ mile away); Welcome! (approx. ¼ mile away); Wet, Wild, and Wonderful (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cherokee.

Also see . . . Natchez Trace Parkway. National Park Service (Submitted on August 21, 2017.)

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 18, 2017

3. Chickasaw Hospitality Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 21, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2017, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 984 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 20, 2017, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.