Fontana's First Stewards:

Fontana's First Stewards:. The Native American Heritage. Fontana Dam is surrounded by land that is extremely rich in cultural heritage. In fact, humans have populated the region for more than 10,000 years. recovered artifacts link to a civilization called the Mississippian Culture living in the region around 1000 AD., By the 1500s, the Cherokee lived in the Southern Appalachia region, including the Fontana area. They were the first Native American tribe to develop their own written language, print a newspaper and even draft their own constitution., Friction between the Cherokee and the United States increased in the early 19th century. Eventually, this led to the forced removal of many Cherokee from their lands in the Southeastern united States. This eviction, known as the "Trail of Tears", displaced most Cherokee to Oklahoma. However, a small population remained in the region and became known as the Qualla or "Citizen" Cherokees., The Qualla obtained a corporate charter in 1870 and purchased land in Western North Carolina known as the Qualla Boundary. Today, nearly 14,000 members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee call this area home and their culture remains a vibrant part of the region. In fact, many Cherokee were part of the huge workforce that helped construct Fontana Dam in the early 1940s., Today, 18 federally recognized American Indian tribes have religious and cultural ties to the Tennessee Valley. TVA works closely with all tribes to ensure the respect and protection of irreplaceable Native American resources, archaeological sites, artifacts, human remains ad traditional cultural areas. . This historical marker was erected by Tennessee Valley Authority. It is in Fontana Village in Graham County North Carolina