Native American Footsteps

Native American Footsteps. . , As you walk across this mountain, you will step in their footsteps. They worked, played, laughed, cried, loved, fought, and admired this mountain. Rock shelters near the base of the mountain have revealed archaeological evidence of the presence of early Native American hunters and their families. The park and mountain take their name from the Creek- Muskogean word "Chaha," which translates roughly to "High Place." This is appropriate since the highest place in Alabama can be found in this state park. , Cheaha State Park is in what was once the large and powerful Creek Nation. In Alabama, the Creeks inhabited a large area bordered on the north by the southern Appalachian Mountains, on the west by the Cahaba and Alabama Rivers, on the south by the Florida border, and on the East by the Georgia border. A significant battle took place in nearby Talladega during the Creek War of 1813-1814. Creek warriors took refuge in the mountains following their defeat by Andrew Jackson. The larger tribe was forced to walk the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma. The descendants who remained behind are known as the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and are headquartered at Poarch, near Atmore, Alabama.