Buffalo Creek

Buffalo Creek. . , Nearby Buffalo Creek is one of numerous place names in the Southern Appalachian mountains that serve as reminders that the buffalo, or American bison, was once plentiful in the region. In 1769 Daniel Boone narrowly escaped being trampled by a massive herd of buffalo just over the Cumberland Mountains in what is now Kentucky. Hunting by Native American tribes and European settlers, however, drastically reduced the numbers of buffalo and most were gone from this area by the time major European settlement began in the 1770s. However, the buffalo left many trails and fords, which often became the foundation for early roads, and their presence was immortalized through the many creeks, rivers, mountains, and churches named for them. The valley along Buffalo Creek, which flows from Buffalo Mountain in Unicoi County to the Watauga River, was an early site for European settlement in this area. Buffalo Creek Christian Church (now Hopwood Memorial) was organized near here in the early 1830s. In 1866, the Buffalo Male and Female Institute was founded in that church, becoming Milligan College in 1881, whose mascot today is the buffalo. While millions of American bison once roamed the continent, by 1900 only around 500 remained. However, due to conservation efforts, there are now estimated to be several hundred thousand in North America. , , Department of Appalachian Studies. East Tennessee State University