Shelby Bottoms

Shelby Bottoms. First Peoples. , Humans settled along the Cumberland River at least 14,000 years ago, during the end of the last Ice Age. For thousands of years, they lived in small, multifamily groups, moving around seasonally as they hunted, fished, and foraged for native plants., Over time, these groups domesticated crops, began farming, and settled into permanent villages. Bows and arrows replaced spears, and people began creating pottery, art, and building earthen mounds that are still visible in nearby counties. By around 1000 CE, the highly organized Mississippian culture thrived in the Nashville area. Just downstream from here, large villages stood on both sides of the Cumberland River near what is now the Jefferson Street bridge. Small family farms spread across the surrounding area, including through Shelby Bottoms.,

First American (14,000 to 8,000 BCE) , Archaic (8,000 to 1,000 BCE) , Woodland (1,000 BCE to 1,000 CE) , Mississippian (1,000 to 1,450 CE)

, [Captions:] , Mississippian culture collapsed during the early 1400s. After that time, the Nashville area remained an important hunting ground for Native Americans, in part due to its many salt springs that attracted game species. Artist: C. Urello, A Visible History - Artifacts from this region reveal how first peoples lived. Notice how designs evolved during First Americans, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian cultural periods. The larger artist renderings show what Mississippian culture may have looked like along the Cumberland River. All images borrowed from Tennessee State Museum., Artist rendering of salt production along the Cumberland River during the Mississippian cultural period. Artist: C. Urello