Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace. . , Long before the Tipton or Haynes families, the landscape before you was the stomping grounds for animals such as buffalo and elk. These small herds once roamed along the Appalachian Mountains from New York to Florida. The habitat at the base of the nearby Buffalo Mountain provided a bountiful source of small creeks and springs, fertile grasslands, and ease of herd movement with rolling hills. Hundreds of years of constant pounding of the earth under the hoofs of these herds created a lasting "trace" or animal trail., The species of Eastern buffalo and Tennessee elk were hunted to extinction by early explorers and settlers by the turn of the eighteenth to nineteenth century., Following the herds along this "trace" were prehistoric peoples. Numerous artifacts from these early Native Americans have been found throughout the site. The artifacts range from pottery sherds to projectile points and would suggest that this area was once the permanent settlement and hunting grounds for prehistoric peoples and tribes such as the Chisca, Yuchi, and Cherokee., Animal trails became easy routes for early explorers as they pushed into Native American territory. The first European expedition to reach Northeast Tennessee came in 1540 when a Spanish force led by Hernando de Soto scoured the area in search of gold. The first English exploration of the area came in 1673 under the command of James Needham and Gabriel Arthur. They are noted for following this "trace" as their party explored along Buffalo Mountain and camped near the site's spring. As settlers began to inhabit the area, these animal trails became early roads., [Captions:] , Appalachian Stern Knives of the late Archaic Period of 3,000 to 4,000 years ago., An artist's rendition showing a Native American in war paint while holding a European style long rifle.