Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Native American Settlements

— Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area —

September 29, 2023

1. Native American Settlements Marker

Inscription. The Chattahoochee's abundant resources have attracted humans for over 8,000 years. The earliest people hunted, gathered, and lived in seasonal camps and natural overhanging rock shelters. Then, from 1000 B.C. to A.D. 900, they also raised plants for food and lived in small villages along the river. They caught fish in stone fish weirs topped with wooden pole fencing.

In the 1500s Creeks and Cherokees lived in large villages of sturdy houses. By 1776 most Cherokees had log cabins. Eventually pressure from land-hungry European settlers forced them from their lands to the Oklahoma Territory along the infamous Trail of Tears.

(caption) This rock shelter, one of many along the river, is located in the Island Ford unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 33° 52.673′ N, 84° 26.528′ W.

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Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. It can be reached from Whitewater Creek Road NW 0.4 miles west of Harris Trail NW, on the right when traveling west. Located at the East Palisades Trailhead. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4058 Whitewater Creek Rd NW, Atlanta GA 30327, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The 4th Corps Posted Along the River (approx. 0.9 miles away); Old Pace’s Ferry Road (approx. 1.4 miles away); Union Defense Line (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Errant Pontoon Bridge: Pace's Ferry (approx. 1½ miles away); The 14th & 20th A.C. Cross at Pace's Ferry

September 29, 2023

2. Native American Settlements Marker

(approx. 1½ miles away); Site: Hardy Pace’s Res. Howard’s Headquarters (approx. 1½ miles away); Palmer’s & Hooker’s A.C. Cross the Chattahoochee (approx. 1½ miles away); a different marker also named The 14th & 20th A.C. Cross at Pace’s Ferry (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2026. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 9, 2026. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.