Near Oakville in Lawrence County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Historic Indians
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 8, 2009
1. Historic Indians
Inscription.
Historic Indians. . Five Historic Indian tribes lived in this area. By 1701, The Yuchi were living at the shoals on the Tennessee River. In early 1700s the Yuchi left, some moving to the Cherokee Nation on the Hiwassee River, TN and others to Chattahoochee River, GA. After a dispute with the Cherokee, some Yuchi moved south to the AL - GA border. Although some Creeks lived in the area by the late 1700s, their lands lay south of the Tennessee Divide. The treaty of Fort Jackson took Creek lands in southern Lawrence County in 1814. The Shawnees moved to the shoals from the Cumberland and Ohio Rivers. Leftwich (1935) says the Chickasaws and Cherokees forced the Shawnees from the Tennessee Valley in 1721. By 1760, Chickasaws moved into the Tennessee Valley from the west. The Chickasaw Boundary Treaty (10 Jan 1786) gave Chickasaws ownership of the area. In 1769, Cherokees challenged the Chickasaw in the Battle of Chickasaw Oldfields south of Huntsville. By 1770, Cherokees were established in Lawrence County. The Chickasaws and Cherokees lived in peace within the Tennessee Valley until the Turkey Town Treaty of 1816 mandated their removal. Today, descendants of the Creeks, Cherokees, and Chickasaws, among others, live in Lawrence County.
Five Historic Indian tribes lived in this area. By 1701, The Yuchi were living at the shoals on the Tennessee River. In early 1700s the Yuchi left, some moving to the Cherokee Nation on the Hiwassee River, TN and others to Chattahoochee River, GA. After a dispute with the Cherokee, some Yuchi moved south to the AL - GA border. Although some Creeks lived in the area by the late 1700s, their lands lay south of the Tennessee Divide. The treaty of Fort Jackson took Creek lands in southern Lawrence County in 1814. The Shawnees moved to the shoals from the Cumberland and Ohio Rivers. Leftwich (1935) says the Chickasaws and Cherokees forced the Shawnees from the Tennessee Valley in 1721. By 1760, Chickasaws moved into the Tennessee Valley from the west. The Chickasaw Boundary Treaty (10 Jan 1786) gave Chickasaws ownership of the area. In 1769, Cherokees challenged the Chickasaw in the Battle of Chickasaw Oldfields south of Huntsville.
By 1770, Cherokees were established in Lawrence County. The Chickasaws and Cherokees lived in peace within the Tennessee Valley until the Turkey Town Treaty of 1816 mandated their removal. Today, descendants of the Creeks, Cherokees, and Chickasaws, among others, live in Lawrence County.
Erected by Lawrence County Historical Commission Inc.
Location. 34° 26.731′ N, 87° 10.716′ W. Marker is near Oakville, Alabama, in Lawrence County. It can be reached from County Road 187, on the right when traveling east. Located inside Oakville Indian Mound Park near Copena Burial Mound. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1219 Co Rd 187, Danville AL 35619, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, 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 Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
2. View of Historic Indians Marker towards the Copena Burial Mound.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 27, 2021
3. Historic Indians Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 4, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 3,218 times since then and 79 times this year. Last updated on September 21, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. Photos:1. submitted on September 21, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2, 3. submitted on August 27, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
