Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-01-16
HAYWOOD'S
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK. I

also to have signedit, but being absent,
it was signed by General Cooke alone.
The line west of Nickajack, was ex-
tended in part by General Coffee, and
the residue by General Winchester, to
the river Mississippi, and all parties
concerned, acquiesced therein.
The eastern boundary of this State
was established by the act of Assembly
OF North Carolina, 1889, ch. 3, commonly
called the cession act, which ceded to
the United States all the territory now
called Tennessee, and which lay west of
the bounds they described. These
bounds were as follows: Beginning at
the extreme height of the Stone Noun
tain, at the place where the Virginia
line intersects it; running thence along
the extreme height of said mountain,
to the place where Watauga river breaks
through; thence direct course to the
top of the Yellow Mountain, where
Bright's road crosses the same; thence
along the ridge of said mount tain be-
tween the waters of Doe river, and the
waters of Rock Greek, to the place
where the road crosses the Iron Noun
tain; thence along the extreme height
of said mountain, to where Nolachucky
river runs through the same; thence to
the top of the Bald Mountain; thence
along the extreme height OF said noun
tain, to the place where it is called the
Great Iron or Smoky Mountain; thence
along the extreme height of said noun
tain, to the place where it is called
Unicoi, or Unaka Mountain, between
the Indian towns Of Cowee and Old
Chota; thence along the main ridge of
said mountain of the southern boundary
of this State.
A controversy arose concerning the
Unaka mountain, and ssioners
were appointed between the States of
Tennessee and North Carolina, to ascer-
tain which was the noun tain 80 called
In the act of cession. The commits
sioners met at Newport, in Tennessee,
on the 14th of July, 1921, to make the
necessary arrangements for running
and completing the line between the
two States. Commissioners from North
Carolina alone, had run it in part, from
the White Top Mountain, on the vir.
ginia line, to the place where they
stopped in 1897. This was near the
Catatooche road, on the Smoky Noun
tain; from which place to the crossing
of the Tennessee river, o few miles
above the Talassee Old Town, is twenty
two miles; and from thence to the ter
mination of the main Unaka Mountain,
the last point designated in the act of
cession, is seventy nine miles, m aking
the whole distance one hundred and
one miles, to hickory tree and rock,
set up at the edge of the Unaka turn
pike road, marked with the distance
and the initials of the two States. From
that point the commissioners unani
mously agreed to run due south, until
they should strike the southern bound
ary of the two States, on the Georgia
line, which was found by them to be
one hundred and sixteen miles, at a
point twenty three poles east of the
seventy two mile tree, from the point
where the southern boundary of this
State strikes the south bank of Tennes-
see river, at the State of Alabama. This
leaves the upper part of Hiwassee river,
contrary to what was expected, in
North Carolina, including the Middle
Settlements of the Cherokees, or what
was termed the Valley Towns, which
is sufficient in extent to make a con-
siderable county in North Carolina,
west of Haywood County. To this
tract, the Indian claim is yet unextin.
guished. The line having been run by
the proper authority, their proceedings
were fully ratified by the Legislatures
of North Carolina and Tennessee, and
the boundary between them, in this
quarter, became thenceforth certain
and fixed. The principal part of the
Indian claim is extinguished by the
late treaties.
The Indian boundaries which have
been established by treaties, from time
to time, are next to be described
rhe first cession was made at Fort
Stanwix, in the month of November,
in the year 1866, by commissioner on
behalf of his Britannia majesty, on the
one part, and the Six Nations on the
other. They then passed away from
the Six Nations, the sole sovereigns of
the soil, all their right southeast of the
Ohio, and down to the Cherokee river,
which, they said in the treaty, was their
just right, and vested the soil and SOW
ereignty thereof, in the King of Great
Britain. in the year 1881, it became
necessary to fix the extent of Indian
claims, and the deposition of Colonel
Croghan was resorted to for that pur-
pose. He had lived nearly thirty years
among the Indians, in the character of
Deputy Superintendent. and seems to
have possessed a more general knowl.
edge of the state of their claims, and
the history of their wars, than any
other who has been drawn into public
observation; his deposition is in these
words: Geo. Croghan, Esq, being duly
sworn on the Holy Evangelists of AL.
mighty God, doth depose and say, that