Over 300 miles of the Cumberland River flows through Tennessee, creating distinctive bends through Nashville and inviting land for wildlife. Before European settlers came, now-Middle Tennessee was a shared hunting ground between the Cherokee and Chickasaws. In the 1670s, French explorers reached the area, drawn to the river as a means of hunting game and trapping furs. On December 24, 1779, James Robertson (1742-1814) and his party arrived on the bluffs of the Cumberland River and crossed over to found what would become the City of Nashville. The city grew and prospered because of the proximity to the river and the accessibility for steamboats and trading. As of 2019, the river is controlled through a series of eight dams operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Two of the dams are in Nashville: Old Hickory (1956) and Percy Priest (1968).
Cumberland River
36.162442, -86.774019
Description
Over 300 miles of the Cumberland River flows through Tennessee, creating distinctive bends through Nashville and inviting land for wildlife. Before European settlers came, now-Middle Tennessee was a shared hunting ground between the Cherokee and Chickasaws. In the 1670s, French explorers reached the area, drawn to the river as a means of hunting game and trapping furs. On December 24, 1779, James Robertson (1742-1814) and his party arrived on the bluffs of the Cumberland River and crossed over to found what would become the City of Nashville. The city grew and prospered because of the proximity to the river and the accessibility for steamboats and trading. As of 2019, the river is controlled through a series of eight dams operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Two of the dams are in Nashville: Old Hickory (1956) and Percy Priest (1968).