Places: the Tallapoosa River

Few small rivers are as full of history as this one, which rises in what is now Paulding County, Georgia at the base of the Appalachian Mountains and flows 265 miles into Alabama for an eventual junction with the Coosa River.  The name of the River means Grandmother Town in Muscogee and the branch of the Creek Nation which settled here is deemed to be the oldest in the tribe. 

The Tallapoosa River was in the heart of Muscogee/Creek Country.  Earlier, during Mississippian times, it was under the jurisdiction of Tuscaloosa/Tuskaloosa.  De Soto visited the area in 1540, demanded supplies from the leader of the town of Talisi before proceeding to his meeting with Tuscaloosa and the ill-fated battle of Mabila.  Later, several important Creek towns were located along the river, including Tallisi/Tallassee, which was the hometown of many important Red Stick leaders such as Opothleyahola, Peter McQueen, and of course, Osceola, who was born Creek but became famous leading bands of Seminole, Miccosuke and Black warriors into battle to maintain their newfound home in Florida.

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend was fought on a bend in the Tallapoosa River in March, 1814, and the site is now preserved by the National Park Service.  After the Creeks were removed from the area in the 1830's, White settlers moved into the area.  Towns such as Tallassee became mill towns.  Eventually, several hydro-electric and water reclamation damns were placed on the River, one of them forming Lake Martin, not far from the Horseshoe Bend battle site.  The river provides a place for fishing, kayaking and other recreational activities today.

Places: Tallasee, Tulsa and Tallahassee

Great people often come from humble beginnings, small towns full of local history.  Three people we've already met in this blog called a little town by the Tallapoosa River in Alabama home, Opothleyahola, Peter McQueen and, of course, the Unconquered himself.

Tallasee, Alabama, on a bend in the Tallapoosa River, lies in two counties, Tallapoosa and Elmore.  Today, it's a mill town with a population of less than 5,000 according to the 2010 census.  But its impact on history belies its small size.  Its first inhabitants were the mound builders of the Mississippi Culture.  Hernando de Soto visited the town in 1540, when it was then an important city within the Coosa Province.  Over time, it became one of the principal towns of the Creek Nation, the Creeks being one of the tribes who trace descent from the Mississippians.  History happened all around and in this town.  The Creek principal city of Tuckabatchee was nearby.  It was to Tuckabatchie in 1811 that Tecumseh came to appeal to the Creek people to join his movement.  Among the Tallassee residents present on that day were Peter McQueen, a noted warrior turned prophet and later leader of the Red Stick faction during the Creek War (1813-1814).  Also on hand was a bright, lively seven-year-old boy who already excelled at athletics and had a knack for making others notice him, Billy Powell, famed in later life as Osceola.  No doubt Opethleyahola, another Creek leader born in Tallassee, would have also been present on such an important occasion. 

Tallassee was the birthplace of Creek leaders.  It was to Tallassee that Peter McQueen and a party of Creek warriors were returning in 1813, when they were intercepted by militia at the Battle of Burnt Corn, sparking the Creek War.  Fort Mims was not far away, and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend was fought on another bend in the Tallapoosa River.  History happened here, as did Indian Removal.  Most of Tallassee's residents were Creek and ultimately deported to Oklahoma, where they carried the memory of their town with them.  Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the Arkansas River, was in the land allotment for the Creek people and its original name was Talisia, harking back to an older spelling of Talisi for the town they knew back home.  Eventually, the name evolved to Tulsa, and it stuck.

Another town might also bear a similar name.  One of the etymologies for Tallahassee, Florida suggests that this town, too, was named for the mother town in Alabama.  Many Creeks migrated from Alabama to Florida to join the Seminoles as their world fell apart.  Osceola is sometimes referred to as Tustenugge Tallasi, or Warrior of Tallasse.  Tallahassee was associated with him long before the Florida State Seminoles took him over.  Thus, it's possible that Tallahassee is also named for Tallassee, a little town with a lot of history and a fond place in the hearts and minds of people who once called it home.