Cherokee Path facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cherokee Path, Sterling Land Grant
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 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | 5 miles southeast of St. Matthews on South Carolina Highway 6, St. Matthews, South Carolina |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001696 |
| Added to NRHP | May 13, 1976 |
The Cherokee Path was a very important route in early America. It was also known as the Keowee Path. This path was the main road for English and Scottish traders. They traveled from Charleston to reach the Cherokee people.
The path led to Cherokee towns. These towns were located along the Keowee River and its smaller rivers. The traders called these towns "Lower Towns." They were different from the "Middle Towns" in Western North Carolina. There were also "Overhill Towns" in Tennessee.
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History of the Cherokee Path
In the 1600s and 1700s, the Cherokee Path was very busy. English and Scottish traders used it often. They were based in a city then called Charles Town, now Charleston. These traders bought and sold animal furs.
An official mapmaker named George Hunter mapped the path in 1730. He worked for the Province of South Carolina. Hunter noted the path was about 145 miles (233 km) long. It went from Charles Town to a fort called the Congarees. This fort was where the Saluda and Broad rivers met. This spot later became Columbia, the state capital.
The path continued across the frontier, which was the edge of settled lands. It reached a colonial settlement called Ninety Six. The British also built a fort nearby, Fort Prince George. This fort was close to Cherokee lands.
The entire path from Charles Town to Keowee, a main Cherokee town, was about 302 miles (486 km). Keowee was part of the Lower Towns. These towns were in what is now Oconee, Greenville, Pickens, and Anderson counties in South Carolina. They also stretched into northeastern Georgia.
Later, settlers built a wagon road. They called it the Indian Trail. This road followed much of the Cherokee Path. Today, SC 3 is a modern road that follows parts of this old path. You can still see parts of the original path next to modern roads in many places.
From Keowee, the path split. One branch went southwest into the Unaka Mountains. It followed streams and valleys where more Cherokee towns were. These towns were along the Keowee and Tugaloo rivers, leading to Clayton, Georgia. The main path continued to the Cherokee Middle Towns. These were along the upper Little Tennessee River. Later, towns like Franklin and Murphy grew there. Traders even went across the Appalachian Mountains. They reached the Overhill Towns in eastern Tennessee. These towns were along the lower Little Tennessee and Tellico rivers.
The Path During Wars
During the French and Indian War, the British built Fort Loudoun in 1756. It was in Tennessee, where the Tellico and Little Tennessee rivers meet. The British built it to help the Cherokee, who were their allies. But by 1760, fighting broke out between the Cherokee and the British. Peace was made in 1762.
The Cherokee Path was also used during the American Revolution. In 1776, Cherokee warriors attacked some frontier settlements. So, soldiers from Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia used the path. They marched into Cherokee towns to stop the attacks. They destroyed many towns. During the Revolution, the Cherokee were allies with the British. They hoped to push the American rebels out of their lands.
Cherokee Path, Sterling Land Grant
The Cherokee Path, Sterling Land Grant is a special part of the old path. It is located near St. Matthews in Calhoun County, South Carolina. In 1704, a man named George Sterling received a large piece of land. It was 570 acres along a creek. He was one of the first European settlers in that area.
His family's farm was a common stopping place. Traders and other travelers on the Cherokee Path would often rest there. Calhoun County is one of the few places in South Carolina where you can still see parts of the original path. The specific area of the Sterling Land Grant is now an empty field with some trees. Two acres of this land, where the Cherokee Path crosses, were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. This means it is a historically important site.
The Path Today
Today, South Carolina Highway 11 is a modern road. It is also called the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway. This highway was built along or very close to some parts of the original Cherokee Path.
