Citico (Chattanooga, Tennessee) facts for kids
Citico Town and Mound was an important ancient town. It was located near Citico Creek in what is now Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was a big part of the Coosa confederacy, a group of Native American communities.
In 1540 CE, a Spanish explorer named Hernando de Soto traveled through this area. At that time, Citico was the second largest town, after Etowah. Archaeologists say Citico was part of the Mississippian or Muscogee culture. This period is called the 'Dallas Phase' and lasted from about 1300 to 1600 CE.
Isaac H. Bonsall took photos of the site in 1864. This was during the American Civil War. At that time, the area was a garden for soldiers who were getting better.
Citico Mound
The Citico mound was the main part of Citico town. It stayed mostly whole until the US Civil War. During the war, people dug into it. They used it to store gunpowder.
In 1914, an archaeologist named Clarence Bloomfield Moore dug up parts of the mound. Sadly, the mound was completely destroyed in 1915. This happened to make way for a new road. The road went east from downtown Chattanooga. The Tennessee Division of Archaeology calls this site "40HA65".
Future of the Site
The Citico site was planned for new construction projects in 2016–2017. These plans included extending Central Avenue. They also involved building new housing for college students.
