CHATTANOOGA REGIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Phone: 423-265-3247; Fax: 423-266-9280; website: www.chattanoogahistory.com


"Strolling Down Riverside Drive, c. A.D. 900"
2:00 p.m., November 22, 2003


  Time was, in Chattanooga, you could stroll down what we know as Riverside
Drive and view the largest Native American burial mound in East Tennessee!

  For thousands of years before European contact in the 1500s, the Tennessee
Valley was home to various groups of Native Americans, the most complex
being the Mississippian culture living here between A.D. 900 - 1540.

  Local archaeologist and UTC professor Dr. Nick Honerkamp will be at the
Chattanooga Regional History Museum on Saturday, November 22, 2003 at 2:00
p.m. to offer a detailed exploration of this Native American culture.

  When Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto arrived in this area during the
1500s, he stumbled upon an extremely sophisticated, complex society. What is
now Riverside Drive was the site of Citico, a trading town by the river and
home to about 900 people who built plazas and religious temples, and were
ruled by powerful chiefs.

  The people living at Citico were there for 3,000 years. Although they had
no written language, they left behind countless artifacts. These artifacts
enabled archaeologists to piece together their story, a fascinating one that
was an important part of Chattanooga's prehistory.

  Dr. Honerkamp will give a PowerPoint presentation on the last 10,000 years
of Tennessee Valley prehistory, with emphasis on the Mississippian culture,
the latest and most complex of the prehistoric cultural periods. Many
artifacts from the region will be on display, including weapons, tools,
pottery, and ceremonial items.

  Join the Regional History Museum at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 22 to
learn more about Chattanooga's prehistoric past. The museum is pleased to
offer this event free of charge!

  And while you're there for the presentation, be sure to check out our
brand new exhibit "Dinosaurs Plus", which is a hands-on exhibit about
prehistoric Chattanooga, specially designed by the History Museum for young
people.

  For more information, please call 423-265-3247, or visit our website at
www.chattanoogahistory.com.