Is there a zoo in Knoxville TN?
Zoo Knoxville, formerly Knoxville Zoo is a 53-acre (21 ha) zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 800 animals and welcomes over 400,000 visitors each year. Zoo Knoxville is notable for having bred the first two African Elephants born in the Western Hemisphere.
What do we know about the prehistoric Indian occupation of Tennessee?
Archaeologists divide the time humans have been in eastern Tennessee into periods. These periods are both references to some span of time, and to some stage in a continuum of increasing social complexity. The result of the past 150 years of archaeological work is that we now know a lot about the prehistoric Indian occupation of Tennessee.
What happened to the bow and arrow in Tennessee?
Woodland communities, however, continued to thrive across Tennessee and the construction of burial mounds continues in eastern Tennessee (Figure 20). Although the technology may have appeared earlier, the bow and arrow definitely came into widespread use facilitating both hunting and warfare.
What Indian tribes lived in Knoxville TN?
The land upon which the University of Tennessee-Knoxville is built is part of the traditional territory of the Tsalagi peoples (now Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians), Tsoyahá peoples (Yuchi, Muscogee Creek), and Shawnee peoples.
Where did the Indians live in Tennessee?
The greatest concentration of evidence for Paleo-Indian occupation is the western valley of the Tennessee River and the Central Basin, particularly along the Cumberland River.
Where did the woodland Indians live in TN?
During their time in Tennessee, these Indians spread throughout the state. They lived in the major river valleys of Tennessee and along smaller rivers and creeks. One archaeologist described the Woodland people as “filling in” the land throughout the state.
Where did the Paleo Indians live in Tennessee?
The greatest concentration of evidence for PaleoIndian occupation is the western valley of the Tennessee River and the Central Basin particularly along the Cumberland River.
Where did the Cherokee settle in Tennessee?
The Overhill town of Chota, in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee, was recognized as the de facto capital and mother town of the entire Cherokee Nation for most of the 18th century, when it was the major settlement. The town of Tanasi became the namesake for the state of Tennessee.
What was the largest Native American tribe in Tennessee?
The CherokeeThe Cherokee eventually became the largest tribe in the entire Southeastern region of what is now the United States. The migration of European pioneers eventually brought about the end of Native American occupation along the river.
Where can I find arrowheads in Tennessee?
Arrowheads can be found anywhere in Tennessee, but they are often discovered at American Indian gravesites and cemeteries where they were used as grave offerings. There are various ways the arrowheads make their way to the surface; most often it's from erosion or from farming activity.
Where did the Cherokee live in East Tennessee?
The largest part of the Cherokee Nation was in Northern Georgia, but a very significant northern part of it, the Overhill Cherokee, was in East Tennessee, mostly in Monroe County (south of Blount County, which neighbors Knox County to the south).
Are there any Indian reservations in Tennessee?
Because there are no reservations in Tennessee, there has been no state or federal recognition of the Indian population and no services directed to them.
Who were the first Indians in Tennessee?
The Paleo-Indians (lived 15,000BCE to 8,000BCE) were the first known people to inhabit our state. They were considered nomadic people because they followed animals wherever they roamed and hardly ever stayed in one place.
When did Indians live in Tennessee?
Tennessee has a great variety of rivers, landforms, climate regions, and plant and animal species. Numerous groups of people have settled in Tennessee beginning with Native Americans about 12,000 years ago.
Who were the first settlers in Tennessee?
The earliest inhabitants of Tennessee are believed to have been Ice Age peoples descended from Asians who crossed the former Bering Strait land bridge more than 20,000 years ago. These peoples were of Paleo-Indian culture, and, like their Archaic successors, they lived primarily by hunting.
When did Indians live in Tennessee?
Tennessee has a great variety of rivers, landforms, climate regions, and plant and animal species. Numerous groups of people have settled in Tennessee beginning with Native Americans about 12,000 years ago.
Who were the first Indians in Tennessee?
The Paleo-Indians (lived 15,000BCE to 8,000BCE) were the first known people to inhabit our state. They were considered nomadic people because they followed animals wherever they roamed and hardly ever stayed in one place.
What Indian tribes lived in Gatlinburg Tennessee?
In the 1700s, the Great Smoky Mountains were inhabited by the Cherokee Indians who were a very culturally advanced people. They had their own written alphabet and had permanent towns and intricate political systems in place.
Where is the Trail of Tears in Tennessee?
The City of La Vergne,Tennessee holds a very rare and unique place in the history of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. La Vergne is geographically located between 2 documented segments of the National Historic Trail of Tears Northern Land Route.
What are some of the most important archaeological projects in Tennessee?
Consequently, there has been an enormous amount of archaeological work done in Tennessee over the past 40 years ranging from major reservoir projects such as the Tellico, Normandy, and Columbia, to road, bridge, sewer line, and transmission line projects.
Where were mussels found in Tennessee?
Beginning in the Middle Archaic, freshwater mussels and gastropods were collected in enormous numbers, especially in the western Tennessee River valley. Massive heaps or middens of shell are found along some of the major rivers of the state and signal residential sites and , sometimes, where people were buried.
What are the two sites of Middle Woodland?
Two sites in the Middle Woodland period stand out in Tennessee. One, the Pinson site in Madison County, is a 395 acre complex consisting of at least 12 mounds (the largest is 72 feet high – Figure 18), a large geometric embankment, and habitation areas. Most were built between 2000 – 1800 YBP. The burial mounds contain tombs of apparent high status individuals that may indicate an emerging chiefdom. The second site is Old Stone Fort in Coffee County which is a 50 acre plateau enclosed by 4,600 feet of stone and earthen embankments (Figure 19). Excavations suggest the enclosure functioned as a sacred space and the orientation of the entrance walls toward the summer solstice may indicate a celestial function.
When did the Tennessee Valley Authority begin?
With the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933, there began a massive archaeological recovery program using federal relief workers (CWA, WPA) in valleys to be inundated.
When was Knoxville Zoo founded?
With these two efforts, the modern Knoxville Zoo was founded in 1971. In the following years, Old Diamond was successfully mated to two younger female elephants, with two daughters being born in 1978. These were the first two African elephants born in the Western Hemisphere.
What was the name of the elephant that was donated to the Knoxville Zoo?
In 1963, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus donated a particularly troublesome seven-ton bull elephant named "Louie," or "Old Diamond." While this initially raised public interest, conditions and funds soon deteriorated, and Old Diamond contributed more problems by tearing up his early enclosures. In 1966, the Metropolitan Planning Commission announced plans to revitalize and modernize the zoo, but a lack of funds once again grounded the project through 1970. Following an effort by the Knoxville Journal to "Save Old Diamond," successful television executive Guy Lincoln Smith II bought a lion cub and took care of it until a proper facility could be built, while Dr. Bill Patterson helped found the Appalachian Zoological Society to oversee the formation of an educational zoo. With these two efforts, the modern Knoxville Zoo was founded in 1971.
What animals are in Knoxville Zoo?
The Knoxville Zoo has been successful at breeding several endangered species, especially red pandas and white rhinos. The zoo also bred the first African elephant in captivity in the Western Hemisphere, nicknamed "Lil' Diamond" in 1978.
How big is the Knoxville Zoo?
Zoo Knoxville, formerly known as the Knoxville Zoo, is a 53-acre (21 ha) zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 800 animals and welcomes over 400,000 visitors each year.
Which zoo has the most captive births?
Only the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands has had more captive births worldwide. At the end of 2010, Mozilla Foundation —the creator of Firefox web browser—partnered with Knoxville Zoo in an effort to raise awareness about endangered red pandas.
What animals are in West Zoo?
In West Zoo, the largest series of habitats are intended to evoke an African savanna. The Stokely African Elephant Preserve houses three African elephants: a male named Tonka and two females named Jada and Edie. The Williams Family Giraffe Encounter provides guests with the opportunity to feed reticulated giraffes. Other featured species include Hartmann's mountain zebras, southern white rhinos, southern ground hornbills, and a bat-eared fox. Just pass these is a restaurant and a splash pad for children, and farther up is the Valley of the Kings exhibit, housing neighboring attractions with African lions and Hamadryas baboons respectively.
What animals are in Clayton Family Kids Cove?
These include a carousel, petting zoo, playground, and sandbox. Regarding animal exhibits, Kids Cove features a number of domestic animals like sheep and goats, as well as North American beavers. Visitors also have the opportunity to feed budgies .
Why did the Indians abandon the attack on Knoxville?
Happily, the Indians were so delayed by their own dissensions, that they were unable to reach Knoxville before daylight, and therefore abandoned the attack. This delay was mainly attributable to their differences in consultation upon a point which Providence intended should never come within reach of their decision. The question arose among them, whether they should massacre all the inhabitants of Knoxville, or only the men. Hanging Maw, less sanguinary than others, protested earnestly against an indiscriminate slaughter. They determined finally it was prudent to forbear the attack. They had marched all night, except the time consumed in fruitless debate, and about sunrise of the 25th of September (1793), commenced their attack on Covet's [ Cavet 's] Station, eight miles from Knoxville; but were received with such spirited resistance by the three men in the building, who alone were armed with guns, that two of their number were soon killed and three others wounded.
Where was the lowest settlement in East Tennessee?
There was a fort at Campbell's Station, which was the lowest settlement in East-Tennessee.
What was the first newspaper published within the limits of the present State of Tennessee?
The Gazette was the first paper published within the limits of the present State of Tennessee. Notwithstanding the pledges of perpetual amity made by the Cherokees at the treaty of Holston, they very soon afterward gave decided evidences of hostility.
When was Knox County established?
On the 11th of June, 1792 , Knox county was established by an ordinance issued by the governor, Wm. Blount. His excellency being sincerely devoted to the interests of the country, and anxious that all important intelligence should be promptly brought to the knowledge of the people, induced the immigration of Mr. Roulstone, a printer, who arrived in the country with the materials of his trade in 1791; Knoxville, at that time, having no existence beyond a prospective one, based upon the governor's intention, the disciple of Faust stopped at Rogersville, and in that place, on the 5th of November, 1791, issued the first number of the Knoxville Gazette. The office was, however, soon removed to Knoxville itself. The Gazette was the first paper published within the limits of the present State of Tennessee.
When was Tennessee admitted to the Union?
The constitution was adopted on the 6th of February following, and on the 6th of June, 1796, Tennessee was admitted, by act of Congress, into the Union.
Where did the Indians kill Gilham?
Prior to Gov. Wm. Blount's departure for Philadelphia, a party of Indians murdered Mr. Gilham and his son in the neighborhood of Bullrun block-house, sixteen miles from Knoxville, and Major Beard, with a company of fifty-six men, was dispatched in pursuit of the marauders, under instructions not to cross the Tennessee river.
How many warriors did the lone woman repel?
That lone woman, by her courage and presence of mind, had repulsed twenty-five savage warriors. Had a word escaped her lips after the explosion of the rifle, the lives of herself and children would have been lost. The perfect silence impressed the Indians, and believing armed men to be in the house, they fled.
Geography
- The state of Tennessee is long and narrow, stretching 432 miles from the high mountains of the Appalachians and the Great Smoky Mountains on the east to the Mississippi River on the west. Moving from east to west, the state is divided into six major physiographic provinces (Figure 1): the Unaka Mountains (Appalachians), the Great Valley, the Cumberland Plateau, the Highlan…
Archaeology
- Our knowledge of the prehistoric Indians of Tennessee is a result of over 150 years of archaeological investigations. Archaeology is the scientific discipline responsible for the recovery and interpretation of the remains of past cultures. Modern archaeology has three basic objectives: first, employing excavations and analysis based on scientific principles, archaeologists seek to …
Literature
- Scanty written information about the Indians of Tennessee and the Southeast come from chronicles of the sixteenth-century Spanish (Hudson 1990), seventeenth-century French (Williams 1928), and eighteenth-century British expeditions (King 2007). As Euro-American settlers moved westward across Tennessee in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth cen...
Origin
- In the last two decades evidence has mounted that suggest an earlier, pre-Clovis arrival of people into the New World (Malakoff 2008). Monte Verde, a site in Chile, is dated 14,500YBP (Dillehay 1989, 1997). Human feces from Paisley Caves, Oregon, have been dated 14,300YBP (Curry 2008); and genetic studies comparing modern Native American genes to native Siberians show that th…
Politics
- This social group had little political organization except for a nominal leader chosen perhaps for his hunting prowess. The band moved occasionally to take advantage of the seasonal availability of certain plants and animals, but probably also had a base camp where a greater portion of their time was spent. Bands would join with other bands from time to time to hunt game, to exchang…
Environment
- Clothing can be assumed to have been sufficient for the environment in which the group lived. Similarly housing would range from simple lean-tos to more elaborate enclosures as the weather and mobility warranted. One must realize that these bands did not wander aimlessly. Their culture was an adaptation to whatever situation they encountered, and althoug…
Population
- The material culture of the Archaic people becomes more diverse over time with an array of stone and bone tools for a myriad of tasks. One must realize that for all the culture periods, we are missing a significant portion of the record; except in rare instances, gone are the perishable materials wood, fiber, feathers, hides, furs, and basketry. Housing evidence is restricted to a few …
Flora and fauna
- Throughout the Archaic period and the rest of prehistory the major source of animal protein for Tennessee Indians was the white-tailed deer. This staple was supplemented by black bear and a wide array of other mammals. The most commonly hunted birds were turkeys and passenger pigeons, and where abundant along the flyways in the western part of the state, migratory waterf…
Uses
- Gathering wild plant foods was as important as hunting, and of primary importance were nuts, especially nuts and acorns. These first line plant food staples remained important through all subsequent culture periods. Hickory nuts are high in fats and crude protein and require no special processing to render them edible. Acorns are high in fats and carbohydrates and complemente…
Culture
- The Woodland period has been broadly characterized by the manufacture of pottery, the beginnings of intensive agriculture, and the construction of burial mounds and ceremonial earthworks (Figure 15). The shift from an Archaic period way of life to that of Woodland culture did not occur everywhere at the same time. Changes that had begun in the Archaic culminated i…
Early history
- Some form of gardening was taking place at least by Late Archaic times and was an important part of the subsistence strategy by the Early Woodland period. Paleoethnobotanist Richard Yarnell analyzed the contents of Early Woodland human feces found in Salts and Mammoth caves in Kentucky and concluded: the relative proportions of plant foods in the diet during the period of a…
Formation
- Early in the Woodland period, if not earlier in the later part of the Archaic, bands began to group together to form sociopolitical units called tribes. The tribe was made up of several localized communities each of which were organized through a kinship group called a lineage. These lineages would come together from time to time for the purpose of warfare or ceremony. The so…
Future
- In the Late Woodland period, there appears to be a collapse of the Middle Woodland interregional exchange systems and the abandonment of centers such as Pinson and Old Stone Fort. Woodland communities, however, continued to thrive across Tennessee and the construction of burial mounds continues in eastern Tennessee (Figure 20). Although the technol…
Characteristics
- At its peak, the Mississippian tradition is characterized by the following: (1) the construction of earthen platform mounds on which were erected temples, elite residences, and council buildings (Figure 21); (2) the arrangement of mounds and individual household structures around open plazas (Figure 22); (3) increased population and more stable settlements than in the preceding …
Setting
- As with the earlier culture periods, the Mississippian period is divided in to Early (1100-900 YBP), Middle (900650 YBP), and Late (AD 650400 YBP) subperiods. Throughout the state mound centers/towns appeared, some quite large extending over several to several tens of acres, each with associated outlying hamlets and farmsteads. Many of these large sites span the Early, Mid…
Summary
- The Mississippian period was the final chapter in the long human prehistory of Tennessee. Throughout the Southeast it was the pinnacle of religio-socio-political complexity of the Native American societies. Beginning in the 16th century, European incursions into the interior by the Spanish, the French, and the English brought massive change to the Indian cultures. Physi…
Overview
Zoo Knoxville, formerly known as the Knoxville Zoo or Knoxville Zoological Gardens, is a 53-acre (21 ha) zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 1,200 animals and welcomes over 585,000 visitors each year.
Zoo Knoxville is notable for having bred the first two African Elephants born in t…
History
In 1923, an initiative was started by a local newspaper to start a park for poor children, driven by a Birthday Fund. After slow progress, the Birthday Park was established in 1935 with help from the city of Knoxville and the New Deal. The park included a stone shelter, small playground, and a wading pool on a hillside in Chilhowee Park. Discussion started about introducing a zoo, but funding again became an issue, and the Birthday Park fell into disuse and neglect before being c…
Exhibits
Zoo Knoxville is broadly divided two halves, East Zoo and West Zoo. Each section mainly features large and naturalistic outdoor habitats for many of their animal residents, as well as a few smaller indoor exhibits.
Upon entering, the first habitat is Black Bear Falls, housing several American black bears, an important species native to the nearby Great Smoky Mountains. Several viewing areas are featur…
Conservation
The Knoxville Zoo has been successful at breeding several endangered species, especially red pandas and white rhinos. The zoo also bred the first African elephant in captivity in the Western Hemisphere, nicknamed "Lil' Diamond" in 1978.
In 2009, Sarah Glass, curator of red pandas and Special Exhibits at the Knoxville Zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee, was appointed as coordinator for the North American Red Panda Species Survival Pl…
Incidents
On January 14, 2011, zookeeper Stephanie James was killed when one of the zoo's two female elephants, "Edie", pushed her into the side of the indoor stall. The incident was deemed to be an accident, not a malicious attack by the elephant. In James' memory, a small fountain and garden is set up between the elephant and rhino exhibits along the Grasslands Africa trek.
External links
• Official website
• Zoo Knoxville's Conservation Work