Public comment
On Monday, the long-term plan for Moccasin Bend can be viewed at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/chch. Comments can be submitted via the website through May 30. Comment forms also will be available at the open house.› Open house: From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Outdoor Chattanooga in Coolidge Park, 200 River St. Presentations by park staff will be held at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
For millennia, Native peoples have gathered in places where rivers, mountains and plains meet. Down on the banks of the Tennessee River next to Chattanooga lies such a place called Moccasin Bend, named for its monumental shape as an Indian moccasin shoe as seen from Point Park on Lookout Mountain.
Moccasin Bend is rich in history, a history that dates back 12,000 years and includes Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Woodland and Mississippian cultures; Cherokee removal routes known sadly as the Trail of Tears; and Civil War routes and fortifications that shaped American history as we know it today.
On Moccasin Bend, there is evidence of nomadic hunters and gatherers, some of the earliest Indian dwellings in the United States, ceremonial mound complexes, and fortified Indian villages whose residents may have made contact with early Spanish explorers. It is the best preserved, most diverse and important collection of archeological remains in the whole extent of the 650-mile Tennessee River valley.
Moccasin Bend National Archeological District was added to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in 2003 after nearly a century of conservation efforts and generations of tireless advocates for this park too numerous to recognize.
Moccasin Bend represents the next big thing for Chattanooga for preserving open space, enjoying outdoor recreation and learning about our unique Native American and Civil War history.
Even though it's a peninsula adjacent to downtown Chattanooga, Moccasin Bend feels more like an island, far away. Connectivity is key to getting people to visit and enjoy Moccasin Bend. City designers plan a North Shore Riverwalk extension from Coolidge Park to Moccasin Bend and redesigned Manufacturers and Hamm roads beautifying this corridor and making it safe for pedestrians, cyclists, cars and trucks.
Chattanooga has a much-touted $1 billion a year tourist economy. Last year, our National Park System experienced a record number of visitors. That includes more than 1 million visitors to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. According to the National Park Service, these visitors spent over $66 million in the greater Chattanooga area, supporting 1,016 private sector jobs with a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $81.5 million.
Startlingly, less than 1 percent of those visitors to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park came to Moccasin Bend because the Bend currently lacks the visitor facilities and experiences that other parts of the park - such as Chickamauga Battlefield, Point Park and Signal Point - have already developed. However, after two years of public planning and tribal consultation, the park service is ready to release its long-term plan for Moccasin Bend.
As this plan is implemented, residents and visitors alike will have new opportunities to learn about the 12,000 years of American Indian presence on Moccasin Bend and the meaningful sacrifices made by Americans during the Civil War - in the midst of experiencing more than 750 acres of scenic beauty – on an expanded system of riverfront and hilltop trails, ranger-led tours and a visitor center.
The National Park Service and the Friends of Moccasin Bend are fortunate to have strong community support and great partners in the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, which donated the original 750 acres for the creation of the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District.
Once again, all partners are working together to bring the vision for the Moccasin Bend to fruition. This means finding a new and better location for the city-county law enforcement training/firing range so that our officers can train to their best, and we can move this great park forward.
Our national parks have been called "America's Best Idea." Success builds success, and never has the future been brighter for Moccasin Bend.
Michael Wurzel is executive director of Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park.