Recreational and heritage tourism in Northwest Georgia and the Tennessee River Valley last week gained a new jewel in a crown that includes hiking and biking trails, climbing walls and caves, Native American and Civil War sites and a network of lakes and waterways.
Outdoor enthusiasts, community leaders and members of the National Park Service gathered Friday morning to officially open the West Chickamauga Creek Canoe Launch at the historic Lee and Gordon Mill in Chickamauga.
Attending the official ribbon cutting for the West Chickamauga Creek launch site at Lee & Gordon Mill are, from left, Cathy Cook, superintendent of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park; David Ashburn, Walker County coordinator; John Culpepper, Chickamauga city manager; Jim Ledbetter, representing the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club; Steve Tarvin, Frank Pierce Foundation board member; Jim Staub, Chickamauga City Council member; Tim Gobble, East Ridge city manager; and Ray Crowder, Chickamauga mayor.“This gives paddlers a safe, secure place to leave their vehicles and launch,” said Jim Ledbetter of the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club. “This is a win-win for everyone. It brings tourist dollars to local communities and gains national recognition for the area. And it is just a great stretch of creek to paddle.”
Chickamauga Creek, with its various branches, was a major thoroughfare before Europeans arrived in America and crossed the Appalachians. During pioneer times the creek provided power for industry, as witnessed by the number of roads that include “mill” in their name, and transport before the arrival of railroads.
The creek is now being rediscovered as a source for recreation, a blueway that stretches from McClemore Cove at the foot of Lookout Mountain to the Tennessee River just below Chickamauga Dam.