What History Lies Below Our Feet

Last week, I took a couple days off to spend with my family.  Sue had Fall Break and Sam had some time off, so we headed to visit Alex in their new home in Chattanooga, TN.  I have only passed through Chattanooga on my way to somewhere else. As a kid I loved trains, so my parents stopped on our way to Florida to introduce me to the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. We also made our way up Lookout Mountain to try and see all 9 states on a clear day.  

Chattanooga is on many people’s all-American road trip map as it serves as a gateway or crossroads to many other destinations. To capitalize on the American road trip in the 1930’s they created many roadside stops for travelers. You cannot drive through Chattanooga without seeing numerous signs for Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls, and Rock City. Sadly, most of these beautiful sights have become tourist traps, today. We even were drawn in by Ruby Falls and took the over-romanticized tour through the cave to a spectacular waterfall within the mountain all accompanied by colorful lights and music.  

While at Ruby Falls, we did learn more about Chattanooga’s storied and complicated history, especially its Black history. You may have heard that Chattanooga was as a major jazz and blues hub featuring the legendary Bessie Smith, or you may have read about the courage of the Howard High School students who led a landmark sit-in in 1960 to protest segregation, but there was much more going on in Chattanooga. On display at Ruby Falls was a special exhibit, Building the Big Nine: A Legacy of Black Excellence which explained how during a time of redlining and segregation, Chattanooga was populated with pioneering Black entrepreneurs and community leaders who overcame their struggles to build businesses and homes for their families.  At one time, Chattanooga was a thriving Black city in the deep south.  

Digging a little deeper, one also learns about Ross's Landing in Chattanooga, which served as a major Cherokee camp in 1837 and was the departure point for the first groups of the Cherokee Nation forcibly removed from their land at gunpoint onto the Trail of Tears in 1838. It was here that the first detachment of three saw 1300 Cherokees crowded onto flatboats pulled by steamboats and removed to designated Indian territories. Today, Ross's Landing is downtown Chattanooga’s signature park along the south shore of the Tennessee River. 

It is amazing how much unknown history lies beneath our feet when we travel to new places. I am glad we took time to walk the city, read the histories, and interact with the people. These are our first steps of getting past the tourist-trap-façade of life and getting to the real histories of our places and nation. 

I wonder what history lies below our feet right here in Indianapolis. Consider taking some time this week, to investigate it. You may be surprised by what history you find.