Chattanooga; CHATT-UH-NOO-GA (n.): Derived from Tsatanugi, which in the Cherokee language means “rock coming to a point” or “end of the mountain.”
The name of our city comes from white settlers’ pronunciation + respelling of Tsatanugi, which sounded like chat-to-noo-gee or cha-ta-nu-ga.
“Rock coming to a point” references Lookout Mountain , a prominent piece of Chattanooga, both in the name + its history.
Brief history
- 1663: England established the colony of Carolina, which included what we know as Tennessee. The Mississippi Valley French settlers claimed this land at the same time.
- 1769: The “Old French Store ” was established on Williams Island and was the first white settlement in the area.
- 1796: Tennessee became the sixteenth state — Native American lands made up most of the region, including Chattanooga.
- 1816: Chief John Ross, leader of the Cherokee nation, established Ross’s Landing as a trading post on the Tennessee River.
- 1838: Hamilton County (established in 1819) expanded south of the river to encompass Ross’s Landing during the Cherokee removal . Ross’s Landing became Chattanooga.
Camp Tsatanugi
The local Cherokee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America purchased a ~92 acre piece of land in 1925 (in Hixson) and named it “Camp Tsatanugi .”
The area’s council operated Camp Tsatanugi as a summer camp from 1925 to 1950, with the exception of 1945 . The property was sold in 1968 to the still-operating Highland Sportsman Club (1028 Camp Tsatanuga Rd. ).
The Cherokee name is preserved in Camp Tsatanuga Road , which is near the old camp.
#ProTip
🗣️ If you want to say Chattanooga like a local, it’s pronounced CHAD-UH-NOO-GA, not CHATT-IN-OOGA.