The first inhabitants of the Chattanooga area were Native American Indians with sites dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period, showing continuous occupation through the Archaic stageArchaic, Woodland periodWoodland, Mississippian cultureMississippian (900-1650 ce), Muskogean and Cherokee (1776 - 1838 ce) periods. The name 'Chattanooga' is based on the Muskogean term for rock, cvto (chatta), and may refer to Lookout Mountain that, when viewed from Moccasin Bend, appears as a "rock rising to a point." The earliest Cherokee occupation dates from Dragging Canoe who, in 1776, separated himself and moved downriver from the main tribe to establish Native American resistance (see Chickamauga Wars) to European settlement in the southeastern United States. Occupation of the area by members of the Cherokee Nation dates from 1816 with the establishment of Ross's Landing by later tribal chief John Ross (Cherokee chief)John Ross, and ended with the Trail of Tearsforced relocation of Native American Indians from the southeast U.S. to Oklahoma in 1838. Ross's Landing was one of three large internment camps, or "emigration depots" during the Trail of Tears; the other two being Fort Payne, Alabama and the largest at Fort Cass, Tennessee. The city is known for the 1941 in music1941 big-band swing musicswing song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller, but it has grown significantly since its days as a railroad transportation hubhub and heavy industryindustrial center. Bessie Smith, a famous blues singer, was also born in Chattanooga is visible in the background. During the American Civil War on November 23, 1863, the Third Battle of Chattanooga began when Union ArmyUnion forces led by General Ulysses S. Grant reinforced troops at Chattanooga and counterattackcounterattacked Confederate States ArmyConfederate troops. The next day, the Battle of Lookout Mountain was fought near the town. These were followed the next spring (season)spring by the Atlanta Campaign, beginning just over the nearby state line in Georgia (U.S. state)Georgia and moving southeastward. After the war ended, the city became a major manufacturing center, and by the 1930s was known as the "Dynamo of Dixie." But the same mountains that provided Chattanooga's scenic backdrop became shrouded by the industrial pollutants that they trapped and held over the community. In 1969, the federal government declared that Chattanooga's air was the dirtiest in the nation. But environmental crises were not the only problems plaguing the city. Chattanooga entered the 1980s with serious socioeconomic challenges including job layoffs, a deteriorating city infrastructure, racial tensions and social division. In recent years, private and governmental resources have been invested in transforming the city's tarnished image and to gain recognition for a metamorphosis of its downtown and riverfront areas. An early cornerstone of this project was the restoration of the historic Walnut Street Bridge (Tennessee)Walnut Street Bridge. The Walnut Street Bridge is the oldest surviving bridge of its kind in the Southeastern United States. Efforts to improve the city include the "21st Century Waterfront Plan" - a $120 Million redevelopment of the Chattanooga waterfront and downtown area In 1935, as well as from 1993 to 1995, Chattanooga hosted the National Folk Festival (USA)National Folk Festival. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattanooga%2C_Tennessee