by Calista Sprague

What do Chattahoochee, Muscogee, Alabama, Coweta, Cusseta and Eufaula have in common? They are all names from the Creek Indians who lived in the Chattahoochee Valley before there was a Columbus or Phenix City.

When we think of the days of pioneers and Native Americans, we often think of far away places, but several villages of Creek Indians populated the banks of the Chattahoochee River long before the Europeans settled here. In honor of Native American Month, help your children explore the rich Indian heritage right here at home. Several local organizations have worked hard to make just such an adventure possible.

In the late 1980s, the Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Association was formed to develop the Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Center (CIHC), adjacent to Fort Mitchell, just 12 miles south of Phenix City. “Over the next 10 or 12 years, we raised approximately $1 million in contributions to build the facility,” said Doug Purcell, executive director of the Historic Chattahoochee Commission. “The intent was to spotlight the important role the Creek Indians played in the development of this area.”

The Creek or Muscogee Indians were a peaceful group who traded with the Europeans and lived in villages by the river along side the early settlers.“ There is a lot of misinformation about Indians, not only in this area, but throughout the United States with perceptions based on what people see or saw growing up on television: Plains Indians, teepees and that sort of thing. We wanted folks to get a better understanding of how Creek Indians lived and what they thought about the land,” Purcell explained.

The CIHC, an outdoor exhibit on a hill above the river, includes four large bronze plaques engraved with the names of several thousand Indians once living in the villages of the Lower Creek region — now known as the Chattahoochee Valley. “If people see a name, they can better put their arms around the concept of the Indians and who they were in this area.”

In addition to the bronze plaques, visitors to the CIHC will see historical markers, displaying information about the Trail of Tears. They can follow an interpretive trail along the top of the hill and learn about native plants that were grown and used by the Indians to subsist, to make their clothes and to fulfill other daily needs.

The most prominent feature, the Sacred Fire sculpture, represents the annual Green Corn Festival during which Creek Indians forgave all grievances against others for the past year, a fitting symbol of forgiveness on a site where much grief was borne.

“It’s a moving experience,” Purcell said of touring the center. “The site of the Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Center at Fort Mitchell was chosen because it was a staging ground of the removal of Indians to the West.” Despite the peaceful co-existence of the Creek Indians and the European settlers, the Indians were nonetheless removed from the Chattahoochee Valley in the infamous Trail of Tears. They were forced from their homes, chained together and marched from Fort Mitchell across the country to Oklahoma where the Muscogee Nation resides today.

The CIHC is adjacent to the Fort Mitchell Visitor Center and National Cemetery, although they are supported by different organizations. Families interested in learning more will want to tour the reconstructed Fort Mitchell with its several structures built to historical accuracy, as well as the visitor center, which exhibits artifacts, a walk-through display and a movie, all painting the picture of life in the Chattahoochee Valley during the first half of the 19th century.

“I would also encourage parents to take their children to do some reading,” Purcell added. “This will debunk the myth that Indians in this area lived in teepees and wore these fancy headdresses that the Indians of the plains wore.” Local Author Billy Winn has written about Native American life in the Chattahoochee Valley in his book called “The Old Beloved Path,” appropriate for teens and adults. But for the younger ones, check out “Jingle Dancer” by Cynthia L. Smith and “Davy Crockett and the Creek Indians” by Justine Korman, both available at the Columbus Public Library.