Description
The principal tributary of the Ohio River; formed by the confluence of the Holston River and the French Broad River near Knoxville TN; traverses generally east to west along the northern tier of the State of Alabama, turning back north to join the Ohio River at Paducah KY.
History
The Cherokee, Creek, and Chickasaw Tribes occupied villages along the Tennessee River. The first recorded exploration of the stream by Europeans was in 1540, when Hernando DeSoto's Spanish expedition traveled from the present location of Chattanooga to Guntersville.