Coming Home
"I heard a council member once say that the only difference between the Eastern Band and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma is a thousand miles and a hundred and sixty years. And it is a pretty good statement to me...
- Tom Belt, member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma*

In Murphy, the "Leech Place" of Cherokee lore, the Cherokee Heritage Trails interpretive center can be found at the Cherokee County Historical Museum. Outside stands a giant soapstone mud turtle, Saligugi, found in a quarry along the nearby Nottely River. Inside, displays and interpretation cover thousands of years of history along the Hiwassee and Valley Rivers and their tributaries.

This area - now Cherokee County and Clay County - in the heartland of the original Cherokee country, remained part of tribal lands until Removal, while surrounding land was ceded in treaties. Many displaced Cherokees from Georgia and North Carolina moved here in the early 1800's, living in hastily constructed log cabins and swelling the population of the communities of Shooting Creek and the Valley Towns. Census records, spoliation claims, U.S. Army surveys, and present-day archaeology combine to draw a detailed picture of Cherokee life here prior to Removal.

Sites In Murphy
Cherokee County Historical Museum

Sites Near Murphy
Brasstown - John Campbell Folk School Rivercane walk

Side Trips
Peachtree to Hayesville
Valley Towns

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*Editorial Note: For an in-depth look at each one of the interpretive centers along the Cherokee Heritage Trails, including complete articles and quotes, detailed information on all the historical sites, amazing full color photography depicting the land and its people, stories from many of the Cherokee Elders and much more about the wonderful Cherokee culture, make the Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook a part of your personal library. Click here to find out more.