Before 1805 the Chickasaw Indians owned all the land in this vicinity, and only the Natchez Trace, part of which remains here, had made inroads into their territory. When they ceded land to the United States in the early 1800's, the Natchez Trace became a boundary. The land behind this site became government property under an 1805 treaty, and in 1816 the tribe ceded a much larger tract that included the land in front. Eventually the Chickasaws left their homeland, and in 1837 the government removed them to Indian Territory in Oklahoma along the tragic Trail of Tears. Despite the dissolution of their lands, the Chickasaws developed a unique culture based on the American model. As hunting ranges shrank, they became farmers and established their own schools, courts, and legislature. During the Civil War the tribe joined the Confederacy.