Near here on the bank of the now-flooded Little Tennessee River stood the Cherokee village of Tenasee. Probably established in the 17th century, by 1753 it had been overshadowed by Chota, the principal political center during the latter half of the 18th century. Lt. Timberlake's 1762 map of this area spelled the village as Tennessee, the first known use of the state's name in its current form.