Little River Canyon has attracted humans for over 10,000 years, first drawing ancestors of American Indians who came to hunt, gather fruits and nuts, and create temporary settlements. In 1540 Hernando DeSoto and his army of Spanish soldiers passed through and wrote about the long mountain with waterfalls. Over time settlers migrated to the area to farm, and in 1838 the federal government forced the Cherokee and Creek Indians from their homeland. As communities near the canyon developed in the late 1800s, tourists came to explore the canyon, known as May's Gulf. In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built DeSoto State Park, which is now part of Little River Canyon National Preserve.

Photo: Courtesy of Thomas P. Martin