The Thousand Mile Yoyage: The Appalachian Roots of Nashville, Tennessee

In the winter of 1779, a determined group of Appalachian settlers set out on a thousand-mile journey by river, led by Virginia surveyor John Donelson.

Battling disease, starvation, ambushes, and the raw forces of nature, they pushed westward down the Holston River, into the Tennessee River, the Ohio and then up the Cumberland River, all through hostile and unknown lands.

Their goal? A place called French Lick—later known as Nashville.

In this episode, Steve and Rod trace the expedition that carried Appalachian grit to Middle Tennessee, laying the foundations for the city many call “The Athens of the South.”

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