Cerro Gordo, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Cerro Gordo is an unincorporated community in Hardin County
, Tennessee
, United States
. Cerro Gordo is located on the east bank of the Tennessee River
north of Savannah
. It is most famous as the May, 1816 landing site of the Hardin Expedition.
in late spring of 1816 bound for the general area which would eventually become Savannah, Tennessee
. The first party came by boat by way of the Tennessee River
, landing in May at "the easteward curve of the Tennessee" at Cerro Gordo. The second, and larger party, had traversed overland and suffered from many delays. This second party was led by Joseph Hardin, Jr., son of Col. Joseph Hardin who had, before his death, accumulated several land grants to the area as rewards for his Revolutionary War service. Joseph, Jr., as well as his brother, James Hardin (founder of the rival settlement of Hardinville
, at modern day Old Town, located on Hardin’s Creek), executed land grants in the area. Both had fought alongside their father in the war and had been likewise rewarded with land patents.
Additional settlers from the initial expedition were almost immediately to establish a nearby community down river at Saltillo
.
Hardin County, Tennessee
Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. State of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 26,026. The Hardin County seat is Savannah. The county was named posthumously for Col. Joseph Hardin, a Revolutionary War soldier and a legislative representative for the Province of North Carolina and...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Cerro Gordo is located on the east bank of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
north of Savannah
Savannah, Tennessee
Savannah is a city in Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,917 at the 2000 census and the 2007 population estimate was 7,262. It is the county seat of Hardin County. Savannah hosted the NAIA college football national championship game from 1996-2007. Savannah is home to...
. It is most famous as the May, 1816 landing site of the Hardin Expedition.
The Hardin Expedition
Two parties of settlers (totaling 26) struck out of Knoxville, TennesseeKnoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
in late spring of 1816 bound for the general area which would eventually become Savannah, Tennessee
Savannah, Tennessee
Savannah is a city in Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,917 at the 2000 census and the 2007 population estimate was 7,262. It is the county seat of Hardin County. Savannah hosted the NAIA college football national championship game from 1996-2007. Savannah is home to...
. The first party came by boat by way of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
, landing in May at "the easteward curve of the Tennessee" at Cerro Gordo. The second, and larger party, had traversed overland and suffered from many delays. This second party was led by Joseph Hardin, Jr., son of Col. Joseph Hardin who had, before his death, accumulated several land grants to the area as rewards for his Revolutionary War service. Joseph, Jr., as well as his brother, James Hardin (founder of the rival settlement of Hardinville
Hardinville, Tennessee
Hardinville or Hardinsville was a hamlet founded in 1817 "near the confluence of Turkey and Boone's Creeks" in Hardin County, Tennessee east of the Tennessee River. It was incorporated by the state legislature on October 24, 1824...
, at modern day Old Town, located on Hardin’s Creek), executed land grants in the area. Both had fought alongside their father in the war and had been likewise rewarded with land patents.
Additional settlers from the initial expedition were almost immediately to establish a nearby community down river at Saltillo
Saltillo, Tennessee
Saltillo is a town in Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 303 at the 2010 census. Saltillo is located on the left bank of the Tennessee River, about 12 miles north of Savannah, Tennessee.-History:...
.