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Historically, how did Memphis come to be Memphis?
Home » Tennessee » Memphis History & Overview » Historically, how did Memphis come to be Memphis?The first to live along the Mississippi where Memphis now sits were the Chickasaw Indians. They were the “mound builders” who built what are the mounds that line the Mississippi river in the area. The first European to explore the area was the Spaniard Hernando Desoto in 1541. Desoto was followed by the French explorers Marquette and Joliet who sailed down the river through Memphis a hundred years later. LaSalle followed them in 1682 and then the French built Fort Assumption in 1739. After the French and Indian war in 1763, England gained control of the bluffs although the area was Chickasaw by treaty. The Indians, French, English, Spanish and new “Americans” coexisted along the river until Tennessee became a U.S. territory in 1790. In 1796, Tennessee became a state and although this land belonged to the Chickasaw Indians, the new settlers eventually took over. In 1818 the Chickasaw relinquished their northern territory, including their land that would eventually become the City of Memphis. It was actually the seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, along with General Winchester and Judge Overton that were the “founders” of Memphis in 1819.
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