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WALKER COUNTY HISTORY
Walker County, located in Georgia's northwestern corner, is a land of mountains, ridges, hills, and valleys, a land of 'plenty of everything,' according to one early settler in an 1840 letter to his niece; with 'pure, clear, blue limestone springs, cold enough in the summer and warm in the winter.'
Walker County offers its residents unlimited opportunities for quality living. Its citizens have access to excellent public service, HealthCare and education, while enjoying the splendors of the northwest Georgia mountains.
Four incorporated cities and a number of residential and rural communities are found within Walker County. LaFayette, the county seat, located in the southern portion of the county, is 26 miles south of Chattanooga. Incorporated as a city in 1835, LaFayette's population today is 6,152.
Chickamauga, north of LaFayette, is the home of 2,149 people. The town was established during the 1800's at Crawfish Springs, location of a Cherokee Indian Council House.
At the top of Walker County are Rossville, population 3,602, and Lookout Mountain, population 1,636. Rossville, named after its founder Cherokee Chief John Ross, lies within the Tennessee River valley between the Chickamauga Battlefield, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.
CATOOSA COUNTY HISTORY
Born from the Cherokee Indian nation, Catoosa County was created on December 5, 1853 with land taken from neighboring Walker and Whitfield Counties. The name is derived from the Indian word, 'catoosa.' The meaning of the word is uncertain, but is said to have been from an Indian chief who lived at Catoosa Springs in Ringgold.
Ringgold was designated as the county seat one year after the county was created. The name is taken from Major Samuel Ringgold who died of wounds received in the Mexican War, Battle of Palo Alto in 1846.
Erected prior to the Civil War, the Ringgold Depot was significant in transporting Confederate soldiers and is one of the few remaining ante-bellum railroad depots in the state. It was the backdrop for the Great Locomotive Chase in 1862. From here General Sherman led his troops through Ringgold Gap to begin his campaign against Atlanta and the heart of the South.
Built at the turn of the century, Ft. Oglethorpe was home of the 6th Calvary, and was considered to be the best Calvary post in the United States. Its use ceased in 1946 when the military installation was sold by the government to a local group of civilians as a ready-made town.
Today, the original buildings on Barnhardt Circle are used as private homes.
Located in Ft. Oglethorpe, the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park is noted as the nation's oldest and largest park of its kind. Eight historic areas constitute approximately 8,000 acres of many faded battle memories. The year 1863 found Union and Confederate troops clashing near Chickamauga Creek in what proved to be, for the number of men committed, the bloodiest battle in American history. It serves as a reminder of our eventful past.
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