Holston Treaty Monument, Knoxville

In commemoration of the Treaty of Holston signed on July 2, 1791, between the United States government and the Cherokee Nation, the Holston Treaty Monument was erected in 1997. This monument stands on the banks of the Tennessee River in downtown Knoxville, the site where the treaty was negotiated by William Blount, governor of the Southwest Territory and superintendent of Indian affairs for the southern district of the United States, along with representatives of the Cherokee peoples, including John Watts.

The treaty aimed to establish terms of relations between the United States and the Cherokee and placed the loosely affiliated Cherokee tribes under the protection of the United States, which would handle all future foreign affairs for them. The Treaty of Holston was signed on July 2, 1791, and proclaimed on February 7, 1792, marking a significant moment in the history of the Cherokee Nation and the United States.