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Rock Island State Park

City: Rock Island, TN
Region: Middle Tennessee
Subregion: Upper Cumberland

While natural attractions draw visitors from across the country to Rock Island, the area also has a rich history dating to prehistoric time. World-record fish caught in the "Blue Hole" keep fishermen coming year after year, and its true depth remains a mystery, with sunken rock pillars indicating the possibility of a collapsed underwater cave.

Four-time world freestyle kayaking champion Eric Jackson is a Rock Island native, manufacturing his own brand of kayaks in nearby Sparta and regularly bringing world-class kayakers to Rock Island.

A number of rare and endangered plant and animal species live in the park, with wildflowers from both Highland Rim and Central Basin flourishing here.

Once considered a nuisance, the magnificent Twin Falls, formed water flowing through caves and cracks in the limestone, are now a beloved and much-visited feature in the park. The water finds its way through the stone as a result of the construction of Great Falls Dam in 1917. One of the first large-scale hydro-electric dams in Tennessee, Great Falls turned the area into a popular 1920s resort, where Nashville's elite once came to vacation.

The land was first settled by Revolutionary War veterans who received land grants from South Carolina. Old homesites and cemeteries are still visible along the trails. The small Battle of Rock Island in 1792 was important as the last battle of the area Cherokees before signing their land over in the Treaty of Tellico.

A 19th-century textile mill stands near the park entrance, and the Bone Cave was the site of an important saltpeter mine as well as the place where miners discovered the bones of a giant sloth. Native American artifacts have also been found in the cave.

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