The Tanasi Monument on the banks of the Little Tennessee River (now Tellico Lake). The monument marks the site of the now-submerged Cherokee town of Tanasi, which was the root of the state's name. Tanasi was the de facto capital of the Cherokee Nation from 1721-1730. British adventurer Sir Alexander Cuming visited the town in 1730. The inscription on the monument reads:

TANASI
CAPITAL OF THE CHEROKEE NATION
1721-1730
ORIGIN OF THE NAME FOR THE STATE OF TENNESSEE

The site of the former town of Tanasi, now underwater, is located about 300 yards west of this marker. Tanasi attained political prominence in 1721 when its civil chief was elected the first "Emperor of the Cherokee Nation". About the same time, the town name was also applied to the river on which it was located. During the mid-18th century, Tanasi became overshadowed and eventually absorbed by the adjacent town of Chota, which was to the immediate North. The first recorded spelling of Tennessee as it is today occurred on Lt. Henry Timberlake's map of 1762. In 1796, the name Tennessee was selected from among several as most appropriate for the Nation's 16th state. Therefore, symbolized by this monument , those who reside in this beautiful state are forever linked to its Cherokee heritage.