Catoosa History Timeline
1800
most of the area of Georgia north and west of the Chattahoochee River (including now Catoosa County) comprised the Cherokee Nation.
1805
Under a treaty with the Cherokees, the U.S. Government began construction of a rudimentary road through the Cherokee Nation from Athens, GA to Brainerd. This road passed through what is now Catoosa County from near the now Whitfield/Catoosa line on Highway 2A, to near Old Stone Church through the Gap at Ringgold, through the now intersection of Boynton Drive & Alabama Highway, then northeast to near the junction of Highway 41 & Battlefield Parkway, on to near the present intersection of US 41 and Pine Grove Road, over the ridge, and west near where the dragstrip is currently located.
1819
President James Madison passes through present day Catoosa County, travelling on the Federal Road
1831
Area of Cherokee Nation formally declared to be Cherokee County, GA. The following year, that portion of now Catoosa County was declared to be within Murray County and the following year this area was made a part of Walker County
1833
Cherokee Land Lottery conducted for the purpose of redistributing land in the former Cherokee Nation to White settlers and opening the area up to White settlement
1838
U.S. troops, prompted by the state of Georgia, expelled the Cherokee Indians from their ancestral homeland in Georgia (including present-day Catoosa County) and removed them to the Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. The voyage of these refugees became known as “The Trail of Tears”
1847
The City of Ringgold is incorporated
1849
Western & Atlantic Railroad completed by the State of Georgia through present day Catoosa County, connecting Atlanta and Chattanooga
Graysville named for John D. Gray, railroad builder & industrialist
1850
Catoosa Springs Hotel, cottages and resort established
1853
Catoosa County is created from portions of Walker and Whitfield Counties.
1860
Population in Catoosa County was 5,792 including 710 enslaved people
1865
War Comes to Catoosa County (see separate timeline)
1866
Effort begins to remove Confederate war dead to Marietta, Georgia from burial sites in Catoosa County
1870
Population in Catoosa County was 4,409
1871
Southern Claims Commission formed to receive claims from loyal Unionists in the South who had provided goods and services to the Union Army
1877
Former Vice-President of the Confederacy Alexander Stephens, then serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, prior to becoming Georgia’s 50th governor, vacations at Catoosa Springs
1880
Population in Catoosa County was 4,739
1890
Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park established by Congress. Boynton Community named for Union General Henry V. Boynton
Population in Catoosa County was 5,431
1891
President Benjamin Harrison passes through Ringgold by train and is honored with a 26 -gun salute
1895
The Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park is dedicated, becoming the first such park in the nation
1898
Camp Thomas established by the U.S. Army within Chickamauga Park to organize and train soldiers preparing for deployment in the Spanish-American War
1900
Population in Catoosa County was 5,823 (equal to the population in 1860)
1902
The U.S. Army begins construction of an Army Post north of Chickamauga Park
President Theodore Roosevelt visits Chickamauga Battlefield on September 7th
1904
The new Army Post is named Fort Oglethorpe in honor of James Oglethorpe, founder and first Governor of Georgia
1906
The Catoosa Target Range is established as an adjunct training facility for Fort Oglethorpe
1910
Population in Catoosa County was 7,184
1915
The Dixie Highway, connecting Rossville-Fort Oglethorpe and Ringgold completed in November
1917
Captain and future General and President Dwight Eisenhower is assigned to Fort Oglethorpe.
1918
Camp Greenleaf established at Fort Oglethorpe to train medical officers
Enemy Alien and Prisoner of War camp established at Fort Oglethorpe (WW I)
1920
General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, commander of U.S. Forces during WW I, visits Fort Oglethorpe on February 19th
Work began in November on new section of the Dixie Highway from Ringgold to the Tennessee State Line
Population in Catoosa County was 6,677
1927
Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park opens
1930
Population in Catoosa County was 9,421
1940
Population in Catoosa County was 12,199
1943
Women’s Army Corps (WAC) training camp established at Fort Oglethorpe in January
German prisoner of war camp established at Fort Oglethorpe in March
Phase two
President Franklin D. Roosevelt reviews WAC’s at Fort Oglethorpe on April 17th
1946
The U.S. Army Post Fort Oglethorpe is decommissioned on December 31st
1949
The City of Fort Oglethorpe incorporated, taking the name of the inactive U.S. Army Post
1950
Population in Catoosa County was 15,146
1956
The Walt Disney movie “The Great Locomotive Chase” premiers, featuring events in Catoosa County
1960
Population in Catoosa County was 21,101
1961-1964
Construction of Interstate 75 through Catoosa County
1969-1972
Construction of Georgia Hwy 2-A, later named Battlefield Parkway
1970
Population in Catoosa County was 28,271
1980
Population in Catoosa County was 36,991
1990
Population in Catoosa County was 42,464
2000
Population in Catoosa County was 53,282
2002
On March 14th a massive pile-up on I-75 near Boynton Drive caused by fog involves 125 vehicles and claims 4 killed and 39 injured
Vice President Dick Cheney visits Chickamauga Battlefield on October 24th
2003
Vice President Cheney visits Chickamauga Battlefield a second time on September 22nd
2010
Population of Catoosa County was 63,942
2011
On April 27th, an EF-4 Tornado roared through Ringgold and Cherokee Valley claiming 9 lives, injuring many, and causing millions of dollars in property damage
2020
Population of Catoosa County was 67,872