 According to Native American legends, the Overton area was part of a vast region long disputed by Algonquian-speaking tribes (such as the Shawnee) and Iroquoian-speaking tribes (such as the Cherokee).By the time the first Euro-American explorers arrived in Overton County in the mid-18th century, the Cherokee were in control of the area.The Cherokee chief Nettle Carrier operated out of a camp located along the creek that now bears his name a few miles east of the park.