Little was known by European Americans about the falls before the 19th century . Until 1832 , the Cherokee , an Iroquoian-speaking tribe believed to have migrated in ancient times from the Great Lakes region , controlled a large territory that included this area of the state park . That year they signed the Treaty of New Echota with the United States , which forced the Cherokee to remove into the Ozarks in Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River . They called their mass removal and overland journey the Trail of Tears , during which many people died of the thousands traveling . Nearby settlers knew a Cherokee woman who lived in the area until the 1850s ; she refused to leave when her tribe was removed
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Amicalola Falls State Park