History

In 1959 a group of hunters working at Dupont in Chattanooga and some friends had joined a like minded group from Cleveland to hunt in Tellico.

 In 1960, the group of 27 people in Chattanooga on a party hunt in Tellico decided that they should form a hunting club. 

The club needed a name. The area near Dupont was experiencing significant growth. with a new shopping center and new homes. The shopping center was known as Highland Plaza and many of the new streets contained Highland in the name. The Highland name identified the area around Dupont which was between Rivermont and Hixson. The group named the club after this area and added the place where the first club meetings were held, The Sportsman, a popular eating establishment on Highway 58.

This was the effort that started the oldest continuously active hunting and conservation club in Tennessee.

During the first successful hunt as a club in the Tellico area a large Boar was killed. The boar became the club mascot. The Tellico Plains area is a frequent and popular hunting and fishing area for the club with annual big game hunts and trout fishing tournaments.

In 1961 the club held the first wild game banquet for member families and special guest of the club. 

The banquet became a much cherished yearly club tradition that has continued every year since 1961. The tradition includes members of the club donating part of their wild game taken during the season as the main entrees for the event, members cooking the meal,and family members preparing special deserts and hors’ d oeuvres. 

During the early years of the club the activities were club hunts in Tellico, family picnics, overnight camping trips and fishing trips to area lakes and streams and to the Gulf of Mexico.

From 1960 to 1968 the Highland Sportsman Club membership grew from 27 to 75 members. As the membership grew meetings were held in other locations. Some of these early locations were at properties owned by Hamilton National Bank, Hixson Utility District, American National Bank and members homes.

In 1968 some club members discovered that the area Boy Scouts of America were selling the property and buildings they owned off Boy Scout Road in Hixson. After considerable discussion the club formed a plan to purchase and renovate the property. Each active club member would purchase a $300 club debenture, to raise the money for the down payment. On July 15, 1968 the property was purchased.

The Highland Sportsman Club now had a permanent home and meeting place. The property consisted of 70+- acres, the clubhouse, a caretaker’s home and a few other buildings all in need of repair and refurbishment. The members began improvements and repairs immediately, with members doing the work on weekends and days off.

One of the first major improvements was the 100 yard rifle and pistol range for the use of club members and guests. Later additions were a 25 yard and 50 yard rifle and pistol ranges.

The club then set up a skeet range (1976) and later added a trap range.

These ranges have been changed and improved thru the years and others added. The archery range (1985) and the handgun carry permit range (1996) and a 10 yard pistol range.

In 1974 the TWRA approached Highland to provide instructors and facilities that would be used to teach the Hunting and Firearms Safety Course. Highland had the necessary facilities and a group of members volunteered and trained to serve as instructors.

The club taught their first class in 1975 and continues to do so. Several members of the club have been honored by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Tennessee Conservation League (now Tennessee Wildlife Federation) as top instructors of the year for the state. A number of other awards honoring club members for regional volunteer work in teaching have been given also.

In or about 1994 the club began teaching the International Bow Hunter Class so that area bow hunters could obtain certificates of training to qualify for bow license for hunting in Tennessee, other states and countries.

The club has had a long affiliation with conservation in Tennessee. A number of members have served on the board and as officers in the Tennessee Conservation League and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.

In the early 1990’s the Debenture was changed to a Certificate of Membership. The primary change was in making the initial joining fee non-refundable, in an effort to encourage members to remain as members, rather than join, leave and re-join.

In 1990 the club, thru the efforts of several club members, began supporting the annual Toys for Tots program sponsored by the local United States Marines Corp Reserve Center. This tradition continues today with toys and money collected from the members and their families every year to help kids have a Merry Christmas.

Since the 1990’s the club has supported the Cherokee Chapter of the Wild Turkey Federation in helping and hosting the youth hunting program known as Jakes. Members instructed youth in turkey calling,turkey hunting and conservation programs.

Kids in the Outdoors is another program activity supported by club members. Members instruct youth in archery, rifle and shotgun safety and shooting, and fishing and casting.

Many of the club members are active in the Friends of the NRA events, which are actively supporting our young shooters locally and nationwide with equipment and training. 

The club host Girl and Boy Scout leadership training sessions done by the area Girl and Boy Scout organizations. And the area Camp-O-Ree events sponsored by the same groups.

If you have attended any of the local sporting and hunting shows you have encountered club members as they regularly volunteer their services measuring deer antlers, discussing safety, and anything related to hunting and conservation of our resources.

Members of the club have participated in hunting, fishing and conservation events or opportunities in all 50 states of the United States, Central and South America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Africa and Europe. The clubhouse trophies mounted on the walls are member donations and display offerings of club members.

The misson of the Highland Sportsman Club as set forth by it founders is:

To promote the enjoyment of hunting and fishing.

To stimulate interest in the conservation of our natural resources.

To uphold and support game and fish laws and regulations.

To encourage involvement in shooting sports and youth activities.

To fulfill the mission statement of HSC, the club hosts many different and varied events during the year. These events include:

1. Active participation in the Tennessee Conversation League.
2. Hunting events, including small game and big game, scheduled throughout the year.
3. Fishing tournments on local lakes, as well as salt water fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
4. Active participation in the CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program), with scheduled shooting events
5. Archery tournments.
6. Skeet and Trap events
7. Fishing, Hunting and target events usually include opportunities for non-club members by member invitation.
8. International Bowhunter Education.
9. Hunting and Firearms Safety Education.

In 2021 the club celebrated its 60th year of service to its club members and the Tennessee community.

The members of HSC look forward to another 60 years of service.

The HSC is located on 60+ acres in the Greens Mill/Hixson community of Hamilton county Tennessee. Access to the club is controlled and is by appointment with an active member. A member is required to accompanyment any visitors during on property visits.

The facilities include:

1. Clubhouse with kitchen and meeting space.
2. Caretaker Home
3. Skeet and Trap range.
4. Rifle and Pistol range, 10yd, 25yd, 50yd and 100yd
5. Archery range, woodland trail.

On Sunday March 13, 2011 Jim A, Bobcat M, J.P. R, Bill S, A.J. S and Pete C met at the clubhouse and discussed the history of the Highland Sportsman Club. This page would not have been possible without their participation and support. Our thanks to those individuals and to the 27 forward thinking individuals who formed the club and supported it through the early formative years. The history of the Highland Sportsman Club is, has and will be written by its dedicated members. May it survive and prosper far beyond its first 60 years.

Early Member Listing

This is an early Membership List believed to be Members when the Club was Chartered. This list was found in an envelope marked Charter Members and is presented as it existed. We do not know why some entries appear to be erased or why some have xxx’s marked on them or are check marked.

Club lore indicated that 27 members existed when the club was chartered. There ae 30 entries and if you subtract the entries erased or xxxed, the count is 27.

History of the Boy Scouts Camp Tsatanugi (1925-1950) Courtesy Boy Scouts of America Cherokee Chapter

The council purchased a ninety-two or ninety-three acre tract near Cave Spring in Middle Valley on North Chickamauga Creek (now Hixson). The Boy Scouts named their new camp “Tsatanugi,” using the same Cherokee word meaning “rock which comes to a point” from which historians believe Chattanooga’s name was derived. The name is preserved to this present day in Tsatanuga Road which leads to the old camp. 

Eventually, over 30 buildings were constructed at Camp Tsatanugi. The three major buildings were Patten Hall, built in memory of John A. Patten; Rotary Hall, built by the Chattanooga Rotary Club; and the headquarters building, built by Hamilton County. The John A. Patten Dining Hall bears an engraved stone set in the center above the hearth memorablising John Patten, which can still be seen to this day. Most of the cabins were constructed by sponsors of various troops.

The Chattanooga Area Council (known by this name from 1925 to 1944) operated Camp Tsatanugi as a summer camp from 1925 to 1950, with the exception of 1945, when the council operated Camp Tso-Le-Tsu-Ke. 

There are three patches known to exist, all with the same design: one with a blue background, one with a gray background, and one saying “STAFF”. These are all felt patches. A 1946 newspaper article reports that every Scout in camp during the first week of 1946 earned “a camp emblem” by advancing one rank in Scouting or, if a first-class Scout, by earning at least three merit badges. This “camp emblem” may have been the felt patch.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Camp Tsatanugi also offered a “camp emblem” which could be paired with “loyalty wings” and stars. Early documents and photographs from 1927-1931 indicate that a camp emblem was issued to Scouts who excelled at camping and advancement. The emblem was the letter “C” circumscribing the letter “T”. No known examples exist, although several photographs of the emblem exist.

The property was sold in 1968 to the Highland Sportsman Club (located at 1028 Tsatanuga Trail), which it still remains to this day.

The History of the Boy Scout Camp and Boy Scout Road

Boy Scout Road begins on the east at Hixson Pike on the slopes of Big Ridge. The route proceeds west down into the bottom lands of Middle Valley, with an offset where it crosses Middle Valley Road that likely originated from the need to avoid some swamps. (ed note: the offset was done in 1960’s to raise the level of the road to prevent flooding) Continuing west, the road meanders up and over a ridge, then crosses the North Chickamauga Creek and Norfolk Southern Railroad before ending at Dayton Pike.

On the 1915 Highway Map of Hamilton County, the Foley Hixson Mill Road connected Dougherty’s Ferry Road (an old name of Hixson Pike) with Dayton Pike. This road appears to follow the same route as today’s Boy Scout Road. The map reflects few other roads of present-day Middle Valley, for at that time, there were several large farms on land where subdivisions would later be built. The Foley Hixson mill, also called Green’s Mill, was the upper grist mill on North Chickamauga Creek; the lower mill being downstream on the appropriately-named Lower Mill Road.

The March 13, 1925 Chattanooga Times reported the news which gave the road its present name. The Chattanooga Boy Scout council had decided to buy a ninety-two acre tract near Cave Spring (which supplies water to Hixson today)on North Chickamauga Creek. The Boy Scouts had originated in Chattanooga in 1910, and had been having summer camps on Raccoon Mountain since 1918. However, that site was difficult to reach, and water was scarce in the heat of the summer.

By contrast, the Middle Valley location had ample water, lots of room for activities, and was relatively easy to access. Of the new camp, Boy Scout Council president R.T. Faucette told The Times, “You cannot say too much about its fine qualities. It is absolutely ideal, in location and natural conditions, for the construction of the finest all-year-round Boy Scout camp in the south, if not in the country, and that is what we intend to make it.”

The camp was designed to make use of the surrounding terrain. Some knolls surrounded an open field, and troop buildings were planned to be erected on the high ground. In North Chickamauga Creek, a platform was placed to make the water more shallow for younger swimmers. The property had been partially cleared, but still had ample shade provided by numerous trees.

The Boy Scouts named their new camp “Tsatanugi,” using the same Cherokee word meaning “rock which comes to a point” from which Chattanooga’s name was derived. The name is preserved in Tsatanuga Road which is near the old camp.

The April 15, 1925 issue of The Chattanooga Scout Trail gave scouts information on the upcoming summer season at the new camp. It was said to be a “hard to beat place to spend a week.” Planned athletic activities included baseball, football, horseshoes, swimming, and tennis. A week at the camp cost $4.50.

One week later, the Chattanooga Times reported that the sons of prominent Chattanoogan John A. Patten had donated several thousand dollars to erect one of the buildings at the camp. Scout president R.T. Faucette hoped that others would follow the example of Manker, John A., Jr., Lupton, and Tarbell Patten in honoring the memory of family members by donating to the building fund.

Through the summers of the next several years, Camp Tsatanugi was the idyllic home of scouting activities and fellowship. The road leading to the camp had acquired the name “Boy Scout Road” by 1933, according to “Shutting’s Map of Hamilton County.”

On May 4, 1944 the Chattanooga Times reported that the Cherokee Area Council was acquiring property on Signal Mountain for a new scout camp. The plan was for Camp Tsatanugi to be used mainly by younger scouts and their leaders. The Boy Scout historical Web site “Camp Images” (www.campimages.com) reports that Camp Tsatanugi remained in operation through 1950. The Highland Sportsman Club is presently located on the site.

As suburbia spread into Middle Valley, subdivisions appeared along Boy Scout Road from east to west. Fairington Forest, Hampton Woods, Middle Valley Estates, and Sterling Park are some of the neighborhoods which are located along this historic route. To the south of Boy Scout Road is Eagle Drive, which was likely named for the highest rank that a Boy Scout can achieve.

In researching this article, I was unable to locate any former scouts who had grown up camping at Camp Tsatanugi. On your honor, if you or someone you know did, please send me an e-mail.

Camp Tsatanugi 1926/1927 Brochures

Patten Hall 1928