Little Tennessee River

… is formed in Rabun County, Ga., by the junction of Betty and Darnell Creeks. It flows N and NW into Macon County and through Lake Emory; into Swain County and along the Graham-Swain county line through Fontana Lake and Lake Cheoah; and into Tennessee, where it enters the Tennessee River. The river was long believed to have been discovered in 1540 by Hernando De Soto and as such the first tributary of the Mississippi River discovered by Europeans.