I was told in Hiwasee, North Carolina, that is what Fernando de Soto
thought he'd found too "...until they encountered the first Europeans
in 1540, when Spanish explorer Hernando de Sota led an exploration
through Cherokee territory. By the time European explorers and traders
arrived, Cherokee lands covered a large part of what is now the
southeastern United States."
http://www.smokymtnmall.com/mall/cherokeeindians.html