Talk about ancient history. Bones and artifacts over 14,000 years old have been found in Tennessee. It wasn’t until thousands of years later that Native American tribes such as the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, and Shawnee appeared in the area. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto was the first known European to arrive in the land we call Tennessee. Tennessee became its own U.S. state in 1796 following the American revolution.