Metal Ford / McLish Stand

This stop offers a beautiful view of the Buffalo River and Metal Ford, which takes its name from its stone bottom that reminded frontier travelers of stone-surfaced or "metaled" roads of the day. Some attribute the name to its proximity to a nearby iron furnace partially owned by a U.S. Supreme Court Justice in the 1820s. John McLish, part Chickasaw Indian, also operated a stand here and received Andrew Jackson as a guest. President Jackson used his relationship with McLish to convince the tribe to give up their lands peacefully and move to Oklahoma. The treaty was signed in Franklin and opened up a large area for U.S. settlement.