Chief Junaluska

Johnson City, Tennessee, United States

·

Landmarks and monuments

✓

Current

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

A 30-foot chestnut oak carving of Junaluska, a Cherokee leader, stands in Friendship Gardens at Metro-Kiwanis Park, 817 Guaranda Drive, Johnson City, Tennessee. Peter Wolf Toth carved it in 1986 as the 55th piece of his Trail of the Whispering Giants.

Private to your Passport.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

No recommended arrival yet

We have not checked a recommended place to arrive or stop here yet.

This takes you to the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Chief Junaluska

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Site-level location · 36.3261° N, 82.3829° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

A 30-foot chestnut oak figure of the Cherokee leader Junaluska rises inside Friendship Gardens, a three-acre corner of Metro-Kiwanis Park in Johnson City, Tennessee. Peter Wolf Toth carved it in 1986, and the Johnson City Press describes it as the 55th piece of his Trail of the Whispering Giants, a collection of more than 70 works recognising Native American culture and history. WJHL reported that the statue was originally erected in November 1986 and described Junaluska as a leader of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The park itself honours Johnson City's sister cities, Guaranda in Ecuador, Ronneby in Sweden, Rybinsk in Russia and Teterow in Germany, according to the Press. The city describes it as a 15-acre community park established in 1972 and used mainly for softball.

Water damage and age took their toll. WJHL reported that pieces were breaking off the carving and that a crack had formed. Toth returned in 2018, the Press says, to remove part of the back to rid it of decayed wood, treat the timber with a preservative and insert an I-beam and steel plates for support. A new top was built from steel and fiberglass, the feathers were reshaped to look as though they were blowing in the wind, and the front was given a facelift. City parks staff helped, and a plan for annual maintenance followed.

The Press adds that the carving predates Johnson City Public Art, so it is not one of that group's projects; Parks and Recreation maintains it. The series has gaps: the paper notes that some of Toth's works are missing or destroyed, with no firm accounting of each. In 2018 the News & Neighbor reported that it faces Knob Creek Road.

Add a photo

PRACTICAL

Plan your stop

WHAT TO EXPECT

A tall carved-wood figure in a landscaped corner of a city park; a 2018 report said it faced Knob Creek Road. The park also has playground areas, picnic shelters and softball fields, according to the city.

ACCESS

Friendship Gardens, Metro-Kiwanis Park, 817 Guaranda Drive, Johnson City, Tennessee, a city park. The statue faced Knob Creek Road, per a 2018 report; the city's park page lists seasonal opening hours.

COMMUNITY

Visitor Log

WHAT'S NEXT

Find another Big Thing nearby

A gorilla statue, affectionately named Goldie, was described in a September 2025 news report as standing at the Gold Rush store in Kingsport, Tennessee. A co-owner said people giving directions in Kingsport often say "Turn at the gorilla."

Animals and creatures

·

26 km away

TRANSPARENCY

Sources & research

Something not right?

If this Big Thing has changed, moved or gone, telling us keeps the guide honest for the next traveller.

Suggest an update →Report a problem →