You've probably already learned this but here goes anyway. The Catawba Indians gave their name to the Catawba River which starts around Marion and Old Fort in McDowell County. The River that runs near Tryon is the Broad River which starts above Bat Cave and runs south. This is the river that feeds Lake Lure.

The Catawba runs east from McDowell through Burke, Caldwell, Alexander, Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln, Gaston and Mecklenburg before it flows south into South Carolina. It supports Lake James, Rhodiss, Lake Hickory, Lookout Shoals, Lake Norman Mt. Island Lake, and Lake Wiley (I'm not sure if this is all of the lakes or counties).

In addition to the Catawba River itself, it is also fed by the Linville River and the South Fork River. Before the river was restricted with dams the Catawba Indians lived all along the shores where they farmed, tended animals, made pottery and arrowheads and axes.

They were put onto a reservation just across the NC stateline and many of the tribe still live there. While they were considered a branch of the Cherokee Indians, they at least escaped the Trail of Tears to Oklahome. I'm proud to say that just a few years ago, the tribe brought suit against the govenment and won a financial settlement but when divided between the tribe members it didn't amount to much.

What is my interest in all of this??? Well, I've spent much of my life in and around the river - first on Lake Hickory and now on Lake Norman. When we first moved to Norman, we could walk along the shore and find arrowheads and pieces of pottery. I believe if it hadn't been for the Catawbas our state wouldn't have developed as quickly as it did. They taught the first settlers how to grow food and helped them to survive.

Good luck on you family search. I've run across the name Luckadoo many times but never thought about it being from the Indians. You should be able to get some help on your search by contacting the Catawba Indian Council in SC.

Nancy