Remember the Removal

ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏅᏓᏗᏍᏗ ᏗᎨᏥᎧᎲᏍᏒᎢ

Sites On The Trail

ᏚᏙᏢᏒ ᎾᎿᎢ ᏦᎩᎶᏒᎯ

There are many important sites where the Cherokees traveled during removal. As the biker riders progress along the trail they are awarded the opportunity to visit these historic sites.

ᏗᎦᏘᏲᎢ

Guided by policies favored by President Jackson the Trail of Tears was the forced westward migration of American Indian tribes from the South and Southeast.

ᎤᏯᎸᏂ ᏧᏂᏒᏍᏗ

The first known mention of this location as "Bell Tavern" appears in the 1837 diary of Dr. W. I. I. Morrow, a conductor for a Cherokee detachment on the trail.

ᎤᏓᏔᏅ ᎤᏤᎵ ᏗᏓᏐᏯᏍᏙᏗᎢ ᏥᏳ ᎠᎹᏱ ᎡᏙᎯ ᏧᏪᏅᏒ ᏅᎵᏍᏔᏅᎩ

Located at the end of Highway 133 at the Ohio River, about 15 miles from Salem, the once-popular Berry Ferry crossed the river to Golconda, Illinois.

ᏆᎵᏗ ᏗᏓᏐᏯᏍᏙᏗᎢ ᏥᏳ ᎠᎹᏱ ᎡᏙᎯ

Cherokee William Blythe gained authorization to operate a ferry at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee Rivers.

ᏈᎵ ᏧᏪᏅᏒ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ

The family of tanner Alexander Buel was said to have fed pumpkin to hungry Cherokee Indians being driven west by the federal government in 1838.

ᎧᎵᎱᏂ ᎤᏂᏚᎲ ᏧᎾᏓᏂᏐᏍᏗᎢ

Calhoun Community Cemetery is the burial site of a 2-year-old niece of Cherokee Chief John Ross.

ᎤᏂᎬᏫᏳᎯ ᎤᏪᏘ ᎠᏍᏆᏂᎪᏛᎢ / ᏚᏅᏓᏞᎩ

The Chieftains tells the story of Major Ridge, the influential Ridge family including prominent son John Ridge and the Trail of Tears.

ᏕᏂᏅᎩᏁ ᏚᎶᎨᏒᎢ

One such sign of settlement was the farmstead of Josiah Danforth, the location of Cannon’s encampment on December 15, 1837.

ᏈᏤᏆᎵ ᎠᎴᏫᏍᏙᏗ ᎠᎴ ᏧᎶᎨᏗ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᎩ

The journal of William Isaac Irvins Morrow, a physician traveling with the detachment, mentions the Fitzgerald farm: March 20, 1839.

ᏗᏐᏴ ᎠᏕᎸ ᏣᎳᎩ ᏗᎦᏘᏲᎢ & ᎤᏂ ᎤᏂᎸᏨ ᎤᎾᎴᏫᏍᏙᏗᎢ

Fort Cass was established on January 1, 1835, as the U.S. Army headquarters for the Cherokee removal.

ᎢᏤᏳᏍᏗ ᎤᏤᎵ ᏗᏓᏐᏯᏍᏙᏗᎢ ᏥᏳ ᎠᎹᏱ ᎡᏙᎯ

Bainbridge and Green's Ferry were important crossings on the Mississippi River, and the road connecting these two ferries were used during the Trail of Tears

ᏣᏂ ᏡᏡ ᏧᏪᏅᏒ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ

John Martin built the main house approximately 1835 after being driven out of Murray County, Georgia.

ᎡᏩᎯ ᎭᏫᏂ ᏂᏓᏳᎶᏒ ᏄᏯ

Mantle Rock claimed by Cherokees as hunting grounds from earliest times, this area was utilized more by Chickasaws and Shawnees.

ᎹᎺᎩ ᏗᎦᏄᎪᎬᎢ

Massey (or Maramec) Iron Works, which was the first successful ironworks west of the Mississippi River, operated here from 1826 to 1876.

ᎢᏤ ᎢᏦᏗ

In 1825, the Cherokee national legislature established a capital here.

ᏚᏯ ᏚᏅᏓᏞᎩ ᎠᏰᎵᏃ ᎠᏂᏯᏫᏍᎩ ᎤᏂᎪᎵᏰᎢᏓᏍᏗᎢ

The Springfield to Fayetteville road segment near Elkhorn Tavern close to Pea Ridge was the supply link between Springfield and Fort Smith before the Civil War.

ᎪᎸᏉᏗ ᎦᎶᎨᏒ ᎠᏓᏁᎸᎢ

This site was built in 1796 by Robert C. Coleman approximately one-half mile from Coleman’s Bridge over the west fork of the Red River on the Nashville Road.

ᏬᏈᏚᎢ ᏗᎦᏄᎪᎬᎢ

During the 1838-39 Trail of Tears, thousands of Cherokees along the Northern Route camped in the large field located south of Roubidoux Spring.

ᎤᏯᏍᎩᏧᎾᏱ ᏗᎾᏓᏬᏍᎩ ᏧᏂᎳᏫᏍᏗᎢ

Shellsford Baptist Church is one of the oldest active congregations in Warren County, Tennessee.

ᎡᎳᏈᎢ-ᏈᏂᎩ ᏧᏁᏅᏒ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ

Woods State Memorial Wildlife Area is the Snelson-Brinker House, which was a stopping point for some of the detachments.

ᎠᎩᎵᏱ ᏗᎨᏥᏱᎸᏍᏔᏅᎢ ᎤᎾᏅᏓᏗᏍᏙᏗ ᎤᏂᎪᎵᏰᎢᏓᏍᏗᎢ

The park is located on the site where 9 of 13 groups of Cherokee Indians crossed the Mississippi River in harsh winter conditions in 1838-39.

ᎤᏪᎿ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏓᏁᎸ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ

Around 1810 a log cabin was built where the town of Cave Spring is now located, most likely by a Cherokee and perhaps by David Vann and his family.

ᎤᏪᎿ ᏧᏪᏅᏒ ᏄᎵᏍᏔᏅᎢ

The Chief Vann House Historic Site is a 23-acre park containing a 2-story brick mansion built in 1804 by James Vann, a member of the Cherokee elite.

ᎤᏁᎦ ᎦᎶᎯᏍᏗ ᎠᎴ ᏚᎦ ᎩᏂᏒ ᏕᎦᏂᏌᎲᎢ

Chief Whitepath was a member of the Elijah Hicks Detachment that left the first week of October 1838, with Whitepath serving as assistant conductor.