Description
The Cherokee Nation’s inherent attachment to their ancestral home whose land base stretched from parts of present day Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, sustained them as they traveled 800 miles through nine states, the last, Missouri, before reaching Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. A synopsis of the living monuments along the Trail of Tears will be shared detailing their arduous journey before they reached the Mississippi River. After crossing the river, this presentation will give details about their journey across Missouri to northeastern Indian Territory. To commemorate the heavily trodden paths and thousands of peoples who both survived and succumbed, the National Park Service and the National Trail of Tears Association have maintained over 2,000 miles of overland and water routes up to this time. Markers along Interstate I-44 and Highway 8 commemorate the multiple Cherokee peoples and their steely wills to maintain their time honored ties to one another.
