CHEROKEE SITES and STORIES IN SOUTHEASTERN TENNESSEE

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1 CHEROKEE SITES and STORIES IN SOUTHEASTERN TENNESSEE Chattanooga Ross s Landing Moccasin Bend Natl. Archeological District - TOT Audobon Acres / Spring Frog Cabin - TOT Brainerd Mission - TOT James Brown Cherokee Plantation - TOT Brown s Ferry Tavern - TOT The Great Valley Museum Center at 5 Points Cherokee Agency Henegar House Lewis Ross House Red Clay State Park - TOT John Ross Interpretive Homesite John Jack Walker, Jr. Homeplace Emily Meigs Walker Gravesite Cherokee Removal Memorial Park Blythe s Ferry Campsite of the First Detachment of Emigrating Cherokees Washington Ferry Cumberland Plateau Kelly s Ferry Church of God & Cemetery Nickajack Cave Martin Springs Cave Henson Gap Road (Taylor Route) Dunlap Coke Ovens Park & Museum Overhill McMinn County Courthouse Square Sarah Elizabeth Ross Gravesite Joseph McMinn Gravesite J. Meigs Home Site McMinn County Living Heritage Museum Fort Morrow Blockhouse Nancy Ward Gravesite Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library 16. TOT denotes official site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, as designated by the National Park Service

2 The area that now comprises the ten counties of southeastern Tennessee has been continuously inhabited for millennia. By the time of the first European contact in 1540, area residents had developed sophisticated political and religious organizations. The chiefdoms of the Tennessee River Valley controlled large expanses of agricultural land with population centers. For more than 150 years after contact, trade with the Europeans was limited and insignificant. It is unlikely that the Cherokees or neighboring Muskogean groups had any contact with English speakers until the late 17th century. Map of Charleston, South Carolina In 1693, a delegation of seven Cherokees traveled to Charleston to sign a treaty of friendship with the South Carolina colonists and asked for firearms to protect themselves against other Indians who were already well-armed. The necessity of European technology for self-defense brought about a new economic reality that would forever change native culture and political alliances. The southeastern Indians Alva Crowe were able to supply only one commodity, deerskins, for which the Europeans would trade manufactured goods. By the first decade of the 18th century the deerskin economy was fully established with more than 50,000 deerskins exported from Charleston annually. In exchange, the Cherokees received an array of manufactured items including metal tools and firearms. During this period, Cherokee population expanded and so did the amount of land they controlled. Firearms proved essential in an economy based on the deerskin trade and were also necessary for national security. Consequently, the Cherokees successfully competed for previously shared or contested hunting grounds. In the second decade of the 18th century the Cherokees fought wars with most of their neighbors including the Shawnees, the Tuscaroras, the Catawbas and the Creeks. During this period, the Cherokees expanded their holdings in present-day east Tennessee, acquiring control of lands formerly occupied by Muskogean speakers. In 1721, the Cherokees made the first land cession to the whites, a strip of land between the Saluda and Edisto rivers in South Carolina. This treaty would be followed by three dozen others over the next century. By 1819, the once vast Cherokee territory comprising 40,000 square miles in eight states would be reduced to the adjacent mountainous sections of Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Cherokee alphabet on the plaza of the Tennessee Aquarium

3 For years, the Cherokees attempted to compete with their white neighbors by adapting to the political and economic systems comparable to those established by the United States. The Cherokees developed legislative, judicial, and executive branches of governments with a written constitution. Schools and missions were built in various parts of the Nation and a national bilingual newspaper called the Cherokee Phoenix was established. The Cherokee writing system, the Sequoyan syllabary, introduced in 1821, resulted in a literacy rate higher than their white neighbors. In 1819, eight judicial districts were established: Amohee, Aquohee, Taquohee, Chickamauga, Chatooga, Coosawatee, Etowah, and Hickory Log. Of these, only Amohee was exclusively in Tennessee and parts of Aquohee, Taquohee and Chickamauga were also in Tennessee. Numerous ferries, mills, inns or taverns, mercantile businesses, tanneries, and other industries existed throughout the Cherokee Nation. The northernmost Ferries on the Tennessee River within the Cherokee Nation included Blythe s Ferry, Ross s Ferry, Brown s Ferry and Kelley s Ferry. On the Hiwassee River were Walker s Ferry near the Cherokee Agency and Ross s Ferry upstream from Fort Cass. The portage between Hildebrand s Boatyard on the Ocoee River and McNair s Boatyard on the Conasauga River created a commercial bridge connecting the streams flowing into the Mississippi River with those flowing south directly to the Gulf of Mexico. Mills and industries in Tennessee included Brainerd s Mill on the Chickamauga Creek, Glass s Mill on the Tennessee-Georgia border east of Lookout Mountain, Field s Mill downstream from Brown s Ferry, and Hick s Mill near Red Clay. A commercial tannery at Ross s Landing was owned by John Ross. Cherokee Days of Recognition Red Clay State Park Missions and schools located in the Cherokee Nation in Tennessee included Gideon Blackburn s School near the Cherokee Agency on the Hiwassee, Chatata Mission near Fort Cass, Candies Creek Mission, Red Clay Mission, Brainerd Mission, and Amohee Mission between Ducktown and Turtletown. Stores and taverns included Five Killer s Tavern on the Ocoee River just south of Hiwassee, McNair s Store near Red Clay, Field s Store south of the Hiwassee, and McIntosh s Tavern at the Hiwassee Garrison, Ross s Store and Brown s Tavern opposite Moccasin Bend on the Tennessee River. Although the Cherokee Nation controlled almost two-thirds of the present State of Tennessee during the early historic period, a series of land sessions reduced the Cherokee holdings in Tennessee to the southeastern corner of the state by Bordered on the north by the Hiwassee River and the west by the Tennessee River, the last vestige of the once vast Cherokee Territory in Tennessee was ceded by the Treaty of New Echota signed in The Treaty was ratified by the U.S. Senate on May 23, 1836 and the Cherokee People were given two years to voluntarily remove. When the time had elapsed in May 1838, only 2,000 Cherokee had immigrated to the Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, and the remainder clung tenaciously to their homes in southeast Tennessee, northwest Georgia, western North Carolina and northeast Alabama. The Chieftan Cleveland

4 Between June 6 and December 5, 1838, almost 15,000 Cherokees were forcibly removed from their ancestral homeland in the southern Appalachians to the Indian Territory on a journey that would later become known as the Trail of Tears. It was a tragedy for a progressive and independent people whose population was diminished by the hardships associated with lengthy confinement, and an arduous journey. The Cherokee Forced Removal Unable to conclude a treaty with the duly elected representatives of the Cherokee Nation, the United States signed a treaty with a minority faction on December 29, In spite of petitions with 15,656 Cherokee signatures denouncing the treaty as a fraud, the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty on May 23, In 1987, the Cherokee Trail of Tears was designated by Congress as a National Historic Trail. At the time, however, the emigration routes and the historic sites associated with them were not well documented. Now, after years of systematic study by numerous researchers, a critical mass of data has been accumulated that has made it possible to ascertain, with a high degree of confidence, most of the routes used by 17 Cherokee detachments during the period of Forced Removal in The designation and interpretation of the sites and trails associated with the Cherokee removal have and will continue to enhance the public understanding of American history. It is important that we examine history objectively and in proper perspective, ever mindful of the fact that we must learn from the errors of the past in order not to be condemned to repeat them. Chief John Ross Recognizing that the Indians could only be removed by force, Brigadier General Winfield Scott, was brevetted to Major General and ordered on April 6, 1838, by Commanding General of the Army Alexander McComb, to take command of the large number of federal and state troops being assembled to expel the Cherokees. At the time Scott arrived in the Cherokee Nation, only seven companies of Tennessee militia were operating in southeast Tennessee. According to Captain Morrow, one mounted company was stationed at Fort Foster, near Rattlesnake Springs, nine miles from the Cherokee Agency. Another mounted company was at Cleaveland (sic) in Bradley County, 11 miles from the agency. Two mounted companies were at Ross s Landing, 45 miles away (Tennessee s largest contingent of militia) and one mounted company and two infantry

5 companies were at Fort Morrow, 20 miles from the Cherokee Agency. The military post at Cleveland, Tennessee was later called Camp Hetzel, not to be confused with Fort Hetzel in Georgia. The federal troops under General Scott totaled about 3,000 men and were officially called the Army of the Cherokee Nation. Adding a battalion of Tennessee to Scott s original call for state troops brought the total to about 4,000 men. In all, approximately 7,000 federal and state troops comprised the Army of the Cherokee Nation by early June On May 17, 1838, Scott issued Orders Number 25, which detailed the composition of his administrative staff, established three military districts to expedite the collection of the Indians and instructed his troops in the non-violent and merciful exercise of their duties. Scott divided the Cherokee Nation into three military Districts: the Eastern District, the Middle District and the Western District. The boundaries and commanders of these districts were as follows: Eastern District, to be commanded by Brigadier General Eustis, of the United States Army, or the highest officer of rank serving therein: -- North Carolina, the part of Tennessee lying north of Gilmer County Georgia, and the counties of Gilmer, Union, and Lumpkin in Georgia. Headquarters Fort Butler. Middle District, to be commanded by Brigadier General Armistead, of the United States Army, or the highest officer of rank serving therein: All that part of the Cherokee country, lying within the State of Georgia and which is not comprised in the two other districts. Headquarters New Echota. Gen. Winfield Scott Western District, to be commanded by Colonel Lindsay, of the United States Army, or the highest officer of rank serving therein: Alabama, the residue of Tennessee and Dade County, in Georgia. Headquarters Ross s Landing. Tooan Tuh - Cherokee Chief

6 Emigrating Depots Fort Cass After reports of suffering and deaths among the first detachments to leave Ross s Landing, the decisoin was made do postpone additional departures until September 1. As a result, most Cherokees spent the summer of 1838 camped near one of three emigrating depots. The largest was at Fort Cass. Here in an area four miles wide and 12 miles long, the majority of the citizens of the Cherokee Nation were confined in the summer of Camps in this area were located on Chatata Creek, Savannah Branch, Gunstocker Spring, Candies Creek, Mouse Creek and near Rattlesnake Springs. There were also camps on the Ocoee River, Red Clay and near Cleveland. In mid July, the camps at Cleveland and Red Clay were combined to form a new camp called Camp Ross where 2,000 people were confined for the remainder of the summer. It was located 12 miles south of Fort Cass on the road to Red Clay. As a prisoner at Camp Hetzel at Cleveland Tennessee, Rev. Stephen Foreman, wrote to Rev.David Greene on June 29, 1838: We are now allowed the privilege of remaining in our own land until the first of Sep. next. The Genl told us in his communication, in answer to our petitions, that he was led to postpone the emigration until this time from motives of humanity alone. Between this time and the first of Sept. next all our people are to be collected into camps at several different posts, mostly within the limits of Tenn; a Blue Spring at Red Clay State Park few perhaps, will remain within the limits of Ala. But the Nation will be in a compass of ten miles or more around the Cherokee Agency, and about the same around Ross s Landing. One thousand or more will be within our limits. The number in our camps at present is about six hundred. The exact number of those already collected is not yet known. It is evident, however, the people are not all collected by a good deal. It is believed there are a good many of our people wandering about over the mountains, who have not yet been taken. They fled to the mountains to avoid the abuse and ill treatment. I am sorry that they should do so, because I fear it will go harder with them in the end. But when it borne in mind, how many unmercifully and inhumanely those were treated who were forced out of their houses at the point of the bayonet, it is not strange that many of them should flee unto the mountains. The whole number of Cherokees yet in the Nation is supposed [to] be about fifteen

7 thousand. Those sent off this spring are supposed to amount to three thousand or upward. On last Friday two Cherokee men came into our camps from the last detachment sent off from Ross s Landing. They came back for the purpose of ascertaining whether anything could be done for their relief. They said they did not wish to go on now They wished to stay until all their people started if they were pushed along as they already had been, with a duble [sic] handfull of meal and a few pounds of fat bacon for each family per day, they would not live, but must all die on their way to the west. They said they left their families sick one of them said he had lost one of his children, and was anxious to bring back the remainder of his family until cooler weather. It seems they had traveled only about sixteen miles by land from Ross s Landing, and that six of the company had died before they left them. When I told these men that we were ourselves all prisoners and could do nothing for their relief, the young man who lost one of his children manifested a great deal of feeling his eyes immediately filled with tears, his countenance indicated emotions of dispare [sic]. Removal Routes Seventeen detachments left from the three main emigrating depots, between June 6 and December 5, Two of the depots were in Tennessee and the third was eight miles south of Fort Payne Alabama. The journey took place over various land and water routes and averaged over 1,000 miles. The first three detachments departed from Ross s Landing in June of They were accompanied by military escorts and were Cherokees captured by the Georgia militia. The first group under Lieutenant Edward Deas left Ross s Landing on June 6 by steamboat. The second group under Captain R.H.K. Whiteley, left Ross s Landing by flatboat on June 12, and the third group under Captain Gus Drane traveled overland from Ross s Landing to Waterloo, Alabama, and from that point traveled by river and land routes to the Indian Territory. Only one other detachment received a military escort, a pro-treaty group under John Bell who left the Cherokee Agency on October 11, 1838 and traveled overland through Chattanooga, Memphis, Little Rock before disbanding at Vinyard Post Office, Arkansas on January 7, The remaining Cherokees were transferred under the supervision of Cherokee Chief John Ross, who had an understanding with General Scott to allow

8 the Cherokee to conduct the removal themselves. Scott also agreed to delay the removal until the fall and improved weather conditions. Between October and December of 1838, 14 detachments of Cherokee left the emigrating depots for the Indian Territory. All but the Bell Detachment were under the supervision of John Ross. One party under Ross, which consisted mainly of elderly and infirm individuals, traveled by river, the remainder made the journey overland. Eleven of the detachments followed the route taken by the Cannon party in 1837, now known as the Northern Route. A variation of this route was made in southeast Tennessee by the Taylor and Brown detachments. (The Benge route is not included in the following) Northern Route Some of the groups that took this route left from camps around the Cherokee Agency near Fort Cass. Camps in the Cherokee Agency area were located south of the Hiwassee River and the detachments remained south of the river heading west and crossed the Tennessee River at Blythe s Ferry. An 1838 map of the Fort Cass Emigrating Depot shows a road running westward from Fort Cass along the Hiwassee River to South Mouse Creek. The present alignments of TN 308 and 306 follow this same route and continue on along the Hiwassee River to Blythe s Ferry. An 1862 map shows the road coming out of Charleston and crossing Mouse Creek, then dipping southward toward Georgetown, which is near the Meigs-Hamilton-Bradley County borders. Here the road intersected with the direct road connecting Cleveland with Blythe s Ferry. The present day Georgetown Road follows a similar alignment. The historic roads leading from the Cherokee Agency area to Blythe s Ferry have been impacted through modern highway construction and several sections were also inundated for Chickamauga Lake. The route headed northwestward along the alignment of present-day TN 60. The groups traveled along this route through present-day Dayton and Morgantown. Both of these communities were small villages in 1838, and no historic resources from this time period are known to exist. The first detachment to cross camped near the small town of Washington for the entire month of September 1838, unable to proceed because of the drought. At Morgantown, the route turned south and west of Dutchman s Knob toward Cumberland Spring as it ascended Cherokee Removal Memorial Park Walden s Ridge. This route follows along the approximate path of TN 30 to the top of Walden s Ridge. On top of Walden s Ridge the Northern Route followed an alignment similar to presentday Ogden Road, an improved two-lane, paved road, and Manning Road, an improved, gravel road. The route descends Walden s Ridge at the historic roadbed of Lloyd s Gap Road. Lloyd s Gap Road is one of the best preserved sections of the Northern Route in Tennessee. The Lloyd s Gap Road is an abandoned dirt road which is 10 to 12 feet in width and has embankments up to six feet in height. Over two miles of this road remains intact from where it leaves Manning Road on top of the ridge to its end at a gravel road in Sequatchie Valley. The Northern Route crossed the Sequatchie Valley approximately four miles south of Pikeville. The Cherokee crossed the Sequatchie River at Hembree Mill. It is not known whether or not a mill was present when the Cherokee passed through in Ruins of the millrace and buildings remain at this site. From the crossing at the Sequatchie River, the detachments continued to Lee s Station. At this point they began to ascend the escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau on Higgenbotham s Trace.

9 The Cumberland Plateau was the steepest and highest ascent which confronted the detachments on the Northern Route. The roadbed from Lee s Station ascended over 1,000 feet in less than two miles. This location retains a half-mile section of the 19th century abandoned roadbed before it intersects present-day Lee s Station Mountain Road. This intact section is approximately 12 feet in width and has embankments up to seven feet in height. At the top of the Cumberland Plateau the detachments continued on Higgenbotham s Trace which was a major road through the area in 1838 and connected the Sequatchie Valley with McMinnville. From McMinnville, the Cherokee detachments continued heading northwest along what is now the general route of TN 1 (U.S. 70S) to first Woodbury and then Murfreesboro. The first detachment under Hair Conrad (replaced by Daniel Colston) left on August 28th. The last detachment to leave that was traveling overland was that of Peter Hildebrand; they departed from an area near the Cherokee Agency the first week of November. By mid-november the Cumberland Plateau detachments were strung out along 200 miles of road in Kentucky and Tennessee. Because of the difficulties and delays in crossing the Mississippi River, about 8,000 were trapped between the two rivers in southern Illinois during the coldest part of the winter of Continuing on the ridge roads through Missouri and into Arkansas, the last of the Cherokee detachments along the Northern Route completed their journey to the Indian Territory by mid-march of Taylor s Route Two detachments, those conducted by Richard Taylor and James Brown, followed a variation of the Northern Route known as Taylor s Route. Approximately 1,700 Cherokee were in these two detachments. The Cherokee of these detachments originally camped near Vann s Plantation near Harrison, close to the mouth of Wolftever Creek in Hamilton County in an area that today is largely inundated now by Chickamauga Lake. The route of Taylor s detachment is known largely through the diary of Rev. Daniel Butrick who accompanied the party. On November 1, 1838, Richard Taylor led his detachment from the camps near Vann s plantation as they began their journey. They are thought to have crossed the Tennessee River north of an island in the river near the town of Dallas. Dallas sat on the west bank of the Tennessee River and no longer exists. The group traveled through Dallas on Hixson Road and Dallas Hollow Road, and then continued along Ridge Trail Road to the community of Daisy. From this point they followed the route of the current Daisy Mountain Road up Walden s Ridge. The route continued on what is now Mowbray Road to the community of Huckleberry and then followed Poe s Trace (now Poe Road). This road took the travelers across the ridge. It becomes Henson Gap Road at the Sequatchie County line. In Sequatchie County, the route approximated the path of Henson Gap Road to Henson Gap and then down the ridge into Sequatchie Valley. The two detachments crossed the valley near Dunlap on Hill Road. A section of the original roadbed remains to the north of the Dunlap Coke Ovens which is listed on the National Register. The two detachments Sequatchie Valley

10 then climbed the Cumberland Plateau on the Hill Road where an intact section on the east escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau can still be seen today. On top of the plateau the Hill Road continued northwestward to the Van Buren County line. The Bell Route The detachment headed by John Bell was composed of approximately 660 Cherokee who had favored the Treaty of New Echota and opposed Cherokee Chief John Ross. To avoid conflict with the Ross parties, the Bell detachment opted for a more direct route to the Indian territory through southern Tennessee via Memphis and Little Rock. The group was also accompanied by a military escort under the command of Lieutenant Edward Deas. The Bell detachment left the Cherokee Agency along the Hiwassee River toward what is now Cleveland, Tennessee. The present-day alignment of U.S. 64/ TN 2 approximates the road on which they most likely traveled. In Cleveland it becomes Ocoee Street. A possible alternative route in this area is the Walker Valley Road, which runs south along Little South Mouse Creek. Moccasin Bend Outside of Cleveland, the detachment continued to follow the approximate alignment of present-day U.S. 64/TN 2. This route led them in a southwest direction through Payne Gap in Candies Creek Ridge and the town of McDonald and into Hamilton County. Archaeologist Ben Nance traces the route through the Brainerd area of present-day Chattanooga where the Brainerd Mission was located, and through what is now downtown Chattanooga to Ross s Landing on the Tennessee River. Here Bell s detachment crossed to the north side of Tahchee the river. The group then traveled across Moccasin Bend to cross the river again at Brown s Ferry. After crossing the Tennessee River, the detachment followed the approximate route of Brown s Ferry Road south to the Tiftonia area. From Tiftonia the detachment most likely followed an alignment similar to Kelly s Ferry Road, which connects back to U.S. 64 before entering Marion County. At Kelly s Ferry, Bell s detachment again crossed the Tennessee River. A section of the historic roadbed leading to the ferry site remains extant on the south side of the river. This roadbed is clearly defined and is 12 to 15 feet in width. The landing site on the south side of the river has a modern house nearby but the landing itself is in a cleared grassy area. On the north side of the river, the landing site retains much of its integrity. After crossing to the north side of the Tennessee River, this detachment followed the river westward to Miller s Creek (now Mullen s Creek). The alignment of this road, now called Mullen s Cove Road, remains largely unchanged due to the surrounding restrictive terrain. Bell s detachment then followed East Valley Road across the Sequatchie Valley into the community of Jasper. Here the route approximated the path of what is now U.S. 64 and headed southwest around the toe of the Cumberland Mountain. Evidence in the form of pay vouchers from the detachment suggests that they traveled up the mountain along Battle Creek to the Monteagle area. Again, the route most likely followed the general vicinity of U.S. 64, but older

11 sections of the highway have been cut off due to realignment over the years. At the mouth of Cave Cove, the Bell detachment left the path of U.S. 64 and possibly followed an older road that joins what is now Trussell Road just south of Monteagle. Another possible route was a stage road which ascended the mountain north of Sweden Cove. The exact roadbed leading to the top of Monteagle Mountain has not been accurately determined. There are two older roadbeds which exist on the eastern slopes of the mountain, both of which show evidence of 19th century construction and use. The southernmost roadbed ascends the mountain just south of the Trussell homesite and cemetery. A payment voucher to Benjamin Trussell was made in this vicinity on October 25, On top of Monteagle Mountain, the detachment followed the approximate route of what is now US 41A (TN 15) past the Sewanee area and down the slope of the mountain to present-day Cowan. From Cowan the route proceeds west to Winchester. Many of the early 19th century roads followed the Bell detachment and were incorporated into U.S. 64 when it was built and paved in the 1920s. Some sections of the original roads now parallel or intersect with U.S. 64. Water Routes Four detachments traveled to Indian Territory primarily via river. Three of the detachments were Georgia Cherokees who were accompanied by military escorts. The commanders were Lieutenant Edward Deas, Lieutenant R.H.K. Whiteley, and Captain G.S. Drane. The other detachment that traveled by water was a Ross group conducted by Captain John Drew. The Water Route of the Lt. Edward Deas Detachment The first detachment to leave by water was the detachment led by Lietenant Edward Deas, which left from the camps four miles above Ross s Landing on June 6, There were 489 people in the group. The detachment boarded the steamboat George Guess with two keel boats lashed to its sides. They reached Decatur, Alabama on June 9th, and there the detachment boarded train cars and traveled by rail to Tuscumbia Landing. There they boarded the steamboat Smelter and traveled to Fort Coffee Indian Territory arriving on June 20th. The Water Route of the Lt. R.H.K. Whiteley Detachment The second detachment to leave by water was approximately 1,000 Cherokee led by Lieutenant R.H.K. Whiteley. The journey of this detachment followed much of the same route as the detachment led by Lieutenant Edward Deas. On June 12, 1838, this detachment left its camp four miles north of Chattanooga and proceeded to Ross s Landing. Six flatboats were used to transport the detachment downriver to Brown s Ferry where they camped and waited for additional Cherokee to join them. On June 16th the detachment left in eight flatboats and floated rapidly through the suck, pot, skillet, and pan, all places of dangerous navigation. The steamboat George Guess was also used to transport some of the detachment. On June 16th the detachment camped overnight at Kelly s Ferry. Past Kelly s Ferry, the flatboats were towed behind

12 Tuscumbia Landing steamboat George Guess downriver to Decatur, Alabama. At Decatur, the detachment boarded the train for the short journey west to the depot at the Tuscumbia Landing. Between June 22nd and June 26th the detachment was forced to camp at or near the Tuscumbia Landing while awaiting boats to carry them downriver. On June 27th, the detachment left Tuscumbia Landing and floated on flatboats down the Tennessee to Colbert s shoals and then on to Waterloo. Here the detachment camped on the south side of the river opposite the community. The steamboat Smelter arrived at Waterloo on June 29th and the detachment boarded the boat and proceeded downriver the following day. The detachment was stranded by low water at present day Morrilton, Arkansas and traveled the remainder of the journey overland. They disbanded at the head of Lee s Creek, Indian Territory on September 2, The Water Route of the Captain G.S. Drane Detachment The third detachment to leave by water was that commanded by Captain G.S. Drane. Because of the unavailability of steamboats, this detachment traveled overland to Waterloo, Alabama, where they boarded the steamboat Smelter. Starting with 1,076 people, the detachment left from the camps above Ross s Landing on June 17, 1838 and traveled on the south side of the Tennessee River to Ross s Landing. A Civil War era map reveals a road between Chattanooga and Harrison, which passed through the area of the Cherokee camps, and it is probably this road on which they traveled. Today, the present Riverside Drive approximates this general route. The Drane detachment crossed the Tennessee River at Ross s Landing and followed much of the course that the John Bell detachment later used. They traveled across Moccasin Bend, and crossed the Tennessee again at Brown s Ferry. The group then took Brown s Ferry Road south to the Tiftonia area. From here they followed Kelly s Ferry Road, which connects to U.S. 64 before entering Marion County. At Kelly s Ferry, Drane s detachment again crossed the Tennessee River. Now on the north side of the river, the group followed the watercourse westward to Miller s Creek (now Mullen s Creek). The group then followed East Valley Road across the Sequatchie Valley to a point near the community of Kimball. Here the Drane detachment headed south along a route similar to that of today s U.S. 72. Drane s detachment approximated the present day U.S. 72 alignment to Florence, Alabama. At this point the detachment turned west following the general route of what is now TN 14, which took them into Waterloo. At Waterloo, the detachment boarded the steamboat Smelter to travel to Arkansas. They traveled down the Tennessee, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers to the White River cut-off. On the Arkansas River they changed to smaller steamboats twice but were finally stopped at Lewisburg above Little Rock where they were stranded by low water. They traveled the Steamboats on the Tennessee River remainder of the journey overland and disbanded at Mrs. Webber s plantation, present day Stillwell, Oklahoma on September 7, 1838.

13 The Water Route of the Captain John Drew Detachment The Captain John Drew detachment was the last group of Cherokee to leave the east. The detachment consisting of just 231 Cherokees left the Agency near Calhoun on December 5, By this time the drought in Tennessee was over, resulting in higher water in the rivers. This detachment left the Agency on four flatboats and floated down the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers to Ross s Landing. During the month of December the detachment floated down the Tennessee River paying for pilots to safely transport them through the Suck and other hazardous areas below Chattanooga. This detachment also paid tolls to use a canal which bypassed the worst of the rapids in the Muscle Shoals area. At Tuscumbia, John Ross purchased the steamboat Victoria for $10,000. The Victoria followed the route previously followed by the other water route detachments and passed by Paducah and Memphis before entering the Arkansas River. It was the intent of Drew and Ross to proceed upriver to Fort Gibson but low water forced the Victoria to stop at the mouth of the Illinois River near presentday Gore, Oklahoma. The detachment completed the 40 mile overland route to the Illinois Campground near Tahlequah, Oklahoma on March 18, Major General Scott reported to General Roger Jones on July 3, 1838 that the round up of the Cherokee people was essentially finished. The last party in the western District, according to Scott has by this time no doubt been taken to Fort Morrow twenty miles from me. Indian command may be safely relied upon to bring in any stragglers who may yet remain out, in my part of the late Cherokee country. On July 5, 1838, with enlistments running out, Scott wanted to consolidate the camps with Cherokee prisoners. He ordered Cherokees encamped at Cleveland and Red Clay to be concentrated at or within a mile around the old Indian Campground 12 miles south of the Agency on the road to Red Clay. Captain Vernon s mounted company would accompany their prisoners there and then report to the Agency to be discharged. Lieutenant Colonel Hunter s battalion would stay at the new camp later called Camp Ross until relieved by Federal troops. Captain Morrow s company was also ordered to the Agency for discharge. The quartermaster was ordered to dispose of or sell the public property at Red Clay and Fort Morrow since that post would soon be abandoned. Chattanooga 1. Ross s Landing & The Passage 100 Riverfront Parkway, Chattanooga Directions: I-24 to downtown Chattanooga. Travel U.S. 27-N to Exit 1C 4th Street. Take a left on Chestnut Street. Go two blocks to Riverfront Parkway. Established in 1816 by John Ross at the foot of what is now the Market Street Bridge. This area was strategically located at a crossroads of highway and river traffic. It consisted of a ferry, warehouse, and steamboat landing. With the organization of Hamilton County in 1819 north of the river, it served not only the Cherokee trade but also as a convenient business center for the country. Several detachments of Cherokees passed by or began their journey to Indian Territory from this location in The same year the growing community became

14 incorporated and took the name Chattanooga. The site of Ross s Landing was listed on the National Register in The Passage is a permanent outdoor exhibit memorializing Cherokees in the Southeast. The number seven symbolizes the seven clans of the Cherokee Nation. Seven, six-foot ceramic disks and 16 stainless steel sculptures grace the wall facing the river, educating visitors about games and the Cherokee culture. Seven cannons shoot water up and out into the river. The water flowing down The Passage and out to the river is symbolic of the tears shed as the Cherokee were driven from their homes. 2. Moccasin Bend National Archeological District TOT Site 381 Moccasin Bend Rd., Chattanooga Directions: From downtown Chattanooga, travel U.S. 27 N to Manufacturers Rd. Turn left onto Manufacturers, left at Hamm Rd., then left onto Moccasin Bend Rd. The area is located on a prominent bend of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. The National Park Service, in partnership with Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park, is working to preserve some 755 national park acres and are also currently in the planning process for the construction of an interpretive center at Moccasin Bend, which will give voice to its nationally significant stories over 10,000 years of human history, the Cherokee Trail of Tears, the Civil War siege and battle for Chattanooga. You can experience Moccasin Bend by walking the 1 ½ mile Blue Blazes Trail. 3. Audubon Acres/Spring Frog Cabin TOT SITE 900 North Sanctuary Rd., Chattanooga Directions: From I-75 N, take Exit 3A East Brainerd Rd. to Gunbarrel Rd. Turn Right on Gunbarrel; Gunbarrel Road becomes North Sanctuary Road A pre-removal Cherokee dwelling is located at the Elise Rev. Dr. Samu Chapin Wildlife Sanctuary of Audubon Acres on Chickamauga Creek. It is commonly known as the Spring Frog Cabin. Tooan Tuh, or Spring Frog, was a prominent Cherokee chief who lived in the area of Chattanooga prior to the Cherokee removal. Although the two-story log dwelling in Audubon Acres is named for Spring Frog, it appears that his property was actually on the main Tennessee River. The cabin at Audubon Acres may have been owned by Drowning Bear (Yona Agunski). The Spring Frog Cabin was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of Audubon Acres in Brainerd Mission Cemetery TOT SITE 5700 Eastgate Loop, Eastgate Shopping Center, Chattanooga Directions: Travel I-24 to Exit 184 Moore Rd. Turn North on Moore Rd. At 1st light turn right on Brainerd Rd. Go 0.6 miles, turn right into Eastgate Town Center. Cemetery is in marked, wooded area on the North side of Eastgate Shopping Center. The Brainerd Mission Cemetery is located six and a

15 el Worcester quarter miles northeast of Chattanooga on Brainerd Road. This cemetery is one of the oldest in Hamilton County. The Brainerd Mission was founded in 1817 by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The mission and school served to educate and Christianize the native Cherokee. Comprised of a church, dormitories, two mills, and a large garden, the original mission thrived and became a point of great interest to people dedicated to the cause of educating the Cherokee. Originally known as the Chickamauga Mission, the name was soon changed to Brainerd Mission in honor of the famed missionary David Brainerd, for his tireless work with native tribes in New Jersey and New York. Its work was successfully carried on by Cherokee students and Eastern Missionaries, among whom were Rev. Ard Hoyt, first superintendent, and Rev. Daniel Butrick whose journal provides one of the most informative accounts of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. President James Monroe spent the night of May 27, 1819 at the mission. Another notable visitor to the mission was the Rev. Dr. Samuel Worcester who, at the time of his visit in 1821, served as Secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Arriving in late May of 1821, Dr. Worcester fell ill and died on June 7, less than two weeks after his arrival. Two days after his death Dr. Worcester was buried in the Brainerd Mission Cemetery, and a monument to him still Brainerd Mission stands today, though his remains were disinterred in the 1840s and reburied in Massachusetts. His nephew, also named Samuel Worcester, served as missionary to the Cherokees during and after the removal period. Although the cemetery is believed to date to the founding of Brainerd Mission in 1817, the mission journal notes the first burial taking place on January 11, Other early gravestones mark the burials of New England-based missionaries and their children. Historical records such as obituaries and the mission journal suggest the remains of several other Americans and Cherokee students are buried at Brainerd Mission Cemetery, however, no gravestones mark their burials. Only one gravestone, created in the 1950s, marks the burial of a Cherokee student John Arch (d. 1825). The cemetery is located on what would have been the southwest portion of the original Brainerd Mission complex, which was situated along South Chickamauga Creek. A major early roadway (now Brainerd Road/Lee Highway) passed on the north side of the mission connecting the Cherokee Agency to Charleston and to Ross s Landing along the Tennessee River. With the mission farm fields between the cemetery and roadway, the burial ground was visible to travelers along this route. Hundreds of Cherokee from John Bell s detachment passed over this road during the Trail of Tears in Though much of the mission was destroyed by fire in 1830, the mission continued to prosper until the Cherokee removal in Much of the original mission site has been lost to commercial development, but the one-acre area remains preserved today with several large Southern red oaks dating to the 1830s still dotting the landscape and interpretive plaques and signs telling the story of this significant time in American history.

16 5-James Brown Cherokee Plantation - TOT SITE 9521 Ooltewah-Georgetown Rd., Chattanooga (Private property. View from street) Directions: From I-75 N, take Exit 11 Ooltewah. Turn Left on Lee Hwy, then Right on Snow Hill Rd. Continue on Mountain View Rd., then continue on Ooltewah-Georgetown Rd. Road. The road was the original route of removal for several Cherokee detachments along the Trail of Tears. The tavern became a popular stop along the nearby wagon route that connected Nashville and the Cherokee communities in north Georgia. The James Brown House was built circa 1836 and is significant for its association with the Cherokee Nation, Trail of Tears and its unique architecture. James Brown was an influential member of the Cherokee Nation and associated with Chief John Ross. He was a wealthy planter, trader and Cherokee Supreme Court judge who owned 28 slaves and a horse track. He signed the 1839 Cherokee Constitution. A few years after building the one-story brick dwelling, James Brown led a detachment of 850 people who took refuge with Cherokees after the Creek were forcibly removed from Georgia and Alabama a few years earlier. Brown s detachment spent the summer of 1838 near Ross s Landing. In October, 1838, they crossed the Tennessee River at a ford near the mouth of the creek, ascended Walden s Ridge and crossed the Cumberland Plateau. 6-Brown s Ferry Tavern - TOT SITE 703 Brown s Ferry Rd., Chattanooga (Private property. View from street) Directions: From I-24 W, take Exit 175 Browns Ferry Rd. Turn Right onto Browns Ferry Rd. The Brown s Ferry Tavern was originally part of a 640-acre reservation and business interest owned by prominent Cherokee leader John Brown. The area included a tavern built in 1803; a large agricultural development; and the ferry crossing, which connected portions of a route originally known as The Great Trading path, later as the Public Road and the Federal Road, and today as the Brown s Ferry Trail of Tears Painting Museum Center at 5ive Points The Great Valley 7- Museum Center at 5ive Points 200 Inman Street East, Cleveland / Directions: I-75 Exit 20. Proceed to Hwy 11 Exit Ramp. Turn left onto Hwy 11 (S. Lee Hwy) and proceed north to Inman St. Turn right. The museum is on the right at the 4th traffic light. The Museum Center at 5ive Points provides an opportunity to experience Southern Appalachian regional history dating from Cherokee history up to the present day in a permanent exhibit, River of Time. Changing exhibits highlight interesting historical topics including Cherokee history, Civil War, and industrial history. A unique onsite museum store features high-end, handcrafted items from crafters of the Southern Appalachian region.

17 8- Cherokee Agency Broadway St., Charleston Directions: I-75 Exit 33. Proceed on TN 308/ Lauderdate Memorial Hwy toward Charleston. Go 3 miles and turn left on Hwy 11. Go 1.3 miles and turn right on Cass St. Travel a short distance, then left on Broadway St. Established in 1820, the Cherokee Agency was located just south of the Hiwassee River at the present-day site of Charleston. It was the third and final location of the Cherokee Agency on the Hiwassee River. This Federal Government office served as a headquarters for day-to-day operations with the Cherokee Nation. All travelers wishing to pass through Cherokee territory, and all businessmen wishing to trade with the Cherokee, were required to stop and apply for a permit before entering Cherokee territory. Story of interest Fort Cass - Just west of the Cherokee Agency office a four mile stretch -- was Fort Cass. The fort served as the headquarters of the U.S. Army in the Cherokee Nation from It is best known for the period of the forced removal when Major General Winfield Scott commanded the Army of the Cherokee Nation from May-November The majority of the 2,200 federal troops involved in the removal were stationed in and around Fort Cass including the First and Second Artillery Regiments, the Fourth Infantry Regiment, and six companies of Dragoons attached to the Fourth Infantry and a battalion of U.S. Marines. Other federal and state units including the Fourth Artillery stationed at Fort Butler, North Carolina, the Third Artillery stationed at Ross s Landing, and the 1st and 2nd Tennessee militia regiments occasionally brought Cherokee prisoners to Fort Cass during the round up from June through October Around Fort Cass and to the south in an area 12 miles long and four miles wide the U.S. Army detained nearly 7,000 thousand Cherokee in open camps during the summer of Henegar House 428 Market Street, Charleston (Private residence. View from street) Directions: I-75 Exit 33. Proceed on TN 308/ Lauderdate Memorial Hwy toward Charleston. Go 3 miles and turn left on Hwy 11. Go 0.7 miles and turn right on Market St. Located on the site of the Fort Cass barracks is the Henegar House, home of Captain H.B. Henegar, who served as the commissary for the eleventh detachment under John Ross. The eleventh detachment was conducted by Captain Richard Taylor and was made up primarily of members of the Brainerd Church. After the forced removal, Henegar returned to east Tennessee and built a home on the site of the barracks of Fort Cass, the military headquarters of Federal Troops during the occupation of the Cherokee Nation. Some of the materials from the barracks may have been used in the construction of the house around Henegar related his experiences of the Cherokee removal to a newspaper reporter in The Henegar House was listed on the National Register in Henegar House

18 10- Lewis Ross Homesite Market Street, Charleston (Private property. View from street) Directions: I-75 Exit 33. Proceed on TN 308/ Lauderdate Memorial Hwy toward Charleston. Go 3 miles and turn left on Hwy 11. Go 0.7 miles and turn right on Market St. A few blocks south of the Henegar House is the former homesite of Lewis Ross, brother and business partner of Principal Chief John Ross. Lewis Ross came to the area in 1820 and operated a trading post and ferry in Charleston. Ross was a good businessman and became quite wealthy. He was the primary contractor for the detachments that were removed under the supervision of John Ross. He profited as much as any individual from the Cherokee Removal and reportedly had a net worth of more than a million dollars in the early 1860s. The home, under successive ownerships, was expanded in the late 19th century and has been remodeled extensively on several occasions. Today, it bears little resemblance to the original house built before the removal. 11- Red Clay State Park TOT SITE 1140 Red Clay Park, Cleveland Directions: From Chattanooga, on I-75, take exit 3-A (E. Brainerd Rd.), travel 8 miles East on Brainerd Rd., turn right on London Lane for 2.3 miles. Continue traveling straight to Keith Rd. for.5 mile, turn left on Mt. Vernon Rd., travel for 4 miles. Turn left on Old Apison Rd. Turn left on Red Clay Park Road and travel 1.5 miles to the park. The last capital of the Cherokee Nation in the east, known as the Red Clay Council Ground, is located approximately 13 miles south of Cleveland, Tennessee. The Cherokee Nation was forced to abandon their meetings in Georgia after the state government passed legislation which forbade all assemblies of Cherokees in groups of three or more. The Cherokee Nation moved its national assembly Eternal Flame of The Cherokee Nation from New Echota in Georgia to Red Clay in The Red Clay Council Grounds became the center of the Cherokee Nation s diplomatic efforts to avoid removal. At the Cherokee Council in October of 1835, Rev. John F. Schermerhorn, a Baptist minister, appointed by President Andrew Jackson to negotiate a voluntary removal treaty with the Cherokee, addressed the council. Chief John Ross, Elias Boudinot, Major Ridge and John Ridge were among the prominent Cherokee in attendance. The assembly of as many as 4,000 Cherokees overwhelmingly rejected the proposal. Two months later Schermerhorn met with a small group, who had no authority, but were in favor of the removal, and signed the treaty of New Echota. Despite a chorus of nationwide protests and a petition with 15,565 Cherokee signatures denouncing the document as a fraud, the Treaty was ratified by the U.S. Senate on May 23, 1836 and the Cherokee people were given two years in which to voluntarily remove from their homeland. In September of 1836, the Cherokee Council again met at the Red Clay Council Grounds to discuss the New Echota Treaty. Chief John Ross presided and over 3,000 Cherokee were in attendance, including representatives from the pro-treaty faction. Brigadier General John E. Wool, who commanded the troops engaged in the removal, observed the meeting, and John Mason, Jr., a special agent of the United States, addressed the crowd. The Cherokee unanimously voted to reject the New Echota Treaty. Those who had signed the treaty refrained from voting in fear of retaliation.

19 Because of its historical significance, the Red Clay Council Ground was acquired by the state of Tennessee and is now a state park. The Red Clay Council Ground site consists of 263 acres. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and the park includes a museum and outdoor replicas of an 1830s Cherokee Council House, sleeping huts, and a farmstead. In April of 1984, the first joint council meeting of the Cherokee Nation and Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians was held at Red Clay. To reaffirm Cherokee unity after 146 years of separation, an eternal flame was placed at the site of the original Cherokee Council house. Story of interest Rattlesnake Springs is located approximately five miles northeast of Cleveland, Tennessee. It was the water source for Cherokee prisoners camped nearby during the summer of 1838 and the site of the last council of the Cherokee prior to the removal. Thousands of Cherokee gathered near Rattlesnake Springs for the final council meeting prior to their forced departure to the west. At this meeting, tribal officials agreed to continue their government and constitution in their new land. Military outposts for the U.S. Army established near Rattlesnake Springs included Camp Foster and Camp Worth. Conditions at the Cherokee camps provided little comfort or shelter during the heat of the summer. Army medical reports suggest that as many as 200 Cherokee died at the springs before the removal began. Rattlesnake Springs was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in The forty-acre property consists of farmland and pasture in Dry Valley north of Cleveland. Person of interest Rev. Jessee Bushyhead was a close associate of Rev. Evan Jones, a Baptist missionary, and together worked tirelessly to convert the Cherokee people to Christianity. He served as a translator for Cherokee negotiations with the federal government during the Council meetings at Red Clay from He also translated worship services at the Red Clay Council meetings from English to Cherokee. During the summer of 1838, he conducted services in the removal camps and may have baptized Cherokees at Chatata Creek near Fort Cass in the Summer of Jesse Bushyhead was selected to lead the third Cherokee detachment under John Ross on the Trail of Tears. His detachment traveled in tandem with Situwakee s detachment of Valley Town Cherokees who were also Baptists. He and Evan Jones sometimes preached to white congregations along the trail including a large assembly at Nashville, Tennessee. After the removal, Rev. Bushyhead was appointed chief justice of the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, a position he held until his death in His son later became the principal chief of the Cherokee from 1879 to John Ross Interpretive Homesite Red Hill Valley Rd., Cleveland Directions: Take Dalton Pike/Hwy 60 South, Turn Left onto Flint Springs Rd. Turn left onto Red Hill Valley Rd. A homesite of Cherokee Chief John Ross is thought to be in the Flint Springs area. Ross moved to this vicinity near Red Clay around 1832 to be near the council grounds after he was forced from his home at the head of the Coosa by winners of the Georgia Land Lottery. A replica of one of his cabins is next to Flint Springs not far from Red Clay State Park. Some disagree with this location and think that Ross lived in what is now the community of Red Hill. The cabin replica is commemorative in its design but historical information to the precise location or the veracity of the building s architecture is lacking.

20 13- John Jack Walker, Jr. Homeplace (Northside Presbyterian Church) Intersection of U.S. 11 and Paul Huff Parkway, Cleveland Directions: Take Exit 27 and follow Paul Huff Parkway east into Cleveland to the intersection of U.S. 11. Turn right, heading south, onto U.S. 11. The church is immediately on the left. John Jack Walker, Jr. was the son of Major John Walker, a veteran who fought with Andrew Jackson at the battle of Horseshoe Bend, and the grandson of Nancy Ward. His two wives were Nancy Bushyhead who lived with her brother Rev. Jesse Bushyhead, and Emily Stanfield Meigs Walker, the granddaughter of Indian agent Return J. Meigs. His two-story log house was located at the site where the Northside Presbyterian Church is located. A historical marker designating the location of the home is located near the church. As a member of the Removal Party, Jack Walker believed that the only way for his people to maintain their independence was to sell their ancestral lands and to move to the federal reservations west of the Mississippi. This caused quite a bit of concern among many Anti-Removal Cherokee, even to the point that some called for the assassinations of the Removal Party members, including Jack Walker. Story of interest - In August 1834 while returning home from a council meeting at Red Clay, along with companion Dick Jackson, Walker was ambushed and received a bullet in his left breast. He was taken home, and after lingering for 19 days, he died on September 11. Story of interest - Rev. Evan Jones reported on June 16, 1838 from Camp Hetzel at Cleveland, Tennessee: The Cherokees are nearly all prisoners. They have been dragged from their houses and camped at the forts and military posts all over the Nation. In Georgia, especially, the most unfeeling and insulting treat ment has been experienced by them, in a general way....our brother, Bushyhead, and his family, Rev. Stephen Foreman, native missionary of the American Board, the Speaker of the National Council, and several men of character and respectability are here, prisoners with their families. It is due to justice to say that at this station (and I learn the same is true of some others) the officer in command treats his prisoners with great respect and indulgence. 14- Emily Meigs Walker gravesite Fort Hill Cemetery, Worth Street, Cleveland Directions: I-75 Exit 20. Proceed to U.S. 11 Exit ramp. Turn left onto U.S. 11 (S. Lee Hwy) and proceed north to Inman St. Turn right on Inman. Turn right on Worth St. Emily Stanfield Meigs Walker was born on October 25, 1808 to Timothy and Elizabeth Meigs. Timothy Walker was the son of Return Jonathan Meigs, Indian agent to the Cherokee and Revolutionary War hero. The close relationship Emily s family built with the Cherokee through her grandfather led to her marriage to John Jack Walker, Jr. on January 10, They were married at Washington, the county seat of Rhea County, and they established their home in the Amohee district (present day northern Bradley County) of the Cherokee Nation. Emily s marriage to a prominent Cherokee came with a price since Jack had a second wife during the time of their marriage. In Cherokee culture, having two wives was not uncommon for a man of status. Emily died at the age of 82 and is buried at Fort Hill cemetery.

21 15-Cherokee Removal Memorial Park/Blythe s Ferry TOT SITE 6800 Blythe Ferry Lane, Birchwood Directions: From I-75, take TN 60 toward Dayton. Turn right on Shadden Rd. and follow signs. In 1809, Cherokee William Blythe gained authorization to operate a ferry at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee Rivers. In 1819, Blythe renounced his allegiance to the Cherokee Nation and he and his son received a 640-acre reservation, which included the Blythe homestead and the ferry. Blythe s Ferry transported nine Cherokee detachments, totaling about 10,000 people, across the Tennessee River from September through November, 1838 as part of the northern route of the Trail of Tears. Cherokee Removal Memorial Park is open yearround and free to the public (Visitor center hours vary). A boardwalk leads to a wildlife overlook shelter on top of the bluff offering spectacular views of the river and Jolly s Island. A granite wall dedicated to those that passed through the Trail of Tears flows throughout the park. Story of interest: Sam Houston, Governor of the State of Texas, U.S. Senator and military hero lived with Oolooteck (John Jolly) here on the Hiwassee in In the Hiwassee Treaty of 1817 and the Calhoun Agreement of 1819, the Cherokees ceded the land on the east bank of the Tennessee River north of the Hiwassee to Tennessee. The territory south of the Hiwassee remained in the Ocoee District of the Cherokee Nation and was not opened to white settlement until In 1819, the federal Cherokee Agency relocated from Meigs County to present-day Charleston. Route Map at the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park 16-Campsite of the First Detachment of Emigrating Cherokees September 1838 near Washington Ferry TN 30 at Tennessee River Bridge, Dayton Directions: From downtown Dayton, travel U.S. 27-S a short distance to bridge at TN 30. The village of Washington was once the largest town in Rhea County and its original county seat. Near this location, the first detachment under the supervision of Principal Chief John Ross camped during September 1838 waiting for rain to continue their removal to Indian Territory. The detachment was conducted by Elijah Hicks and started with 858 individuals. Rev. Elizur Butler was the attending physician. He wrote to the Rev. David Greene, from the Cherokee Camp Near Washington E.Tenn. September 14th 1838: I arrived here on the first day of the month, where the first detachment from immigration was collecting for removal. This is thirty three miles from Red Clay - owing to the excessive drought we cannot move forward until it rains. Should we remove from here both man and beast must suffer greatly for the want of water... We have had here a large amount of sickness and several deaths. Dysentery, Measles, Whooping Cough and Remitting fevers are the prevailing diseases. Story of interest: Sale Creek is said to have received its name when Col. Evan Shelby s group stopped to camp here and auctioned off the Indian items they had stolen from the attack on Dragging Canoe s town.

22 Cumberland Plateau The Cherokee town of Running Water located on Running Water Creek was established in the late 1770s. It was the home of Dragging Canoe, a war leader from Dragging Canoe vehemently opposed encroachment on the Native Americans territory and brought a group of followers known as the Chickamaugas to this area. Together they became fierce defenders of their land and passage along the Tennessee River was diffucult. In 1779, Col. Evan Shelby led an attack on the Chickamauga towns while Dragging Canoe was away in Georgia. Though they succeeded in burning the towns, the people of the area escaped. Months later, a flotilla embarked upon the waters of the Tennessee, lead by Col. John Donelson. They were travelling from Kingsport going to settle in Nashville. Full of women, slaves and household furnishings, there were a total of 30 boats in this fleet. The Chickamaugas were still angry over the attack from Shelby, and when they saw the fleet arrive at the Whirl or Suck of the River, they began firing down on them from above. The last boat carried pioneers that were suffering from smallpox. Many of the Cherokee later succombed as well. Rachel Donelson, a daughter of Col. Donelson and the future wife of President Andrew Jackson, was a passenger on board one of these flatboats. In 1788, a boat carrying Colonial James Brown and his family were ambushed by the Chickamaugas. Young Joseph Brown was taken captive and held for nearly a year before being ransomed back. He later helped Major James Ore guide his men through the mountainous region of Running Water. Dragging Canoe was buried here on March 1, Sequoyah and his alphabet In 1790, President George Washington had been informed of the rough waters of the Tennessee River Canyon, and also its inhabitants. There is a place called the Suck or boiling Pot where the Tennessee River runs through the Cumberland Mountains that is somewhat difficult, occasioned by the narrowness of the water and suddenness of the turn, that causes a rebound and a kind of whirlpool, but many boats have passed it, and not doing damage to any of them. Washington noted the Cherokees could be classed into three divisions, and the Chickanoggas are perhaps the most dangerous. Home of Tecumseh In 1789, Tecumseh traveled with his brother Cheeseekau to live and fight alongside the Chickamauga Cherokees. There Tecumseh met and befriended Dragging Canoe and helped fight and defend this area against the continuing encroachment of white settlers. Major Ore Expedition 1794 About 600 men under the direction of Major James Ore descended on the Chickamaugas and burned the town of Running Water and thus ended the control of this area, now under the leadership of John Watts, successor to Dragging Canoe. Later, Major James Ore came back to the area and lived out his life. He is buried in Nickajack. 17-Kelly s Ferry Church of God & Cemetery U.S. 41 located at Kelly s Ferry Church of God and Cemetery Directions: I-24 Exit 174. Follow Cummings Hwy./ U.S. 41-N 2.8 miles. Site is on the right. Park at the top of the gravel road.

23 During the period of forced removal, two Cherokee detachments crossed the Tennessee River at Kelly s Ferry. A detachment of Georgia Cherokees conducted by Captain Gus Drane traveled 200 miles overland from Ross s Landing at Chattanooga Tennessee to Waterloo, Alabama continuing from there by steamboat to Arkansas. They left Ross s Landing on June 17 and crossed the Tennessee River at Kelly s Ferry on June 20 and crossed the Sequatchie River on June 21, On October 22, 1838 a detachment of 660 Cherokees, who were members of the Treaty Party conducted by John Bell, crossed the Tennessee River for the third time at Kelly s Ferry. They traveled overland the entire distance from the Cherokee Agency at Charleston, Tennessee to the Vinyard Post Office, present day Evansville, Arkansas, approximately 809 miles. A portion of the road, from behind the church to the adjacent cemetery, is open to the public. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Nickajack Cave 18-Nickajack Cave Shellmound Road (View from road. Property is maintained by TVA) Directions: I-24 Exit 161. Follow TN 156-W toward New Hope, approximately 5 miles to view cave across the water on the left. Used by Native Americans for generations, it was near the Cherokee town of Nickajack, one of the five lower Cherokee towns established during the American Revolution. The towns of Running Water and Nickajack were destroyed by the Ore expedition in 1794 bringing an end to the hostilities between the Cherokees and the frontier settlers. Native Americans called the cavern Ani-Kusati-Yi. It later became known as Nick-O-Jack. In the mid-20th century, the Tennessee Valley Authority constructed Nickajack Dam, which raised the river to such a level that it submerged many rooms in the cave. The agency closed the cave to public access. 19-Martin Springs Cave Private Property Visitors Welcome. Directions: I-24 to Exit 143. Turn right, then left at stop sign. Follow signs to Martin Springs. This magnificent spot located in the Battle Creek community is still visited by many area residents. Martin Springs Cave was one of the campsites on the Trail of Tears for those traveling on the Bell Route. From here, they continued on up to Monteagle and then headed west. 20-Henson Gap Road (Taylor Route) See Taylor Route Directions: From Chattanooga, take U.S. 27-N to TN 111- N. Travel approximately 15 miles to Henson Gap Road.

24 21-Dunlap Coke Ovens Park and Museum Mountain View Drive, Dunlap then down the ridge into Sequatchie Valley. The detachment crossed the valley near Dunlap on Hill Road, and a pristine section of the original roadbed remains to the north of the Dunlap Coke Ovens today, which is now listed on the National Register. Rev. Daniel Butrick, recorded the journey through this area in his diary on November 4. many of the Cherokees, having no tents, were soaking wet, lying on the wet ground. Copies of the diary pages are on display in the museum. OVERHILL Dunlap Coke Ovens Directions: From Chattanooga, take U.S. 27-N to TN 111-N. Travel 17 miles to U.S. 127/William Taft Hwy. Turn left on Rankin Ave. Travel 2.1 miles and turn right on Cherry Street. Follow the signs. This location on the Northern Route of Taylor s detachment is known largely through the diary of Rev. Daniel Butrick who accompanied the party. On November 1, 1838, Richard Taylor led his detachment from the camps near Vann s plantation on Wolftever Creek in Hamilton County across the Tennessee River north of an island in the river near the town of Dallas. Dallas sat on the west bank of the Tennessee River and no longer exists. The group traveled through Dallas on Hixson Road and Dallas Hollow Road, and then continued along Ridge Trail Road to the community of Daisy. From this point they followed the route of the current Daisy Mountain Road up Walden s Ridge. The route continued on what is now Mowbray Road to the community of Huckleberry and then followed Poe s Trace (now Poe Road). This road took the travelers across the ridge. It becomes Henson Gap Road at the Sequatchie County line In Sequatchie County, the route approximated the path of Henson Gap Road to Henson Gap and 22-McMinn County Courthouse 6 East Madison Avenue, Athens Directions: I-75 to Exit 49. Follow TN 30-E to approximately 3 miles. Turn right on Jackson Street a short distance, bear right on North White, then left on East Madison. The McMinn County Courthouse stands on the square where the original brick courthouse stood in 1834, the site of the trial of Cherokees James Foreman and Addison Springston, accused of the September murder of Cherokee leader Jack Walker. The calaboose where the two were held, and for a while escaped from, was located at the north end of Knight Park on Jackson Street. The trial, ultimately heard by the Tennessee Supreme Court the following summer, held that the Cherokees were not a sovereign nation and set the stage for Cherokee Removal.

25 Person of interest Brigadier John Ellis Wool was ordered to the Cherokee Nation on June 20, 1836 by Secretary of War Lewis Cass. At that time, the Federal Government feared the unpopularity of the Treaty of New Echota among the Cherokees could lead to bloodshed. When Wool arrived to take control of the removal operations, he found 1,200 local militia soldiers with no rations, tents, or supplies. And contrary to expectation, spent much of his time attempting to protect the Cherokees from the whites. He established his headquarters at the Bridges Hotel on the southeast side of the courthouse square. He utilized the Athens Post Office for communications and the Planters Bank for receiving funds. Wool was accused by the Governor and legislature of Alabama of having usurped the powers of the civil tribunals, disturbed the peace of the community, and trampled upon the rights of the citizens. A military Board of Inquiry headed by Major General Winfield Scott cleared Wool of charges. Nevertheless, Wool left his position embittered and perplexed. He was replaced by Colonel Lindsay the following year, and Lindsay was replaced by Scott. It was at Athens that Scott printed his orders that the Cherokees surrender peacefully and for his soldiers to treat the Indians with dignity and respect. A marker beside the present Robert E. Lee Hotel indicates Wool s Headquarters, and the site of Camp Wool is visible two blocks south in the area of Veterans Park. 23-Sarah Elizabeth Ross gravesite 820 Highway 163, Calhoun Directions: From I-75 N, take Exit 36 Calhoun. Turn right on Lamontville Rd. Travel approximately two miles then turn Right on Lee Hwy, left on Etowah Rd., then right on Hwy 163, right on Church St. In the cemetery of Calhoun Methodist Church is the grave of Sarah Elizabeth Ross, the 2-year-old daughter of Cherokee leader Lewis Ross and niece of Chief John Ross. Sarah took sick and died while the family was living near Calhoun in Joseph McMinn gravesite North Main Street, Calhoun Directions: From I-75 N, take Exit 36 Calhoun. Turn right on Lamontville Rd. Travel approximately two miles then turn right on Lee Hwy, left on Etowah Rd., then left on N. Main St. Joseph McMinn served as Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821, and was an ally of Jackson in the effort to remove the Cherokees. McMinn County, formed out of the Hiwassee Purchase in 1819 as part of the Cherokee land sales that McMinn was instrumental in organizing, bears his name. In 1823, McMinn was made Indian agent and was stationed at McMinn Grave the agency at present-day Charleston where he died at his desk in His grave is marked by a large obelisk in the old Presbyterian cemetery. 25-Return J. Meigs home site Main Street, Calhoun Directions: From I-75 N, take Exit 36 Calhoun. Turn right on Lamontville Rd. Travel approximately two miles then turn right on Lee Hwy, left on Etowah Rd., then right on Main St. Col. Return J. Meigs was a Revolutionary war hero and Cherokee Indian agent from 1801 until Meigs managed Indian Affairs at several Cherokee

26 Agency locations. A marker is located on Main Street. 26-McMinn County Living Heritage Museum 522 West Madison Ave., Athens Directions: I-75 to Exit 42 toward Riceville. Follow TN 39-E approximately 2 miles and turn right on Hwy 11. Travel 0.1 miles and turn left on TN 39. Travel approximately 7 miles. The Native American exhibit at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum contains over 100 artifacts spanning the Paleo-indian period through the Archaic, Woodland and Mississippian all the way to Cherokee removal. Artifacts include stone tools, bone tools, bone jewelry and pottery examples. Also included are modern Cherokee artifacts and models of traditional Cherokee dwellings. Story of interest Treaty of Along the riverbank at the Cherokee Agency near Calhoun, General Andrew Jackson, Governor Joseph McMinn, and Colonel David Merriwether held a council in June 1817 with what Cherokee leaders they could cajole or bribe to meet with. The treaty was Jackson s first major attempt to persuade the Cherokee to voluntarily relocate to the west, allowing each emigrating Cherokee a rifle gun and ammunition, one blanket, and one brass kettle, or in lieu of a brass kettle, a beaver trap. The treaty also allowed Cherokees wishing to remain in the East and become American citizens a reservation of 640 acres each. 27-Fort Morrow Blockhouse 6042 Highway 411, Benton (Next to the Chilhowee Farmers Market) Fort Morrow Blockhouse Directions: From I-75 in Chattanooga, take Cleveland Exit #20, U.S. 74-E. Travel approximately 7 miles to U.S. 64-E. Travel approximately 8 miles to Hwy. 411 ramp on the right. Take exit then turn left and travel approximately 7 miles to site on the right. The last surviving blockhouse of Fort Morrow (locally known as Fort Marr), a removal era military post built on the old Federal Road near the Conasauga River, now stands on the southern outskirts of Benton, Tennessee, next to the showbarn on the east side of U.S This cantilevered, hewn-log building is the last physical vestige of the forts that state and federal troops occupied during the infamous Cherokee removal of The blockhouse originally stood at Old Fort, Tennessee, where it was constructed in 1814 to guard General Jackson s supply line to New Orleans in the Creek War campaigns. This long-abandoned post was regarrisoned in 1837 by Tennessee militia preparing for the forced Cherokee removal. Initially designated Camp Lindsay, the post was rechristened Fort Morrow after the addition of three blockhouses and a palisade enclosure. By May 1838, the fort housed one mounted company and two infantry companies of Tennessee militia under the command of Captain John Morrow. These troops were assigned the duty of collecting Cherokees from communities in the Tennessee mountains and the eastern edge of the Tennessee Valley, then transporting the Cherokee prisoners to the internment camps at Fort Cass where they would await deportation. After the 1838 removal, Fort Morrow and its grounds passed into private ownership. The fort buildings gradually deteriorated until the single blockhouse remained. In 1922, the owners donated the old blockhouse to Polk County; it was moved twice before reaching its present location in Benton. The only remaining blockhouse out of 23 originally constructed, this inconspicuous structural remnant is the sole

27 physical reminder of the military operation that swept the Cherokee Nation from eastern Tennessee. Story of interest: Ducktown - As a result of the frontier conflicts during and after the American Revolution, Cherokee towns along the Little Tennessee and Hiwassee Rivers in east Tennessee were gradually abandoned as the residents moved south and west away from the white frontier. By the 1790s, Cherokee settlements were firmly established in present day Polk County, Tennessee. The Cherokee village of Kawonee which means duck place in English is believed to have been located at the confluence of the Ocoee River and Tumbling Creek. The village s name first appears on Cherokee annuity distribution rolls as Ducktown in According to tradition, Ducktown was named after a Cherokee leader named Chief Duck. About 10 miles to the north was the Cherokee settlement of Sulegooghee or Turtletown, literally Snapping Turtle Place. Both settlements are shown on an 1837 map by Rev. Evan Jones showing the locations of churches for Baptist circuit riders preaching in Cherokee communities. Nancy Ward was known as Beloved Woman by the Cherokee. Her name was a derivative of the legendary name of Cherokee Spirit people. The Beloved Woman sat in Cherokee Councils and carried a place of respect and honor because it was believed that the Great Spirit often spoke through the Beloved Woman. In addition to participating in the General Council, Nancy Ward sat with the Council of Chiefs and led the women s council. She was a significant voice in negotiating relationships between the Cherokee people and the influx of white settlers including participation in treaty negotiations. A monument erected in 1923 by the Nancy Ward Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution marks her grave. 29-Polk County Historical & Genealogical Society Library 140 Commerce Street, Benton Directions: From I-75 in Chattanooga, take Cleveland Exit #20, U.S. 74-E. Travel approximately 7 miles to U.S. 64-E. Travel approximately 8 miles to U.S. 411 ramp on the right. Turn left and travel approximately 7 miles to downtown Benton. Turn right on Commerce Street. Located in the small town of Benton on the edge of the Cherokee National Forest is a gem of a library with resource materials relating to Nancy Ward, Chota, Trail of Tears, as well as several Cherokee enrollments and other genealogy records. Nancy Ward Gravesite 28-Nancy Ward Gravesite U.S. 411 and Old Federal Road, Benton Directions: From I-75 in Chattanooga, take Cleveland Exit #20, U.S. 74-E. Travel approximately 7 miles to U.S. 64-E. Travel approximately 8 miles to Hwy. 411 ramp on the right. Take exit then turn left and travel approximately 5 miles. Site is on the right.

28 Research provided by Dr. Duane King Special thanks for the partnership with WTCI-TV (PBS) and We Shall Remain, a ground breaking mini-series and provocative multi-media project that establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. To learn more, visit wtcitv.org or pbs.org/weshallremain. This brochure made possible with the help of many dedicated individuals - Melissa Woody, Bryan Reed, Joe Bryan, Jaime Trotter, Lawrence Alexander, Nonie Webb, Doris Trevino, Shelley Andrews, Shirley Lawrence, Gloria Schouggins, Joe Guy, Marian Presswood, Carson Camp, Jennifer Hoff and Paul Archambault.