Trail of Tears walk set

Each year there is a Commemorative "Trail of Tears" Walk here in Cannon County which begins on Waters Street behind the Cannon County Court House at the gazebo. The historical Trail of Tears came right through Woodbury, TN and is known as the "northern trail". It is said that 10,000 Cherokees and their slaves left Blyth Ferry Land near Cleveland, TN also included in this group of American Indians who walked the Trail of Tears was 500 to 600 Muscogee Creek Indian people. They were part of the forced Indian Removal Act which President Andrew Jackson enacted in 1830. The forced Indian removal of the Five Civilized Tribes came about 20 years after the Creek Wars in 1812-1814.

The signing of the Treaty of Fort Jackson after the Creek Wars by the Muscogee Creek Indians ceded 22 to 23 million acres of land in the forced treaty. The Five Civilized Tribes of the southeast are the Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, the Chickasaw, the Choctaw, and the Seminole Nations, who all were forced out of the southeastern part of the United States of America and walked their Trail of Tears to Oklahoma Indian Territory.

Many people have been walking through Woodbury in memorial and commemoration of the Trail of Tears on the northern route. This summer Woodbury citizens were able to give a welcome and encouragement to the Cherokee Youth Bike Ride. The riders came on the northern trail to Oklahoma. It was wonderful to see so many youth from the Cherokee Nations of Oklahoma and North Carolina remembering the Trail of Tears. Many thanks to Carolyn Motley, Thea Prince, Laurie Cropley, and Melba Checote-Eads for hosting a luncheon for the riders.

September is American Indian Heritage Month in Tennessee the resolution HRJ1008 passed in April 30, 2014 sponsored by Rep. Mark Pody and Rep. Susan Lynn. On Friday, September 26, 2014, Woodbury citizens can walk in commemoration and memorial of the Trail of Tears.

The Commemorative "Trail of Tears" Walk will start from the gazebo at the Cannon County Court House on Waters St. at 6:30 PM, Friday, September 26th, and walk along Waters St. which is part of the original Trail of Tears to First United Methodist Church of Woodbury for a memorial. A film documentary which marked the 175 year anniversary of the Trail of Tears will be shown.

The film and memorial will start around 7:00 PM at the church, refreshments will be provided. The walk helps to bring reconciliation and renewal in relationships by bringing awareness of American Indian cultures. The most important part of the "Walk" is to bring our cultures together in a "hope" for the future and good will as we walk the steps of reconciliation together step by step. For information, call Melba Checote-Eads at 615-210-7276.