Uh oh...
It appears that you're using a severely outdated version of Safari on Windows. Many features won't work correctly, and functionality can't be guaranteed. Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!
Read More about this safari issue.
The Trail of Tears marks a significant and sad chapter in American history. It represents the forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to designated territories in the West. As part of this journey, many Native Americans traveled through Arkansas, leaving a poignant and vital legacy.
But by getting out and driving and walking these dirt paths, reading the journals, and viewing artifacts left behind by these families, we connect and relate in a new way. While we cannot change past hardships, finding a place to relate helps us change how we view them and educate a new generation.
At sites on this itinerary, you will discover the places where decisions were made and lives were lost. It is a personal journey that asks you to put yourself in their shoes as you watch your fellow suffering travelers and family persevere, trying to manage daily life activities on a terrible journey.” – National Park Service
Historic Arkansas Destinations Along the Trail of Tears
One of the best places to start is researching the Trail of Tears Heritage Trail. The most well-known path is the Cherokee removal path. Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, and Chickasaw all traveled through Arkansas, which borders their final crossing into Indian Territory at the point where the Arkansas and Poteau rivers converge.
Fort Smith Historic Site | Fort Smith
While it’s a pivotal point in the tragic legacy of the Trail of Tears, the waters’ edge within the grounds of the Fort Smith National Historic Site holds a deep connection to the Indian Removal Act. In the western section of the grounds, over the hill past the original site of the “old fort,” the Arkansas and Poteau Rivers connect. While a wayfinding marker tells the story of this sacred space, stepping out onto the flat rocks along the bank and looking westward, you can mildly envision a group of weary travelers, mostly Cherokee and Choctaw, many barely surviving their 600 mile walk, looked back and stepped forward to the land promised before them.
Lake Dardanelle State Park | Dardanelle
Lake Dardanelle State Park area was a significant spot on the Trail of Tears water route that all five tribes used. In the late 1700s, Western Cherokee settled a town, houses and the Dwight Mission School, and long before European settlers arrived, the Ouachita and Quapaw tribes used the area for settlements.
Nearby, the Norristown Ferry was a critical crossing point for those traveling by foot. Some tribes used the Arkansas River as their mode of transportation, but Norristown Ferry was a friendly crossing point, supply replenishment, and safe place for Native American travelers. The park’s visitor center offers river views and educational panels about the Native American passage.
Historic Cane Hill Museum | Cane Hill
Not much further north, visitors can tour the Historic Cane Hill Museum, which features artifacts marking the region’s stories. This site was a supply stop for early settlers and a resting place for Native Americans. A witness tree in the area, an 85-foot-tall bur oak, gives context to the timeline from 1836. It’s a shady spot to stand and ponder, to read the story of Alsey Timberlake and contextualize the Ozarks and the BB Cannon detachment walking this path, an early group of individuals who signed a treaty and walked ahead. Portions of Hwy 45 meet up with the road walked by the Cherokees headed toward Stilwell, just across the Oklahoma border.
Historic Arkansas Museum | Little Rock
A permanent exhibit called “We Walk in Two Worlds” tells the story of three tribes called the “la petite roche” home. Many tribal women were interviewed to build the stories behind the Native Americans who lived in the area and the nearly 40,000 Native Americans who traveled through Little Rock on the Trail of Tears. This includes more than 700 Cherokee who camped in the area while experiencing a cholera epidemic that took several lives.
The path also included large sections of the water route used by tribal groups including Cherokee Chief John Ross. His wife, Elizabeth Quatie Ross, died aboard a steamboat while traveling through the area and is buried in historic Mount Holly Cemetery. The campers stayed for 16 days, then they buried those they lost, and then continued the path by foot.
Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park | Prairie Grove
A large section of land and a dirt road are on the paths surrounding the battlefield, and markers call out the path Cherokee took through the dense woods of Prairie Grove. Undoubtedly, this was the same section passed by the group that stayed in Cane Hill and those traveling north from Dardanelle. The harsh winter conditions made it difficult for the young and old, weary travelers.
Pea Ridge Battlefield | Pea Ridge
Many tribes used existing paths like the Military Road and the Butterfield Overland Mail Route to traverse hilly and mountainous terrain. They arrived near the Elk Horn Tavern on Christmas Day with snow-covered grounds. For those collecting National Park stamps, the Trail of Tears stamp stays dated Christmas Day, 1838.
Village Creek State Park | Wynne
The most extensive intact section of the Trail of Tears remains on the grounds of Village Creek. This section of the Old Military road, initially the path from Memphis to Little Rock, was used by the Bell detachment of Cherokees and the Choctaw, Creek and Chickasaw. The park also includes land belonging to William Strong, who owned a store where those traveling the route often stopped for the night to replenish supplies.
North Shore River Walk Park | North Little Rock
Exhibit markers along the path share the Arkansas River’s significant role in the 1300-mile water route of the Trail of Tears. While moving along the water transported more people faster, the ailments and issues onboard steamboats, keelboats, flatboats, and rafts proved much different from the disease and worn nature of the walking path. From this point, those traveling had 191 miles remaining in their journey to Indian Territory.
Pinnacle Mountain, Petit Jean Mountain, and Mount Nebo all stand as witness locations to the five tribes traveling to Indian Territory and their hardships. Today, lookout spots like Stouts Point, Pinnacle Summit, East Quarry Trail, and Sunrise Point offer views of the Arkansas River, where Native Americans traveled to their destination.
March 20 1839, Wednesday 20th Cloudy & cool – traveled 15 miles to the X Hollows, eat dinner at Homeslys & came on 5 miles to Fitzgerald’s…” – William Isaac Irvins Morrow journal
Other highlighted stops in Arkansas along the Trail of Tears
- Arkansas Post | Gillet
- Sequoya National Research Center and the Journey of Survival Program | Little Rock
- Fitzgerald Station and Farmstead | Springdale
- Historic Washington State Park | Washington
- Cadron Settlement | Conway
- Fayetteville Trail of Tears bike route
- Trail of Tears Park | Fayetteville
- Little Sugar Creek | Pea Ridge
- Cross Hollow | Lowell
- Shiloh Museum of the Ozarks | Springdale
- Pendelton Bend Park | Dumas
- Rising Star Park | Pine Bluff
- Tar Camp Park | Redfield
- Willow Beach Park | Scott
- Sylamore Creek and the Old White House | Allison
- Toad Suck Park | Bigelow
- Cherokee Park (ACE) | Morrilton
- Jacob Wolf House | Norfork
- Blue Springs Heritage Center | Eureka Springs
- Delta Cultural Center | Helena
Check out these websites for more information
-
- Native American Heritage Stops in Arkansas
- National Trail of Tears Trail
- Trail of Tears Arkansas Heritage Trail
- Trail of Tears in Arkansas State Parks
- Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
- Trail of Tears Water Route
- Trail of Tears Western AR and OK Itinerary
- Trail of Tears Northwest Arkansas Itinerary
- Arkansas Trail of Tears Association
- Museum of Native American History (MONAH)
We do the work.
You check your email.
Sign up for our weekly e-news.
Get stories sent straight to your inbox!
Like this story? Read more from Keisha Pittman McKinney
Arkansas is rich in history, particularly its military past. For those...
If you're in Arkansas and craving a taste of authentic South American...
Just because Halloween is over doesn't mean there isn't still space for...
Join the Conversation
Leave a Comment