June 30, 2009 — Eight Cherokee students set out last Wednesday to retrace the tracks of their ancestors on the northern route of the Trail of Tears. After two days of traveling by car, the riders began their bike ride over the weekend and as of Monday, had made it to Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee.
Along the ride are stops at historical sites that played a role in the removal of the Cherokees. The riders are riding the original route taken by their ancestors.
Wyatt Collins of Chelsea is one of the riders and on Thursday, June 25, he posted this blog after arriving in Rome, Ga., where their journey began:
Wyatt Collins is Inspired by Georgia
“Today I was able to see a glimpse of the countryside of my ancestors. What a magnificent place it is with the overlapping hills and the creeks and rivers at the base. The thick lush evergreen trees cover the landscape on the hills. After seeing this I am now starting to understand that this land here in Georgia was not only our ancestors homes but also a beautiful place that provided them with the fruits of nature. What a sad time it must have been to leave this beautiful countryside.”
Other riders’ blogs:
Red Clay, TN to Dayton, TN
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Today the group traveled from Red Clay, TN to Dayton, TN, with stops along the way at Rattlesnake Springs and Blythe Ferry where they crossed the river by boat. The many hills along they way tested the group and prepares them for the terrain to come.
Rider bike into New Echota, Georgia
Friday, June 26, 2009
This afternoon the riders bike into New Echota, Georgia, capital of the Cherokee Government from 1825 to 1832. The Treaty of New Echota was signed at the site on December 29, 1835, by a minority of the Cherokee Nation which led to the forced removal to Indian Territory.
Visit to Vann House, Calhoun, Georgia
Friday, June 26, 2009
This morning the riders visited the Vann House constructed in 1804, the former home site of James Vann who served as a leader of the Cherokees from the 1790s until he was killed in 1809.
Picture, video and blogs from the riders can be viewed at www.remembertheremoval.org.
Top Stories
Cherokee students begin Trail of Tears bike ride
- Top Stories
-
-
NAIA WORLD SERIES: RSU upsets No. 1 LSU-Shreveport
The ninth-seeded Rogers State baseball team choreographed its second straight come-from-behind victory at the Avista-NAIA World Series with a 2-1 upset over top ranked and top seeded LSU-Shreveport on Saturday evening at Harris Field on the campus of Lewis-Clark State.
The Diamond Cats snapped the Pilots 16-game winning streak and handed them just their fifth loss of the season. It’s the first time in program history the Cats have topped the No.1 team in the country. -
Rogers County candidates face off
Rogers County candidates faced tough questions Thursday during a debate at Rogers State University.
-
Send a Kid to Camp fundraiser kicks off
Forty Rogers County children will have the opportunity to attend the Heart O’Hills Salvation Army Camp in Tahlequah — if generous Progress readers can raise the needed funds.
-
Copelands get state Special Olympics honor
Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer presented the 2012 family of the year award to the Copeland family at the opening ceremonies of the Oklahoma Special Olympic Games May 9 in Stillwater.
-
Memorial Day event to mark bridge collapse
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says a Memorial Day event will mark the 10-year anniversary of the collapse of the Interstate 40 bridge into the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls.
-
Eagle Academic All-Stater
Sequoyah High School senior Cadence Wong was named as part of Oklahoma’s Academic All State Class of 2012.
-
TSCRA Rangers deliver reward money to sheriff’s department
Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton recently received reward money from agents with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, which will soon be distributed to tipsters in a case involving the bow and arrow deaths of several livestock.
-
GRDA is bringing power into the future
The Claremore Chamber of Commerce hosted Dan Sullivan as the guest speaker during the monthly luncheon Thursday at Rogers State University Centennial Center.
-
FEC postpones Mullin advisory opinion ruling
The Federal Election Commission requested an extension today to review 2nd District Congressional Candidate Markwayne Mullin’s request for an exception to federal electioneering laws.
-
Special session looms as House rejects $6.8B budget
The Oklahoma House failed Thursday to pass a $6.8 billion general appropriations bill to fund state government, setting up the possibility of lawmakers returning for a special session.
- More Top Stories Headlines
-


