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.
