Cherokee Students to Cycle the Trail of Tears

On Wednesday, June 2, 2010 a group of ten Cherokee students from small communities throughout Oklahoma will cycle their way through the historic Trail of Tears. The group will be riding from the original Cherokee homelands Georgia and ending in Tahlequah, Okla., the capitol of the Cherokee Nation. This is the third such ride to be sponsored by the tribe, with the original ride first completed in 1984 and a very successful 25th anniversary ride held last year.
Along their journey students will be learning their own family history, as well as, the Cherokee history along the way. The riders will make stops along the way at specific points of interest from the Trail of Tears and will be provided with relevant history lessons to help make connections between the past and what the riders are currently experiencing.
The Trail of Tears of the Cherokees took place over the winter months of 1838 through 1839. An estimated 16,000 Cherokees were forced at gunpoint to remove themselves and their families from their homes, farms and communities. After being held in federal stockades until deep winter, they were subsequently herded on overland and water routes that moved through territories that represent the present-day states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas. More than four thousand Cherokees died along the various routes from the harsh conditions of the crossing.