Trail of Tears National Historic Trail:

1
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail From Plan
to Reality
Karen Frailey, Research Assistant John Burde,
Professor Department of Forestry Southern
Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois
62901-4411
In 1838, the Cherokee still living in the
southeastern U.S. were rounded up and forcibly
removed from their homelands. They were sent
overland or by steamboat to their new home in
the Indian Territory (Oklahoma). The suffering
endured during the removal was unimaginable.
Many died along the way. The Cherokee came to
call the event The Trail Where They Cried. It
is known today as the Trail of Tears.
Although few of the many miles traveled were in
Illinois, the time spent in Illinois was some of
the most difficult. Trapped by ice floes on the
Mississippi River, most of the land detachments
were forced to camp for weeks at a time in
freezing winter weather, without adequate
supplies. The study reported here describes
an ongoing project to identify portions of the
trail still visible in Illinois. The final
product will be an interpretive plan for the
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in
Illinois
Methods

• Document and GPS map the location of the Trail
  of Tears through Illinois
• Landowners along the trail will be interviewed
  in order to assess their willingness to allow
  access to the existing trail sites
• Conduct a survey of historical materials
  contained in local and regional libraries and
  historical societies
• Identify partnering possibilities along the
  trail within Illinois
• Develop cost estimates and scenarios for trail
  preservation and development opportunities
• Develop an initial economic and marketing impact
  analysis of trail preservation and development
  opportunities

In 1987, Congress acknowledged the
significance of the trail through establishment
of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
The water and land routes that comprise the
designated trail cross 2,219 miles in 9 states.
Three detachments of Cherokee traveled to Indian
Territory along the water route, and 11
detachments made their way overland.
Cherokee Removal Routes
Results

• Annotated bibliography of information available
  in local and regional libraries
• Identification of potential partners
• Identify and describe potential preservation,
  interpretive, recreational and educational
  activities along the trail
• GPS map of existing Trail of Tears segments in
  Illinois
• Economic and marketing impact analysis

Support Provided by National Park
Service Southwest Region Santa Fe, New Mexico