Lesson Plan - Remembering the Trail of Tears

The ride began in New Echota, Georgia, the first capital of the Cherokee Nation. After riding more than 50 miles, the cyclists ended their first day at Red Clay Historic Park in Tennessee. It was the last place the Cherokee government met before the removal. The park’s spring, called Blue Hole, is considered sacred ground by the Cherokee. The riders stopped at the spring for a special blessing before taking a dive in the frigid water.

Blythe Ferry is located on the Tennessee River. The cyclists traveled along the river where many Cherokees saw their homeland for the last time. “This is our truth,” said Whitney Roach, one of the riders. “It’s heartbreaking to know that I had family who had to look at their homes on a ferry heading toward somewhere they had no idea where they were going.”

On their final day in Kentucky, the riders visited Mantle Rock. The towering 30-foot-tall sandstone bridge stretches 188 feet long. During the removal, more than 10,000 Cherokees passed through the Mantle Rock area. One group spent two weeks there waiting for the frozen Ohio River to thaw so they could cross it on a ferry. As they did at other sites, the cyclists took time to reflect on their ancestors’ struggle and sacrifice.

On one stretch near the Gasconade River in Missouri, the cyclists walked in silence. They were honoring their ancestors who lost their lives in that area. There and at other sites, the cyclists read journal excerpts from the winter of 1838-39 to connect with their past. All told, more than 4,000 Cherokee died during the removal from exhaustion, illness, and freezing temperatures. 

After nearly 1,000 miles, the proud riders reached their destination: Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the current capital of the Cherokee Nation. They shared a heartfelt embrace and celebrated with family and friends. “It’s a lot more emotionally draining and physically challenging than I had thought it was going to be,” said Whitney Roach. “It’s already changed my life for the better.”