For an overview of the trail story check out burnetts story. Trail of tears novel features southern illinois angle. Mulcaster planned to write a book on the trail of tears in southern. Their trail is marked by crude camps from golconda through dixon springs, wartrace, vienna, mt. The forced relocations were carried out by government authorities following the passage of the indian removal act in 1830. Annotated bibliography, trail of tears national historic trail in illinois, 2008 3 mb pdf camp ground cemetery and church the main northern land route of the trail of tears crosses southern illinois in an eastwest direction between golconda, illinois on the ohio river and the vicinity of cape girardeau, missouri on the mississippi river. Shawnee national forest, 50 highway 145 south, harrisburg, il, 62946, 618 2537114, open to the public. The trail of tears is over 5,043 miles long and covers nine states. Nearly 9,000 cherokees passed through southern illinois between november, 1838, and january, 1839, on their fateful trail.
Illinois but died of cancer in 1937, before he could complete the work. Illinois chapter of the trail of tears association. Called the trail of tears national historic trail, it traverses portions of nine states and. Besides superintending the state forest, west is also involved in the effort to. The southern part of the state is characterized by wooded hills,farms, underground coal mines, strip mines, and low marsh lands. Part of downstate illinois, the southern illinois region is bordered by the two most voluminous rivers in the united states.
Two illinois high school teachers created an interactive curriculum that traces the trail of tears through southern parts of their state stacie tefft, one of the curriculums creators, stressed. The trail of tears in southern illinois usda forest service. Southern illinois is bordered on three sides by the mississippi, ohio, and wabash rivers. The state forest system in illinois was established to set aside lands for the growing of timber needed in production of forest products, for watershed protection, and to provide outdoor recreation. Cherokee trail of tears the northern overland route of the trail of tears entered southern illinois at golconda and traveled westerly through vienna and jonesboro generally parallel to whats now illinois route 146. The interactive trail of tears curriculum stresses. Walking the trail 1991 is a book by jerry ellis describing his 900mile walk retracing of the trail of tears in reverse see also edit ethnic cleansing and forced migration, modern terms for the forced relocation of a people. The days and weeks spent in crossing southern illinois were the most brutal for the cherokee nation. Mount vernon shirley roney and scott allen roney have just released a historicalfiction, romance novel, nancy allen and the cherokee trail of tears, based on the life of their. The book we have no idea illustrates all that we still dont know about the universe. Georgia, illinois, kentucky, missouri, north carolina, oklahoma, and tennessee. Illinois teachers map trail of tears route through their own. Today the trail of tears national historic trail auto route enters southern illinois on the ferry at caveinrock, turns west onto route 146 north of the city and continues westward until it crosses the mississippi at cape girardeau.
Cherokee stopped at golconda to trade while journeying to visit their former homes in. About december 15, 1838, they were forced to spend the winter in. Southern illinois is bordered on threesides by the mississippi, ohio, and wabash rivers. This frontier village became the permanent residence of a girl born into slavery, forced to march the trail of tears, and then freed thanks to the intervention of a wealthy southern illinois farmer. There is generally two types of sources for information about the trail. The trek through southern illinois is where the cherokee suffered most of their deaths. And yet, of the nine states that make up the trail of tears national historic trail.
Original route segments exist as state highway 146, lesser traveled county roads, and abandoned road cuts that run through forested areas. This small property in southern illinois served as a winter encampment for the. The cruel trek came to be known as the trail of tears and the state forests name memorializes the tragic event. National historic trail al, ar, ga, il, ky, mo, nc, ok, tn. The trail of tears through southern illinois stretches nearly sixty miles long. The southern part of illinois has a unique cultural and regional history.
Illinois teachers map trail of tears route through their. One such fascinating piece of local history relates to an illinois plains hamlet called mulkeytown. Southern illinois history lost on cherokee trail of tears. Southern illinois also known as little egypt is the southern third of the state of illinois. In 1929, the state of illinois purchased 3,000 acres as the kohnjackson forest, later named union state forest. Trail of tears state forest is situated in western union county, five miles northwest of jonesboro and 20 miles south of murphysboro. Illinois research trail of tears national historic trail u. Alabama, arkansas, georgia, illinois, kentucky, missouri, north carolina, oklahoma and tennessee. Several other rivers traverseits countryside, including the big and little muddy, little wabash, saline, andcache rivers. The trail of tears was a series of forced relocations of approximately 60,000 native americans. Plus, we revisit our conversation about the trail of tears history in southern illinois, and hear from a mexican restaurant owner on what its like to operate his business in this political climate.
The trail of tears was a series of forced relocations of approximately 60,000 native americans in the united states from their ancestral homelands in the southeastern united states, to areas to the west of the mississippi river that had been designated as indian territory. Several other rivers traverse its countryside, including the big and little muddy, little wabash, saline, and cache rivers. Pleasant, and jonesboro to the dutch creek crossing. Bringing of trail of tears national historic trail to the public. The cherokee indians were once a great tribe living in and around the great smokey mountains. Bitter cold and starvation claimed hundreds of lives. The southern part of the state is characterized by wooded hills, farms, underground coal mines, strip mines, and low marsh lands. As part of the indian removal act of 1830, eleven cherokee detachments left their homelands during the fall of 1838 and set out toward oklahoma territory along what is now referred to as the northern route of the trail of tears.
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