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University of West GeorgiaTrail of Tears National Historic TrailNational Park Service

Trail of TearsGeorgia Map and Guide

At this very moment a low sound of 

distant thunder fell upon my ear. In 

almost an exact western direction 

a dark spiral cloud was rising 

above the horizon and sent forth a 

murmur. I almost fancied a voice of 

divine indignation for the wrongs of 

my poor and unhappy countrymen, 

driven by brutal power from all they 

loved and cherished in the land of 

their fathers, to gratify the cravings 

of avarice [greed]. 

-Cherokee leader William Shorey Coodey 

Connected to the Landscape 

The Cherokee people flourished across the fertile 

landscape of northwest Georgia. Sandstonecapped mountains, narrow valleys, and ridges 

offered rich soils for farming and vast forests 

provided plentiful food as well as oak and hickory 

for housing, boats, and tools. A lifetime of 

knowledge of vegetation, animals, insects, birds, 

reptiles, and amphibians helped Cherokee to 

create everything from wasp soup and bloodroot 

dye to sassafras tea and turtle-shell rattles. 

Their culture thrived—but so much about their 

world was changing. Beginning in the mid-18th 

century, encroachment of white people from 

the East led to food sources disappearing. Deer, 

turkey, bison, and elk populations dramatically 

dwindled from overhunting and loss of habitat 

due to the establishment of farms and pastures. 

Road building interrupted game trails and 

diminished coveted bird nesting sites. 

While the Cherokee continued to gather foods, 

medicines, and materials from their local 

landscapes, they also began raising cattle, goats, 

sheep, and pigs—and cleared land for peach 

orchards and other agriculture. Settlements 

changed from compact villages to towns 

sprawled along rivers, resembling European-style 

communities. 

On their own, Georgia Cherokee successfully 

adopted and developed new market economies. A 

self-sufficient, subsistence-based nation of people 

had become farmers and traders, readily adapting 

to the ways of the white people. How could they 

know what would happen next. 

Assertion of Power 

Georgia moved first to remove Indians. In 1802, 

the Compact of Georgia relinquished the state’s 

claims to lands west of the Chattahoochee River 

in return for the federal government’s pledge to 

remove all Indians from the state as soon as it 

could be done practicably and peacefully. 

After gold was discovered in 1828, the state 

extended its laws over the Cherokee Nation. 

In 1832, all Cherokee lands were surveyed and 

distributed by lottery to white residents. This 

happened in spite of the fact that the Cherokee 

had been guaranteed the right to their land by 

previous treaties and by a US Supreme Court 

ruling. The state of Georgia and President 

Andrew Jackson ignored Cherokee rights. 

The Indian Removal Act, passed by Congress 

in 1830, provided an exchange of land with 

the Indians that would move them west of the 

Mississippi River. By the mid-1830s, the Choctaw, 

Creek, and Chickasaw had arrived in Indian 

Territory (present-day Oklahoma). 

In December 1835, a small group of unauthorized 

Cherokee tribal members (known as the Treaty 

Party) signed the Treaty of New Echota agreeing 

to be removed to the West. Even though most 

Cherokee signed a petition against the agreement, 

the conditions for removal were set. 

In the early spring of 1838, federal troops 

supported by Georgia militia began filtering 

into the Cherokee Nation to set up military forts 

as staging areas to launch the Indian removal. 

Georgians had waited 36 long years to claim 

Cherokee land. 

Culture Clash 

Most Cherokee refused to recognize the Treaty of 

New Echota and instead relied on their leaders to 

sway American political opinion in their favor. In 

the spring of 1838, they started work in their fields 

just as they had done for generations. 

But on May 10, 1838, Major General Winfield Scott 

issued a dramatic proclamation that would forever 

change Cherokee lives: 

Cherokees! The President of the United States has sent 

me with a powerful army, to cause you...to join... 

your people...on the other side of the Mississippi... 

Will you then, by resistance, compel us to resort to 

arms? God forbid! I am an old warrior, and have been 

present at many a scene of slaughter; but spare me, I 

beseech you, the horror of witnessing the destruction of 

the Cherokees. 

William Cotter, aide to the soldiers, observed: 

After all the warning and with the soldiers in their 

midst, the inevitable day appointed found the Indians 

at work in their houses and in their fields. ...two or 

three dropped their hoes and ran as fast as they could 

when they saw the soldiers coming into the field. The 

men handled them gently, but picked them up in the 

road, in the field, anywhere they found them, part of a 

family at a time, and carried them to the post [fort]. 

Cherokee memories are starkly different. 

Ooloo-Cha, widow of Sweet Water: 

The soldiers came and took us from our home. They 

first surrounded our house and they took the mare 

while we were at work in the fields and they drove us 

out of doors and did not permit us to take anything 

with us, not even a second change of clothes. They... 

drove us off to a fort that was built at New Echota. 

...forward with their bayonets. 

The roundup of the Georgia Cherokee proceeded 

swiftly. Troops knew where Cherokee families 

lived and how many were in each household. The 

Georgia militia had constructed 14 roundup forts 

and camps to take thousands of innocent people 

as prisoners. 

Reverend Daniel S. Butrick ran a mission near 

Rome and was an eyewitness to the events: 

Thus in two or three days about 8,000 people, 

many of whom were in good circumstances, and 

some rich, were rendered homeless, houseless and 

penniless, and exposed to all the ills of captivity. In 

driving them, a platoon of soldiers walked before 

and behind, and a file of soldiers on each side, armed 

with all the common appalling instruments of death; 

while the soldiers, it is said would often use the same 

language as if driving hogs, and goad them forward 

with their bayonets. 

One man, on being pricked thus, and seeing his 

children thus goaded on, picked up a stone and 

struck a soldier; but for this he was handcuffed, and 

on arriving at the fort, was punished and on starting 

again was whipped a hundred lashes. 

General Scott appealed to the soldiers: 

Considering the number and temper of the mass 

to be removed...it will readily occur, that simple 

indiscretions - acts of harshness and cruelty, on the 

part of the troops, may lead...in the end, to a general 

war and carnage... Every possible kindness...must, 

therefore, be shown by the troops... 

Overall, this would not be the case. 

Cherokee Expelled 

All told, it took 20 days to round up the 

Cherokee people from home and hearth and 

march them to camps where they slept on bare 

ground—adjacent to the forts that had been built 

for the soldiers and their supplies. 

They waited only a few days before transport 

to Tennessee removal camps, forced to walk 

up to 100 miles. In Tennessee, many Georgia 

Cherokee were immediately removed to the 

West by water on flatboats. The rest waited in 

deportation camps in Tennessee through the 

summer heat before departing for the West. 

Both the flatboats and the removal camps were 

riddled with disease and death. 

Cherokee removal from Georgia was an 

American act of opportunistic oppression. 

Going west, the Georgia Cherokee would be 

taken from the bones of their ancestors—to a 

new land, new waterways, new resources. But 

just as they had adapted to change in Georgia, 

they would adjust and eventually thrive on the 

unknown Oklahoma landscape. 

O how heart rending was the sight of those little sufferers, their little lips 

blue and trembling with cold... We wept and wept again, ... Our prayer 

is that these dear children, who must doubtless be soon ushered into 

eternity, may be taken into the arms of their Redeemer. 

Missionary Daniel S. Butrick, May 1838 

Artwork by Dorothy Sullivan

Courtesy of Sara H Hill, design by Trevor Beemon 

Georgia The US Army built 14 forts and camps in less 

than two years to round up almost 8,000 

Georgia Cherokee. By the end of June 1838, 

the ephemeral structures were abandoned. 
Calhoun

Funk Heritage Center

Calhoun 

Fort Cumming 

Great Smoky 

Mountains 

National Park 

Chief Vann House State Historic Site 

Te

Fort Newnan nnessee

River 

75

20

85

985

27

27

225

136

23

441

53

71

SOUTH 

CAROLINA ALABAMA 

TENNESSEE 

NORTH 

CAROLINA 

GEORGIA 

Atlanta 

59

Rome 

Cedartown 

Rossville 

Chatsworth 

Chief John Ross House 

Rockdale Plantation 

Funk Heritage Center 

Waleska 

Fort Buffington 

Fort Gilmer 

New Echota 

State Historic Site 

& Fort Wool 

Cedar Town 

Encampment 

Cheiftains Museum/

Major Ridge Home 

Running Waters/

John Ridge Home 

Fort Olglethope 

Chickamauga and 

Chattanooga National Military Park 

Trail of TearsGeorgia Map and Guide 

 

For more information on Cherokee 

history and sites in Georgia, visit 

www.gatrailoftears.com/ 

www.nationaltota.org/ 

or 

Visit the NPS Trail of Tears website and 

select Places to go - Travel Routes (from 

links on the right hand side of the 

Home page) www.nps.gov/trte 

While traveling along the Trail of Tears 

National Historic Trail, you will see a variety of 

roadway signs meant to help you explore the 

stories, routes, and sites on the Trail of Tears. 

0 

0 

100 

100 Kilometers 

50 Miles 

50 

North 

The Different Routes of Travel 

During the years of 1838 and 1839 the 

Cherokee were removed to Indian Territory 

(Oklahoma) via multiple routes across 

the country. The Roundup routes were 

used by the US government starting on 

May 24, 1838 to gather the Cherokee 

from their homes and forcibly place them 

in removal camps, where they awaited 

the start of their 800-mile journey. The 

Water, Northern, Taylor, Benge, and Bell 

routes were used by different removal 

detachments during this time period to 

escort thousands of Cherokee to their new 

land in the West. Many Cherokee perished 

along each of these routes as harsh 

weather conditions, poor food supplies, 

and the spread of sickness affected these 

traveling parties. 

Trail of Tears

National Historic Trail

The National Park Service administers 

the trail in close partnership with Trail 

of Tears Association, the Cherokee 

Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee, 

federal, state, county, and local 

agencies, interested groups, and 

private landowners. Trail sites are in 

private, municipal, tribal, federal, or 

state ownership. 

Accessing Sites 

The Trail of Tears National Historic 

Trail is under development. It’s not 

possible to follow the entire trail along 

the historical course. In most cases 

travelers will have to follow public 

roads that are close to the authentic 

trail. Please ask for permission before 

visiting any trail sites on private lands 

and check with public sites for visiting 

hours and regulations. 

City 

Site 

City & Site 

 

CHIEF JOHN ROSS HOUSE 

200 East Lake Avenue, Rossville 

(Walker County) (706) 375-7702 

Site Information: Built in 1816, this home sits adjacent 

to Poplar Spring along a historic Cherokee trading 

route. Ross sold the house in 1827 and moved to 

Head of Coosa (now Rome), where he owned a ferry. 

Beginning in 1828, he served as the principal chief of 

the Cherokee. For the next 10 years, he fought hard 

against Indian removal, but in 1838 he and other 

Cherokee were forced to move west. 

CHIEF VANN HOUSE STATE 

HISTORIC SITE 

82 Georgia Highway 225 North, Chatsworth 

(Murray County) (706) 695-2598 

Site Information: This 23-acre park contains a two-story 

brick mansion built in 1804 by James Vann, a member 

of the Cherokee elite. A 3,000-square foot interpretive 

center includes exhibits about the Vann family, 

Cherokee Nation, and Trail of Tears. Guided tours of 

the historic house are provided for all visitors. 

CEDAR TOWN ENCAMPMENT 

Biggers Drive and North Furnace Street, 

Cedartown (Polk County) 

(770) 748-3220 (City of Cedartown) 

Site Information: This park contains one of 14 camps 

where Cherokee were brought before being taken to 

larger camps in southeastern Tennessee. The camp, 

which was an ad hoc military installation, operated 

during the late spring and early summer of 1838. Two 

outdoor exhibits interpret the removal camp. 

ROCKDALE PLANTATION/ 

GEORGE W. ADAIR HOME 

1981 Highway 411, Ranger (Gordon County) 

Private residence - closed to the public 

Site Information: This 47-acre property includes an 

18-room structure (known as the Freeman-HurtEvans House) dating from 1785, a “Travelers Rest” 

house dating from the 1830s, and two other historic 

buildings. The earliest known owner of the property 

was George W. Adair, a Cherokee settler who owned 

five slaves. 

PEDESTRIAN TRAIL SECTION FROM 

RIDGE HOME TO ROSS FARM 

Riverside Parkway NE, Rome (Floyd County) 

Site Information: As part of the Downtown Heritage 

Trail, this hike-bike path runs three miles from Major 

Ridge’s Home south along the Oostanula River’s 

eastern edge to John Ross’s farm. By the 1820s, both 

Major Ridge and his protégé John Ross had become 

wealthy Cherokee landowners and ferry operators; 

both were influential voices in Cherokee affairs. As 

a result, the short road between the leaders’ farms 

became a key connection in the decision making 

processes that preceded the Treaty of New Echota 

and the Cherokees’ subsequent removal to Indian 

Territory in 1838-39. 

GEORGIA’S MILITARY POSTS: 

FORT CUMMING - Located on West Indiana 

Avenue near Park Street, Lafayette 

(Walker County) 

FORT WOOL - Located 273 yards south of 

the New Echota State Historic Site, Calhoun 

(Gordon County) 

FORT NEWNAN - Located at the intersection 

of 136 and Antioch Church Road, Blaine 

(Pickens County) 

FORT BUFFINGTON - Located at Buffington 

Elementary School, on Georgia Highway 20, 

Canton (Cherokee County) 

FORT GILMER - Located on Old US Highway 

411 four miles north of Carters Lake 

(Murray County) 

Site Information: Although none of the original fort 

structures remain intact today, these sites can still 

be visited. Historical markers placed close to each 

site provide a brief overview of the fort’s history 

in connection with the Trail of Tears. For more 

information: www.georgiatrailoftears.com/forts.html 

NEW ECHOTA STATE HISTORIC SITE/ 

WORCESTER HOUSE 

1211 Chatsworth Highway NE, Calhoun 

(Gordon County) (706) 624-1321 

Site Information: In 1825, the Cherokee national 

legislature established a capital here. Visitors can tour 

several original and reconstructed buildings, including 

the council house, court house, print shop, missionary 

Samuel Worcester’s home, and an 1805 store, along 

with smoke houses, corn cribs, and barns. In the site’s 

visitor center, guests can view interpretive exhibits and 

a 17-minute film. 

CHIEFTAINS MUSEUM/MAJOR 

RIDGE HOME 

501 Riverside Parkway NE, Rome (Floyd County) 

(706) 291-9494 

Site Information: The Chieftains Museum tells the story 

of Major Ridge, the influential Ridge family including 

prominent son John Ridge, Cherokee history, and the 

Trail of Tears, as well as subsequent history of the 

home and region. Major Ridge was one of the Treaty 

Party leaders who signed the 1835 Treaty of New 

Echota that resulted in Cherokee removal. 

FUNK HERITAGE CENTER 

Reinhardt University campus, Waleska (Cherokee 

County) (770) 720-5970 

Site Information: The center comprises an exhibit 

area interpreting 12,000 years of American Indian life 

through artifacts, dioramas, and interactive computer 

programs. The Cherokee exhibit in the Hall of Ancients 

includes four minutes of video excerpted from Rich 

Heape’s feature film Trail of Tears. Also, a large 

collection of contemporary American Indian artwork 

includes paintings, baskets, sculpture, and pottery. 

RUNNING WATERS/ 

JOHN RIDGE HOUSE 

853 Calhoun Road NE, Rome (Floyd County) 

Private residence - closed to the public 

Site Information: At the time of the Cherokee 

removal in 1838, John Ridge was one of the most 

influential leaders in the Cherokee Nation. The 

Treaty Party was formed at Running Waters, where 

they conducted their business and discussed in open 

council the terms of the Treaty of New Echota. 

CHICKAMAUGA AND 

CHATTANOOGA NATIONAL 

MILITARY PARK 

3370 Lafayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe 

(Catoosa County) (706) 866-9241 

Site Information: In 1838 hundreds of Cherokee 

traveled north along the Crawfish Road in Georgia 

(Lafayette Road, Chickamauga Battlefield) to one of 

the deportation camps at Ross’s Landing (Chattanooga, 

Tennessee). After leaving the camp, many Cherokee 

crossed Moccasin Bend in Tennessee. A Trail of Tears 

entrance sign stands at Moccasin Bend National 

Archeological District and outdoor exhibits along the 

Federal Road Trail recount the Cherokee ordeal. 

TRAIL OF TEARS 

NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL ROUTES 

ROUNDUP ROUTES 

WATER ROUTE 

OVERLAND WATER 

ROUTE 

NORTHERN ROUTE 

TAYLOR ROUTE 

BENGE ROUTE 

BELL ROUTE