Trail of Tears

Tennessee 

Hair Conrad Cabin 

MTSU Center for Historic Preservation 

Toby Darden RoadMTSU Center for Historic Preservation 

Artwork by Dorthy Sullivan 

Tennessee Greenways and TrailsMTSU Center for Historic PreservationNational Park ServiceTrail of Tears National Historic Trail 

With the establishment of the United States 

and an increasing American population, early 

US presidents sought to acquire American 

Indian land for westward expansion. 

We are now about to take our final leave 

and kind farewell to our native land the 

country that the Great Spirit gave our 

Fathers, we are on the eve of leaving 

that Country that gave us birth. 

It is the land of our fathers...our sons, 

and it is (with sorrow) that we are 

forced by the authority of the white man 

to quit the scenes of our childhood, but 

stern necessity says we must go, and we 

bid a final farewell to it and all we hold 

dear East of the Father of Waters, the 

Majestic Mississippi 

-Letter by George Hicks Dated November 4, 

1838 to John Ross 

In 1835, a minority of Cherokee leaders, acting outside 

the authority of the Cherokee government, signed the 

Treaty of New Echota. This treaty set the conditions for 

removal: In exchange for $5 million, the tribe would 

relocate to the West. Most Cherokee protested the 

Treaty, but in 1838, in an event known as the Trail of 

Tears, over 15,000 Cherokee were forced from their 

homes, many at the hands of federal troops and state 

militia. During the process many families became 

separated, never to see their loved ones again. The 

journey that lay ahead of them would test the strength 

and will of each man, woman, and child traveling west 

to unfamiliar land. 

The Tennessee Trail of Tears story is one of removal 

camps and detachment routes. Cherokee driven from 

their homes in Georgia and North Carolina arrived 

in Tennessee, where they waited to be organized 

into “detachments” to take them to Indian Territory 

(present-day Oklahoma), a home they never wanted. 

Even so, Tennessee’s legacy today remains rich in 

Cherokee culture. 

Why did they Leave ? 

The “Sun Circle” 

at Ross’s Landing, 

Chattanooga 

The circular Cherokee design 

to the left symbolizes the 

holy sun in the form of sacred 

fire sent by the Creator. The 

central cross depicts the four 

logs that keep the sacred 

fire alive. It is said that the 

Cherokee will survive as long 

as the sacred fire burns. 

At the time the Treaty of 

New Echota was signed, 

southeast Tennessee was 

not only the location of 

the seat of the Cherokee 

government in Red Clay, 

but also the home of 

about 2,500 Cherokee. 

Prominent leaders Hair 

Conrad, James Brown, 

Jesse Bushyhead, Lewis 

Ross, and Principal Chief John Ross all had homes 

in Tennessee. They lived in communities scattered 

across the hills and valleys and along the rivers and 

creeks. Most Cherokee farmed the fertile soils. Some 

owned prosperous plantations, stores, taverns, 

and ferries. Throughout the years, several mission 

schools, such as Brainerd, near Chattanooga, 

provided a place for Cherokee children to learn to 

read and write in English and to attend Christian 

church services. In many respects, Cherokee 

communities did not differ much from those of their 

American neighbors. In 1838, though, Cherokee life 

was about to change. 

Beginning in late May 1838, thousands of Cherokee, 

enslaved African Americans, and Creek were taken 

from their homes by troops and held at removal 

camps near one of three emigrating depots. Two of 

these camps were located in the vicinity of Cherokee 

communities in Tennessee: Ross’s Landing, now 

known as Chattanooga, and Fort Cass in presentday Charleston. During removal, Fort Cass served as 

the center for the largest emigrating depot. Removal 

camps in this area were spread out over a 12- by 

4-mile area, extending from Charleston southward. 

Approximately 7,000 Cherokees were held at these 

camps prior to their departure to Indian Territory, but 

poor conditions at the camps led to rapid outbreaks 

of disease, and many perished before the journey 

began. How many more families would lose their 

loved ones before reaching their new homes? 

Cherokee Communities to Removal Camps 

The Cherokee used many different routes to reach their 

new home in the West—most started in Tennessee. In 

June, three groups of Cherokee left Ross’s landing to 

begin their journey to Indian Territory. Dire conditions, 

disease, and deaths plagued the last two groups. As a 

result, Principal Chief John Ross and other Cherokee 

leaders petitioned the US government to allow the 

Cherokee to control the remainder of their removal. 

Permission was granted and the remaining Cherokee 

were organized into detachments of about 1,000 each. 

Hair Conrad, James Brown, and Jesse Bushyhead each 

led one of these detachments. Most left from Fort Cass 

and took the Northern Route, crossing the Tennessee 

River at Blythe Ferry. On this route, they had to travel 

the steep road over the Cumberland Mountains, 

traveling an average of 10-12 miles a day. 

The Bell detachment, which traveled through southern 

Tennessee, found the roads equally difficult to 

traverse. Detachments resupplied at various points 

along the way, stopping at mills, such as those at Port 

Royal, to purchase flour and corn for the next portion 

of the journey. 

The trip through Tennessee was not without 

heartbreak. The detachment led by John Benge lost 

some children in the Pulaski area. Other Cherokee also 

perished while traveling through Tennessee and were 

buried along the routes. 

It took up to six and a half months for the Cherokee 

to travel 800 miles to Indian Territory, with the last 

detachment arriving on March 24, 1839. Hundreds 

of Cherokee lives were lost along the Trail of Tears. 

Despite the great loss suffered by the thousands of 

people who traveled this trail, the Cherokee people 

today live on as a renewed, invigorated nation. 

Traveling through Tennessee 

Principal Chief John Ross 

1828-1866 

The detachment of the people are very loth [sic] to go on, and 

unusually slow in preparing for starting each morning. I am 

not surprised at this because they are moving not from choice 

to an unknown region not desired by them. 

-Detachment Conductor Elijah Hicks, 

October 24, 1838 

1838 historic map of the Fort Cass area 

Highlighted in blue are the removal camps that were spread 

across the valley. 

 

 

We descended the mountain. The ground was frozen and the 

mountain steep, and the descent very long, so that I became 

alarmed, fearing I could scarecely get down... 

- Daniel S. Butrick traveling with the Taylor detachment, 

November 1838 

 

Ferry at Chattanooga 

In 1816, brothers John and Lewis Ross established the 

settlement of Ross’s Landing. It consisted of a ferry, 

warehouse, and ferry landing site 

 

Toll gates 

Many of the detachments traveling the Northern Route were 

stopped and made to pay a fee at tolls such as this one, a 

reason why some of the detachments took an alternate route 

around Murfreesboro to Nashville. 
Mississippi

River 

Tennessee

River 

Hiwassee River 

Wolftever Cree

Cumberland River 

River 

Holston 

Tennessee

River 

CHARLEST

O

N

CHAT

TANOOGA

CHAT

TANOOGA

CHATTANOOGACLEVELANDCLEVELAND

k

Chattanooga 

National Military Park 

More Sites to See: 

THE HERMITAGE 

4580 Rachel’s Lane, Nashville, TN 37076 

UNICOI TURNPIKE TRAIL 

250 Ranger Station Road, Tellico Plains, TN 37385 

TENNESSEE RIVER MUSEUM 

495 Main Street, Savannah, TN 38372 

JAMES BROWN CHEROKEE PLANTATION (private property) 

9521 Ooltewah-Georgetown Road, Ooltewah, TN 37363 

For more information on Cherokee history and sites in 

Tennessee, visit the Southeastern Tennessee Tourism 

Association website. 

www.southeasttennessee.com/www/docs/26 

or 

Visit the National Park Service Trail of Tears website 

and select the Quicklink: Places to go - Travel Routes 

www.nps.gov/trte 

Trail of TearsTennessee Map and Guide

LAWRENCEBURG

BIRCHWOO

D

HAIR CONRAD CABIN 

433 Blythewood Road SW, Cleveland, TN 37311 

(423) 476-8942 (by appointment only) 

Site Information: Hair Conrad lived in this cabin for 

over 30 years. In 1838 he was selected to lead the 

first Ross-managed detachment, which traveled 

the Northern Route from Rattlesnake Springs (near 

Charleston) to Indian Territory. 

RED CLAY STATE HISTORIC PARK 

1140 Red Clay Park Road, SW Cleveland, TN 

37311 (423) 478-0339 

Site Information: Red Clay was the location of the 

Cherokee capital before removal. The park contains 

replicas of 19th-century Cherokee buildings and an 

interpretive visitor center, which features exhibits on 

Cherokee life in the early 1800s and on the removal 

from their homelands. 

CHEROKEE REMOVAL MEMORIAL 

PARK: BLYTHE FERRY 

6630 Blythe Ferry Lane, Birchwood, TN 37308 

(423) 339-2769

Site Information: The park contains a visitor center, 

walking trails, and outdoor interpretive exhibits that 

explain the history of the Trail of Tears. The park is 

located on a bluff that overlooks Blythe Ferry, where 

9,000 Cherokee and Creek were encamped while 

waiting to cross the Tennessee River on their way to 

Indian Territory. 

HIWASSEE RIVER HERITAGE CENTER 

8746 Hiwassee Street, Charleston, TN 37310 

(423) 413-8284 

Site Information: Charleston was the site of the Indian 

Agency and later Fort Cass, the military operational 

headquarters for the entire Trail of Tears removal. 

This and other stories, including pivotal Civil War 

positioning and the filming of Wild River involving 

TVA damming, are told at the center. 

Other Sites to Visit:
 

LEWIS ROSS HOME (Private property. View from street)
 

ILLINOIS

AUDUBON ACRES 

900 North Sanctuary Road, Chattanooga, TN 

37421 (423) 892-1499 

Site Information: Audubon Acres contains the Spring 

Frog Cabin, a pre-removal Cherokee home, and the 

visitor center has exhibits on the Brainerd Mission site 

and on Cherokee culture. At Audubon Acres, visitors 

can learn about the typical Cherokee agricultural life 

and their level of acculturation at the time of removal. 

ROSS’S LANDING & THE PASSAGE 

100 Riverfront Pkwy, Chattanooga, TN 37402 

Site Information: Ross’s Landing was one of three 

emigrating depots for thousands of Cherokee on 

their way to the Indian Territory. The park contains a 

historical marker and various memorials dedicated to 

Cherokee history and culture. 

Other Sites to Visit: 

JOHN ROSS HOME (Northern Georgia)
 

BROWN’S FERRY TAVERN (Restricted, private property)
 

CHATTANOOGA REGIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM
 

BRAINERD MISSION CEMETERY 

5700 Eastgate Loop, Chattanooga, TN 37066 

Site Information: Brainerd Mission once consisted of 

some 40 buildings, including boarding houses, schools, 

and churches. During removal, the mission was a 

stopping point and hospital. Evidence suggests that 

the mission’s cemetery is the final resting place for 

some Cherokee who died at the removal camps. 

VIRGINIA

41 79 KENTUCKY Kingsport 

58 Gray's Inn

Adams 65

MISSOURI Johnson City 
 Port Royal 

State Park 24 41 

81 26 

NORTH
 

51 

Nashville 40 The Hermitage 40 

Oak Ridge Reynoldsburg Knoxville 40 Nathan Bedford 

TENNESSEE 155 45W Forrest State Park 45E 

129 441 

Murfreesboro 411 CAROLINA

ARKANSAS 40 Stones River Great Smoky National Battlefield 72 Mountains 24 McMinnville National Park Fall Creek Falls 75 Vonore State Park Jackson Columbia Sequoyah 60 Birchwood Birthplace 65 Cherokee Removal Museum 129 

Memorial Park Trail of Tears

National Historic Trail 

The Different Routes of Travel 

40 Dunlap Coker Creek 43 Coke Ovens Park 60 Unicoi Turnpike Trail 45 Charleston 64 and Museum Hiwassee River H.C. 

Lawrenceburg Chattanooga (see list above for sites to visit) Cleveland 64 Savannah David Crockett Pulaski Fayetteville Hair Conrad Tennessee River Museum State Park Cabin 64

Pulaski Trail of Tears 24 74 

Memphis 69 Interpretive Center 

55 78 

TRAIL OF TEARS RETRACEMENT TRAIL 

David Crockett State Park 

1400 West Gaines, Lawrenceburg , TN 38464 

(931) 762-9408

Site Information: Visit the Trail of Tears Interpretive 

Retracement Trail located in David Crockett State Park, 

and hike a portion of the Bell Route. This route was 

used to transport 650-700 Cherokee from Tennessee to 

Indian Territory in 1838. 

72 

MISSISSIPPI

PULASKI INTERPRETIVE CENTER SEQUOYAH BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM 

220 Stadium St, Pulaski, TN 38478 576 State Highway 360, Vonore, TN 37885 

(931) 424-4044 (423) 884-6246 

Site Information: In October and November of 1838 Site Information: Exhibits at the Sequoyah Birthplace 


the Bell and Benge detachments passed through Museum trace American Indian history in the region, 


Pulaski on the Trail of Tears. Explore both indoor and beginning with the Paleo-Indian period. A video 


outdoor exhibits at the interpretive center to learn presentation, map, and pictorial display tell the Trail of 


more about the journey of these two detachments Tears story. 


and the broader story of Cherokee removal.
 

ALABAMA

PORT ROYAL STATE PARK 

3300 Old Clarksville Highway, Adams, TN 37010 

(931) 358-9696 

Site Information: During 1838 and 1839, Cherokee 

passed through the present-day park as part of the Trail 

of Tears’ Northern Route. Diary records of the removal 

mentioned Port Royal, the last stop before leaving 

Tennessee, as an encampment site where the Cherokee 

stayed to resupply, grind corn, and rest. Within the 

park are the remains of several old roadbeds. 

Red Clay State Historic Park 

Between the years of 1837 and 1839 the Cherokee 

were removed to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) via 

multiple routes across the country. The Round Up 

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 ROUTES 

ROUND UP ROUTES 

WATER ROUTE 

OVERLAND WATER 

ROUTE 

NORTHERN ROUTE 

TAYLOR ROUTE 

BENGE ROUTE 

BELL ROUTE 

Chickamauga & GEORGIA SOUTH

CAROLINA

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. 

PULASKI

VONOREADAMS

The National Park Service administers the trail in close 

partnership with Trail of Tears Association, the Cherokee North 

Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee, federal, state, While traveling along the Trail of Tears 0 50 100 Kilometers county, and local agencies, interested groups, and private National Historic Trail, you will see a variety of landowners. Trail sites are in private, municipal, tribal, roadway signs meant to help you explore the 0 50 Miles 100 

federal, or state ownership. trail’s stories, routes, and sites.