On the Trail of the Trail

Groundhog Day

2012-02-02T00:57:00.000-05:00

Today In History

2012-01-27T21:16:00.002-05:00

Jan 27, 1825: The U.S. Congress approves the creation in what is now Oklahoma of so-called "Indian Territory," clearing the way for the removal of the Southeastern Indians on the Trail of Tears.

(Thanks to Sarah Vowell and Julia Autry for the heads up.)

'Teacakes in the Cabin' This Saturday

2012-01-27T11:50:00.000-05:00

Book Signing: 'Legend of the Courage Wolf'

2012-01-27T11:43:00.002-05:00

WHAT:
Mike Ragland signs his newest, The Legend of the Courage Wolf, a tale of mystery set in Cave Spring, based on a purported Cherokee Indian legend. Special donation price: $10, cash or check only, please, to the Cave Spring Historical Society Log Cabin Fund. All proceeds benefit the Cave Spring Log Cabin.

WHERE:
Nana’s Books, in the Harbin Market on U.S. 411, next to the Cave Spring Elementary School. Owned by local favorite Paulette Harbin and named by her grandchildren. Features books by local authors, good collectibles and vintage books from Nana’s lifelong collection. A cozy place to talk books, authors, and the love of reading.

DATE:

January 28

TIME:

2-4 p.m.

Hill Talks Cherokee Basketry at New Echota Tonight

2012-01-26T13:28:00.001-05:00

The Friends of New Echota quarterly meeting is tonight at 6:30 p.m. “Don't let the [predicted] heavy rains keep you away,” says Dr. Donna Myers, president. “Our speaker, Dr. Sarah Hill, is coming all the way from Atlanta to present her research on Cherokee women and their tradition of basket-making, and we want to have a good turnout for her presentation. Hope to see you there!”
Hill encourages attendees to bring baskets for identification and discussion.
Hill has a Ph. D in American Studies from Emory University, where she currently teaches as an adjunct professor. She curated the award-winning exhibit, "Native Lands: Indians and Georgia" at the Atlanta History Center and authored the acclaimed book Weaving New Worlds: Southeastern Cherokee Women and their Basketry. Hill is a founding member of the Georgia chapter of the Trail of Tears Association and serves on numerous boards and councils. She is currently working on two manuscripts about the removal of the Cherokee Nation from Georgia. “It is a great honor to have Dr. Hill as our meeting speaker,” said Myers. “FONE’s business meeting will follow her presentation. Everyone is invited to attend. Bring a friend!”

Arkansas Heritage Signs Go Up

2012-01-26T08:32:00.000-05:00

Write For Arkansas reports this week that "some brown and beige trapezoidal signs ... seemed to have sprung up on the side of several highways overnight" for the “Trail of Tears Heritage Trail.” The Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism provided more information in the form of this press release:

Heritage Trails Project highlights historic trails throughout Arkansas

Have you seen the new compass signs in your area for the Heritage Trail? Hundreds of the signs are already up around south Arkansas and more are on the way, all part of a program that will give you the chance to drive a little history.
The Heritage Trails System Act, or Act 728 of the 87th General Assembly’s Regular Session, aims to promote and recognize key routes through our state that shaped our past. Four trail maps have been identified:
● The Southwest Trail, the first federally sponsored road in the state, which four fifths of Arkansas’s population used to enter the territory in the early 19th century;
● The Trail of Tears, which maps the paths of five tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole) following the passage of the Federal Indian Removal Act of 1830;
● The Butterfield Trail, the original path of the Butterfield Overland Mail route; and
● The Civil War Trails, which follow the historic routes of Union and Confederate forces during key campaigns throughout the state.
The project has been a joint effort by the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the Department of Parks and Tourism and the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
Mark Christ with the Department of Arkansas Heritage says matching trail paths to highways was tricky. “Our part in the process was to calculate where each of those routes would be.” Christ says GPS was used to match trails to highways as closely as possible.
The Department of Parks and Tourism created a website and a brochure from the information, available to motorists who wish to follow these new trails.
Now 500 of the 2500 signs for Heritage Trails have been placed around the state, and an additional 500 are ready for placement. The markers are already up along several routes in southern Arkansas.
For more information, check out this website.

'Something For Them To Prove'

2012-01-25T12:38:00.001-05:00

“In a working lifetime a historian encounters many records whose moment has not come yet and may never. There is a trunk in the hall on the way to the men’s room in the Plympton Massachusetts Public Library that contains 123 diaries kept by a farmer who made only one entry each day: “Monday: cloudy; Tuesday: rainy,” and so on for forty-seven years. That material still awaits discovery by meteorological historians. The poor and inarticulate were not the only ones who left behind bits and pieces of information that, so far, everyone has done happily without. The Foreign State Papers of Queen Elizabeth I contain hundreds of receipts for her messengers’ post horses, which, as far as I know, are no more useful than a collection of turnpike tollbooth receipts. The Public Record Office also holds a very handsome and, so far, entirely useless list of identifying marks by which royal swans on the Thames could be told apart from the commonality of swandom. It is not that these documents are beneath historical notice; but until historians find something to do with them, they languish in a mass of unenfranchised facts. Facts do not become historical evidence until someone thinks up something for them to prove or disprove.”

--Cary Carson, “Doing History With Material Culture,” in Ian Quimby, ed., Material Culture and the Study of American Life. New York: Norton, 1978 (p. 44).

Hollerin'

2012-01-20T02:15:00.002-05:00

Hickory Log Artifacts Seek Permanent Home

2012-01-17T20:03:00.000-05:00

Imagine a trove of artifacts buried for as long as 2,000 years. Just such a find was made in Cherokee County prior to the Canton Wal-Mart construction in 1995. Dr. Paul Webb was the first archaeologist involved in the excavation at this site. On March 1, 2012 at 7 p.m., he will present a lecture and slides on the excavation and artifacts at the Funk Heritage Center of Reinhardt University.
This lecture is open to the public by reservation. Webb is now the Vice President of TRC Solutions, Inc., an engineering firm with offices in Chapel Hill, NC. More than 100,000 artifacts from the banks of the Etowah River have undergone study and analysis by Webb. The site is now known to archaeologists as the Hickory Log Site.
“This was an ideal site to search for Native American artifacts," said Dr. Joseph Kitchens, executive director of the center. "The valley of the Etowah has been home to people for more than two thousand years. Excavation revealed evidence of at least five periods of occupation before the historic times when whites first explored the area.”
Webb’s work on this project has consumed 15 years as he began the laborious process of identifying the artifacts and sorting them in a way that could reveal the secrets of past cultures. Meanwhile, area residents wondered what had happened to the artifacts. The project was initially funded by the U. S. Corps of Engineers and conducted under an agreement sanctioned by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Historic Preservation Office.
The human remains unearthed at the site were re-interred according to federal laws protecting them and with the participation of representatives of the Cherokee Nation. The Wal-Mart construction went forward and interest in the archaeological discoveries waned. But the artifacts were far from forgotten or “missing.” Ancient pottery, turquoise pipes and 19th century remnants of the Native American presence in North Georgia are among the sampling of objects photographed by Webb and shown to Kitchens.
Could the collection come back home to Cherokee County near the site where it had lain for millennia? Funds are needed to properly care for such a massive collection, but Kitchens is hopeful that it could be housed and exhibited at the Funk Heritage Center. Webb would like to see the collection moved to a permanent location, one where it could be utilized for research and exhibition.
Registration for this lecture is $5 and must be paid in advance by calling 770- 720-5967. Mail a check in advance or put on Visa/MasterCard. Seating is limited, so register early.

The Cost of Doing Business: 1816

2012-01-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

"In 1816 a Senate committee reported that $9 would move a ton of goods across the 3,000-mile expanse of the North Atlantic. The same $9 would move the same ton of goods only 30 miles inland." -- From Paul E. Johnson's The Early American Republic (1789-1829), p. 64.

Indigenous Design Lecture: Jan. 31 in Tahlequah

2012-01-16T21:02:00.001-05:00

The Cherokee Phoenix reports that Cherokee Nation citizen Roy Hamilton will present a lecture in Tahlequah, OK from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 31 regarding the use of Southeastern tribal designs in art, functional use and their social significance. The lecture will be held at the Cherokee Arts Center at 212 S. Water St. "Southeastern Indian tribes, including the Cherokee, have for many years used indigenous design in their cultural arts," the Phoenix reports. "As Cherokee art and artists emerge, it has become increasing necessary for them and other tribes to reclaim use and understand their ancestral use of design." Find out more at The Cherokee Phoenix.

Water Route Signs Installed at New Madrid, Mo.

2012-01-16T13:58:00.000-05:00

Two new interpretive signs have been placed by the National Park Service in New Madrid, Missouri. One is a template panel, similar to those used at other sites, detailing the journey by the Cherokees along the water route, while the second panel links the Trail of Tears specifically to New Madrid.
Here's more, from The Southeast Missourian:

New signs placed along New Madrid, Missouri's riverfront now mark the Trail of Tears' water route of the Cherokee Indian tribes.The National Park Service signs were erected by the New Madrid city employees earlier this month.
Carol S. Clark, interpretive specialist with the National Trails Intermountain Region of the National Park Service in Santa Fe, worked with local residents to design the signs to reflect the community's place along the Trail of Tears. Riley Bock, a member of the Trail of Tears executive committee and a native of New Madrid, along with New Madrid Historical Museum's board of directors partnered with Clark in creating the exhibit.
Clark said her interpretation of New Madrid's role began with a visit to the community.
"It is always better when you are there in first person," Clark said. "The power of the place is essential in planning an exhibit like this. It gives you an idea of what people feel when they see the exhibit, what they see, what they smell ..."
What she saw pleased her. While New Madrid's riverfront is developed, when visitors look across the river they see woods and sandbars, a view she said was probably what the Cherokee saw from their boats as they passed by nearly 175 years ago.

Get the whole story at The Southeast Missourian:

'Teacakes in the Cabin' at New Echota Jan. 28

2012-01-16T13:15:00.000-05:00

Plan to visit New Echota State Historic Site on Saturday, January 28, 2012, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when Friends of New Echota (FONE) hosts TEACAKES IN THE CABIN in the Cherokee Middle-class Cabin. You’ll enjoy sweet treats, hot beverages, historic demonstrations, and old-fashioned games for the kids. The cabin will be warm and cozy, the site and nature trail will be open for touring, and the 17-minute movie, The Cherokee Nation: The Story of New Echota, will be shown in the theater throughout the day. Come and join Friends of New Echota for this special gathering and enjoy the beauty of the winter landscape.
Standard admission fees of $4.50-$6.50 allow access to the Cherokee Middle-class Cabin, museum, film, historic grounds, and nature trail. New Echota State Historic Site attracts almost 10,000 visitors annually, including hundreds of students of all ages from area public and private schools. The site is located one mile east of 1-75, exit 317, on GA Hwy. 225N. Friends of New Echota is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization operating as a chapter of Friends of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites. For more information, call 706-624-1321 or visit www.gastateparks.org.

William Rogers: 'A Man of Honesty and Ability'

2012-01-15T22:45:00.001-05:00

Forsyth County, GA author Don Shadburn is asked who his "favorite Cherokee historical figures" happen to be. He puts William Rogers at the top of the list, and explains why.

Give Them Back? No Bones About It

2012-01-15T19:21:00.000-05:00

Associated Press reports that for many years battles "over the provenance and treatment of human bones have played out across the nation." But "new federal protections could mean that the vast majority of the remains of an estimated 160,000 Native Americans held by universities, museums and federal government agencies," may soon be transferred to tribes.
Here's more:

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 provided for the return of remains connected to modern-day tribes. But it was not until 2010 that a rule on the disposition of so-called culturally unidentifiable remains was finalized by the Department of the Interior. Until then, more than 650 universities and other institutions had no clear guidance about how to return those remains, which account for the bones of about 116,000 people in their collections. That rule is still playing out, sometimes fractiously.

Read the whole enchilada here.
Also see this informative blog.

'Manhattanhenge' Mimics Solar Alignments of Many Ancient Sites

2012-01-15T18:57:00.002-05:00

Wren to Discuss 'Bear Meat' at Feb. AL TOTA Meeting

2012-01-15T14:36:00.001-05:00

The Alabama Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association will hold its next board meeting and chapter meeting on Saturday, February 18, 2012.The meetings will be in the Members Room at the

Birmingham Museum of Art
2000 Reverend Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd (formerly 8th Ave N)
Birmingham AL
http://www.artsbma.org/

Parking is in the rear of the building and accessible from Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd (21st St N)
The board will hold its organizational meeting following the recent election of a new board. The board meeting will start at 10 a.m. and is open to all active chapter members.
The chapter meeting will start at 11 a.m. and will last until 12:30 p.m. The board will report to the members the accomplishments for 2011 and the chapter's exciting plans for 2012.
The speaker for the meeting will be Chapter Member, Mike Wren. His talk is entitled BEAR MEAT: From his Cabin to the West -- Building a Biography of an Individual Cherokee by a Complete Search of the Records.
Also, membership renewal season is upon us. If you have not yet renewed your membership in the Trail of Tears Association for 2012 please take the time to do so today. If you are uncertain of your current membership status, please email TOTAadmin@ARindianCtr.org and they can assist you with renewal. If you have friends who have an interest in the history of Trail of Tears encourage them to join.

Don Shadburn Discusses "Upon Our Ruins"

2012-01-15T14:13:00.000-05:00

Forsyth County author Don Shadburn discusses his new book, Upon Our Ruins, at this weekend's meeting of the Georgia chapter of the Trail of Tears Association. Find out more about Shadburn's book here.

Sandhill Crane Festival Continues Today

2012-01-15T12:07:00.001-05:00

The Sandhill Crane Festival takes place "at the location of where several detachments and thousands of Cherokees crossed the Tennessee River, leaving their nation and homelands behind forever, on the Trail of Tears," noted Vicki Rozema, TN TOTA chapter secretary. "Some activities will be held at the Cherokee Removal Memorial which our TN TOTA President Shirley Lawrence helped found and which several of our members have given their support to over the years."
The 2012 Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival continues today, on Jan. 15. The Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival is a celebration of the thousands of sandhill cranes that migrate through or spend the winter on and around the Hiwassee Refuge in Birchwood, as well as an opportunity to focus attention on the rich wildlife heritage of the state and the Native American history of the area.
The presenting sponsors of this free family event will be the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Ornithological Society, and the Mapp Foundation in partnership with the Birchwood Community and the Birchwood School, the Cherokee Removal Memorial, Meigs and Rhea County Tourism.Beginning in the early 1990s, the recovering population of eastern sandhill cranes began stopping at the Hiwassee Refuge near Birchwood on their way to and from their wintering grounds in Georgia and Florida.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has been managing this refuge for more than 60 years for waterfowl, and the cranes found a perfect combination of feeding and shallow water roosting habitat. Now as many as 12,000 of these majestic birds spend the entire winter at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers.
Hiwassee Refuge is now the best place in eastern North America to view sandhill cranes.
Already the first sandhill cranes have been spotted at the Hiwassee Refuge, and soon tens of thousands of cranes can be viewed at Hiwassee Refuge gazebo, which is always open to the public.
The Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Special programs will be held throughout the day at the Birchwood School and Cherokee Removal Memorial. Check the festival website at www.TNcranefestival.org as the program develops. Driving directions to Birchwood School may be found there as well.
Take the family for a great day-trip to the Hiwassee Refuge in Birchwood during the festival to watch and photograph the cranes, and spend a day looking at nature’s bounty as the cranes dance and call to each other.
Guides with spotting scopes will help visitors see the cranes up close as well as help spot bald eagles, other wildlife, and hopefully find a rare whooping crane or two.
In conjunction with the wildlife viewing at the Hiwassee Refuge, the Birchwood Elementary School will be a major point of interest throughout the festival, offering merchandise, food, special displays, wildlife exhibits and a full schedule of entertainment including music, films and a raptor show presented by the American Eagle Foundation.
Wildlife Cruises on the Blue Moon will also be offered. Other special activities and educational programming will be featured throughout the weekend at the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park and at the Rhea County Visitor’s Center, including a special presentation by artist and naturalist John James Audubon, as depicted by Brian “Fox” Ellis.
During the festival, the refuge will only be accessible by shuttle buses, which pick up at Birchwood School. With the exception of a limited number of parking spaces for the physically disabled, there will be no automobiles permitted at the refuge on Jan. 14 and 15.

Online:

TNCraneFestival.org

TNWatchablewildlife.org

The Unicoi Turnpike

2012-01-15T11:35:00.000-05:00

Carey Waldrip from the Towns County Historical Society makes the case for the addition of the Unicoi Turnpike to the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail at the Saturday meeting of the Trail of Tears Association in Cumming, GA.

ACTION ALERT: HPD Targeted For Big Budget Crunch

2012-01-13T21:00:00.000-05:00

The operating budget for the Georgia Historic Preservation Division (HPD) has been targeted for a $240,150 reduction for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012 at a time when most state agency budgets are finally stabilizing.
"The proposed reduction comes on top of the loss of eight full-time positions and over $775,000 in state funding since state fiscal year 2008," said Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
"The proposed reduction will cripple HPD's economic development and community stabilization efforts executed through its tax rehabilitation, Certified Local Government, and nationally recognized African-American heritage programs, among others," he said.
Additionally, federally mandated Section 106 project reviews will be slowed, delaying economic development projects.
Metrics for many of these economic benefits are detailed in the recent independent study "Good News in Tough Times: Historic Preservation and the Georgia Economy," which is available on HPD's website.
"There is no time to lose as budget hearings have already begun," said McDonald. "Please contact your state representative and senator immediately. Ask them to restore the HPD budget to fiscal year 2012 funding levels."
Catherine Edgemon, LaFayette Main Street director, said that this latest budget cut will be a big blow to towns like LaFayette, GA.
"As a Main Street city and Certified Local Government, LaFayette benefits greatly from the assistance offered by the state HPD staff," she said. "We received technical assistance with our historic district project (including a Historic Preservation Fund grant to help with the cost of developing the design guidelines), grants to help with the Chattooga Academy rehab through the Georgia Heritage Program and Historic Preservation Commission training," she said.
"Please, contact your legislators to encourage them to find a way to avoid these cuts at HPD," she said.

Forsyth Author to Address GA TOTA Saturday

2012-01-13T15:39:00.002-05:00

By Linda Baker
GA TOTA Secretary

The next meeting of the Georgia Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at the Cumming Playhouse in Cumming, Forsyth County, GA. The 1923 Cumming School was restored and reopened to the public in July 2004. In 2000 the school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places through the efforts of the Historical Society of Forsyth County under the leadership of Annette Bramblett. In addition to the Playhouse, this historic building houses the Historical Society headquarters, the Bell Research Center, a 2000-book library of Southern history, replicas of 1930s – 1950s classrooms and a garden of native plants.
The speaker at this meeting will be Don Shadburn, Forsyth County historian, author and retired teacher. Some of his books are Pioneer History of Forsyth County, Georgia, Cherokee Planters in Georgia, 1832 – 1838 and Unhallowed Intrusion: A History of Cherokee Families in Forsyth County, Georgia. Unhallowed Intrusion received the first Lilla Mills Hawes Award presented by the Georgia Historical Society for the most outstanding regional history published in 1993 – 1994. His latest book is hot off the presses and is titled Upon Our Ruins: A Study in Cherokee History and Genealogy. This work represents 27 chapters of history and genealogy on many of the mixed-blood Cherokee families and Indian countrymen primarily in the Carolinas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee and Texas. Find out more about Mr. Shadburn and his books at www.donshadburn.com.
The Trail of Tears Association and its major partner, the National Park Service, are dedicated to identifying and preserving sites associated with the forced removal of Native Americans from the Southeast. We are also committed to educating the public about this tragic period in our country’s history. The TOTA was created to support the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail established by an act of Congress in 1987. The Association consists of nine state chapters representing the nine states that the Cherokee and other tribes traveled through on their way to present-day Arkansas and Oklahoma.
You need not be a member to attend our chapter meetings nor have Indian heritage, just an interest and desire to learn more about this fascinating subject. There is no fee to attend. For more information about the TOTA, visit the National website at www.nationaltota.org or the Georgia Chapter website at www.gatrailoftears.org. For questions about the January meeting, contact Leslie Thomas at aeriehollow@ellijay.com or by phone at 770-757-0931.
The Cumming Playhouse is located at 101 School Street in downtown Cumming. For directions call 770-781-9178 or visit the Playhouse website at www.playhousecumming.com. HOPE YOU CAN ATTEND!

GA TOTA Meets Jan. 14 in Cumming

2012-01-12T12:13:00.002-05:00

By Leslie Thomas
VP GA TOTA

Read the Moccasin Track Newsletter Online
You can find it here. Check out the old issues for more information on what's happening/happened with the Georgia chapter here and see pictures from the 2011 Annual Conference in NC. The tentative calendar of events/meetings is also listed on the main website. A BIG thank you to those who have renewed the memberships. I am always amazed at the number of new folks who request being added to the weekly email newsletter. It sure helps us to know that we are doing the right things in the community.

January 14: GA TOTA meeting in Forsyth County
GA TOTA will be meeting, weather permitting, at the Historical Society of Forsyth County with our speaker, author Don Shadburn, who will talk about his new book UPON OUR RUINS. Get your copy signed! The meeting will be at 10:30 and the public is welcome to attend. Forsyth County Historical Society is located in a repurposed school in Cumming at 101 School St., Cumming Ga. 30040. The building also houses the Cumming Playhouse, Bell Research Center and a restaurant known as Tam's Backstage on the lower level. The historical society facility is centrally located in Cumming. Hope to see you there.

Take a Hike
More info here.

REMINDERS:
Interested in learning how to use your National Archives?
Upcoming Webinars:
Jan. 9, 2012: 1940 Census with Connie Potter
Feb. 13, 2012: African-American Genealogy
Mar. 12, 2012: Irish Research with Donna Moughty
Apr. 9, 2012: Military topic
May 14, 2012: Social Networking: New Horizons for Genealogists with Thomas MacEntee
Jun 11, 2012: Railroad Retirement Records
The schedule is posted in case you are interested in learning more about doing research at the Georgia or any of the National Archive offices. To learn more visit the website at friendsnas.org and find out how to register for email announcements or log into a session.

Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home announces the special exhibit, "Christmas at Chieftains." This exhibit displays trees decorated in the period of the times the museum was a home, from the nature inspired 1830s tree to the 1960s silver aluminum tree. Learn what was going on in the world that influenced how the trees were decorated. Also on view are period toys. This exhibit will be on view until January 14. Admission is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for senior citizens and $2.00 for students. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount and Chieftains members are free of charge. The museum is open Wednesday - Saturday, 10 to 5. For information call 706 291-9494 or go to www.chieftainsmuseum.org

Contact Leslie to add an event to the calendar by emailing aeriehollow@ellijay.com.

GA TOTA VP Leslie Thomas at Chattooga County

2012-01-11T14:18:00.000-05:00

The Human Zoo

2012-01-11T14:08:00.000-05:00

AFP reports that "rights campaigners and politicians Wednesday condemned a video showing women from a protected and primitive tribe dancing for tourists reportedly in exchange for food on India's Andaman Islands."
Here's more:

British newspaper The Observer released the undated video showing Jarawa tribal women -- some of them naked -- being lured to dance and sing after a bribe was allegedly paid to a policeman to produce them.
Under Indian laws designed to protect ancient tribal groups susceptible to outside influence and disease, photographing or coming into contact with the Jarawa and some of the Andaman aborigines is banned.

Read the original story at The Guardian.

Cherokee Genealogy Event at GA Archives Jan. 13

2012-01-11T13:34:00.000-05:00

If you missed Linda Geiger's informative presentation "Documenting Cherokee Heritage: Where Can I Find the Records," when she was at New Echota last summer, you have another opportunity at the Georgia Archives.
"Documenting Cherokee Heritage: Where Can I Find the Records" will be the Lunch and Learn Seminar at the Georgia Archives on Friday, January 13. Linda Woodward Geiger, certified genealogist, will be the speaker and will provide tips on locating the names of your Cherokee ancestors, or help you otherwise figure out any family traditions related to the same. The event is free, but bring your own lunch. To check the "Lunch and Learn" schedule for 2012, and the hours the Georgia Archives is open, see their website or call 678-364-3730. The archives is open only Fridays and Saturdays due to the state legislature's decision -- the shortest number of days of any archives in the United States.
Linda Woodward Geiger is a professional historic and genealogy researcher, author, and lecturer. She is an associate of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), holding credentials as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Lecturer. She specializes in Georgia's state and county records prior to 1900 and a variety of federal records, particularly of the southeast region of the United States and has extensive experience in Cherokee research before and during removal. She also specializes in methods for finding elusive ancestors. She also serves as treasurer of the Georgia chapter of the Trail of Tears Association.

NWGA Archaeology Society: 'No Lost Mayans in Georgia'

2012-01-09T15:21:00.001-05:00

Come to New Echota Historic Site on Thursday evening, January 12th, for the annual pottery lecture and “hands on” washing hosted by the Northwest Georgia Archaeology Society. This is a great chance to learn about American Indian pre-Columbian ceramics from Georgia. The lecture and meeting is open to the public, and there is no charge for attending.
"We will be washing and classifying pottery recovered from recent excavations in Northwest Georgia," said Jim Langford. The American Indians of the Southeastern United States began making pottery at about 1,000 B.C. "We learn much about the early cultures of this area by studying changes ceramic decoration and technology over a period that covers about 2,500 years," he said.
During the discussion, you will learn how to identify some of the most important and interesting pottery styles of NW Georgia such as Deptford, Swift Creek, Cartersville, Lamar, Wilbanks, Etowah, Dallas, Woodstock, Little Egypt Phase, Brewster Phase, and Barnett Phase.
"We will also give you an update on the recent controversy surrounding the misrepresentation of supposedly Mayan cultures in north Georgia," Langford said. "The short message – there were no 'lost Mayans' that established villages in Georgia."
The meeting begins in the lab room at the New Echota Museum at 7:00 p.m. The New Echota Historic Site is located near Calhoun, just off of I-75 at Exit 317. If you are coming from the south, turn right at the bottom of the exit ramp and go east on Highway 225 about one mile to the entrance to New Echota on the right.
If you have any questions, you may call Langford at 404-285-2001, or Jack Walker at 770-655-2595. You may also call New Echota at 706-608-7754.

UGA Special Collections Relocated

2012-01-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

Online Athens reports that the "vast historical archive" in special collections at the University of Georgia is now open to the public after its big move to the new Richard B. Russell building. "After months of moving, the University of Georgia’s new special collections library building opened to the public last week — even though the new building still looks unfinished inside," they report. Get the whole scoop here.
The Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, and the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection will all be housed at the new facility. You can view the website for the Hull Street building here.

The Old Cherokee Corner

2012-01-02T19:57:00.000-05:00

At John Rogers', Cherokee Nation.
9th December 1829

I Daniel Clover, a resident of Gwinnett County in the State of Georgia, now sixty-eight years of age, have lived in the State of Georgia thirty-four years. I settled near Greensborough in Georgia about 33 years since, when the Indians of both Cherokee and Creek Nations were frequently in trading at Greensborough. Alexander Dale, and John Fidler were at the time trading with the Indians, and went out to the nations on their trading tours. I became well acquainted with both of them. Mr. Dale, now Col. Dale of Alabama, was frequently at my house and I had many conversations with him about the Indians on various subjects, I asked him if he knew the line between the two nations,- he said he did know it, that it began at the Old Cherokee Corner in Georgia and run thence to the High Shoals of Appalachy, and thence with the Old Hightower Path to the shallow ford on Chattahoochy; but I have no recollection that he stated the line any further. The Old Cherokee Corner that I have mentioned stands about eight miles from Athens in Georgia. I have seen it frequently ever since I first came into the country,- it is marked on a white oak & a number of other trees, and the marks had the appearance of being very old when I first saw it. I do not know by whom or when it was made, but it has always been called the Old Cherokee Corner.

DANIEL CLOVER.
Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 9th December, 1829.
ISAAC GILBERT,Jr.
Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Cherokee Phoenix and Indians' Advocate, Vol. 3 No. 4, Saturday, May 15, 1830, pg. 1 col. 3a

From Travels Through North & South Carolina, Georgia, East & West Florida, the Cherokee Country, the Extensive Territories of the Muscogulges, or Creek Confederacy, and the Country of the Chactaws; Containing An Account of the Soil and Natural Productions of Those Regions, Together with Observations on the Manners of the Indians, by William Bartram, 1739-1823, pp. 33-34

A FEW days after our arrival at Augusta, the chiefs and warriors of the Creeks and Cherokees being arrived, the Congress and the business of the treaty came on, and the negociations continued undetermined many days; the merchants of Georgia demanding at least two millions of acres of land from the Indians, as a discharge of their debts, due, and of long standing; the Creeks, on the other hand, being a powerful and proud spirited People, their young warriors were unwilling to submit to so large a demand, and their conduct evidently betrayed a disposition to dispute the ground by force of arms, and they could not at first be brought to listen to reason and amicable terms; however, at length, the cool and deliberate counsels of the ancient venerable chiefs, enforced by liberal presents of suitable goods, were too powerful inducements for them any longer to resist, and finally prevailed. The treaty concluded in unanimity, pace, and good order; and the honorable Superintendant, not forgetting his promise to me, at the conclusion, mentioned my business, and recommended me to the protection of the Indian chiefs and warriors. The presents being distributed amongst the Indians, they departed, returning home to their towns. A company of surveyors were appointed, by the Governor and Council, to ascertain the boundaries of the new purchase; they were to be attended by chiefs of the Indians, selected and delegated by their countrymen, to assist, and be witnesses that the articles of the treaty were fulfilled, as agreed to by both parties in Congress.

Cherokee: An Endangered Language

2011-12-29T16:50:00.000-05:00

The Cherokee Phoenix reports today that "Cherokee Nation language specialists are working with the universities of Kansas and Oklahoma to document unique phonological features of the Cherokee language – its tonal qualities and vowel sounds," in an attempt to save the language.
Here's more:

For two decades, the CN has sought expertise to revitalize its language. Surveys count nearly 300,000 CN citizens, but few under age 40 have conversational use of the language.
The language revitalization efforts have included creating a searchable Cherokee Electronic Dictionary of more than 10,000 entries and establishing an immersion school in Tahlequah.
In the next two years, language specialists will work to enable anyone using the Cherokee Electronic Dictionary to hear words and phrases spoken accurately and authentically. The work is funded with three grants totaling nearly $200,000 from the Documenting Endangered Languages Program offered through the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation.

Read more here.

Wild Foods No Longer On the Menu

2011-12-29T14:17:00.001-05:00

Fish is just about the only wild food most of us eat these days, according to this article at AlterNet. What happened, they ask? And what are we missing?
Here's more:

Once upon a time, wild foods were a regular and beloved part of the American diet. Today, the American epicure might dine on foraged mushrooms and ramps, but for many of us, fish are the last wild food we eat. What happened? And what are we missing?
Georgia Pellegrini, a chef who has worked in elite restaurants in New York and France, decided to answer this question for herself when she set out to hunt her own food. As her new book's title implies -- Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time -- she entered into a masculine realm in which she was often the only woman. Pellegrini traveled across the United States and even England, hunting everything from squirrel to elk.

Read more about her adventures in wild food here. Or find her book here.

A Change of Interest...?

2011-12-26T20:08:00.000-05:00

As states increasingly ease off laws restricting the casino industry, they simultaneously are tightening lending laws. So where one opportunity wanes, another opens up ... and according to Associated Press, some Indian tribes are taking full advantage of it:

An Indian reservation in the heart of Montana's farm country may seem an unlikely place to borrow a quick $600, but the Chippewa Cree tribe says it has already given out more than 121,000 loans this year at interest rates that can reach a whopping 360 percent.
As more states pass laws to rein in lenders who deal in high-interest, short-term loans, Indian tribes like the Chippewa Cree and their new online lending venture, Plain Green Loans, are stepping in to fill the void. The Internet lets them reach beyond the isolated Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation to borrowers across the nation, while tribal immunity has allowed them to avoid bans and interest-rate caps several states have set.

Read more here.

$5,000 Grant Awarded for Trail of Tears Signs in Chattooga

2011-12-23T12:50:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the efforts of Bill Barker, new signs denoting the path of the Trail of Tears will be erected this year in Chattooga County, Georgia. Bill applied for and received a $5,000 grant from the Tillotson-Menlo Charitable Foundation through the Chattooga County Historical Society.
"At 9:20 a.m. sharp we presented ourselves in TOTA attire, complete with Sequoyah turban, at the Menlo City Hall, and received a $5,000 check for the Trail of Tears signage project from Carol Mitchell," said Bill. "We'll take the check to CCHS treasurer Margaret Fulton for deposit to be earmarked for the TOTA signage project.
"We were cautioned by Ms. Mitchell that we should report expenditures to the Foundation and to be sure to spend all funds during the calendar year," he said. "We presented Ms. Mitchell with a brochure containing an overview of the project and reports of site visits made to the Knox property in Alpine and the Chattooga Meeting house in Chattoogaville."

We want to congratulate Bill for receiving this grant for the Chattooga County Historical Society, and we invite everyone to their next meeting on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. at the historic depot in Summerville, where the topic will be the Trail of Tears in Chattooga County. Bill, Leslie Thomas, Alva Crowe, and myself (Jeff Bishop) are the scheduled speakers. We hope to see you there!

Walkingstick Featured at Hunter Museum

2011-12-21T16:59:00.000-05:00

The Hunter Museum of American Art will feature Kay Walkingstick on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 6 p.m. at the Hunter Museum, 10 Bluff View, Chattanooga, TN.
Kay Walkingstick is considered one of the preeminent Cherokee artists working today. Working primarily in the diptych (two panel) form, she explores the relationships between the landscape, abstract patterning drawn from Native American textiles, and the human figure in motion.
Walkingstick, whose work appears in the Hunter collections, will speak about her life and work in conjunction with an exhibition and partnership with the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, GA.
The program is included with regular admission to the Hunter museum, which is $9.95 for non-members.

AL TOTA Board Members Elected

2011-12-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

Elections results are in for the Alabama Trail of Tears Association board of directors. There were 10 Alabama chapter members nominated for seven board positions. For those members that were nominated and were not elected to the Board, we all thank you for your willingness to serve. Please continue your participation with the Alabama chapter, as this chapter needs you and your input!

Newly elected Board of Directors:
Danny Crownover
Olivia Baxter
Gail King
Larry Smith
Mike Wren
Shannon Sloan
Sharon Freeman

At the next Chapter meeting in January, the new board members will officially be installed. We do not have a firm date or location for the next meeting, however; you will receive notification soon. Once again, thank you so much for your participation in the elections and we look forward to a year with new research, interesting speakers, and significant projects.

Sharon Freeman
Secretary
Alabama Chapter, Trail of Tears Association

Red Clay 'Trail of Lights' This Saturday

2011-12-16T13:41:00.000-05:00

The Fourth Annual “Trail of Lights” festival at Red Clay State Historic Park in Tennessee will be this Saturday, Dec. 17, from 5-8 p.m.
Admission is $3 / $1 for children.
The festival will include an “old-fashioned Santa Claus,” live music, Christmas caroling, living history, and storytelling. The park will be lit by candles and luminaries. The park is located at 1140 Red Clay Park, Cleveland, TN. For the official park web site, click here.
Red Clay was the site of 11 Cherokee council meetings after Georgia law prevented the government from meeting at the capital town of New Echota in the 1830s.
The land for the park was sold by Bradley County to the state of Tennessee in 1979. It features a “Blue Hold” limestone spring, walking trails, and replicas of Cherokee-era buildings, as well as a small visitor center / museum.
In 1979, Bradley County sold the land to the state of Tennessee to be used as a historic park.
In addition to housing the Eternal Flame, Red Clay today features a replica of the council house, a replica of a small Cherokee farm, and a replica of some of the small cabins that were built there during Red Clay's short stint as Cherokee capital. A 1.7 mile loop trail leads from the park’s amphitheatre to an overlook tower.
“This event is an opportunity for all people to come together and celebrate Christmas in this historic place,” says Carol Crabtree, park manager at Red Clay State Historic Park.
Jamie Russell will provide music and talk with visitors about Cherokee culture. Sylvia Idom, a seasonal ranger at Red Clay and member of the Cleveland Storytellers Guild, will entertain guests with stories in the farmhouse. Scott Crisp will be in the visitor center to talk with guests about Cherokee culture and music.

Where The Indians Are: U.S. Census Bureau Releases New Map

2011-12-16T02:29:00.001-05:00

Click to enlarge.

Download a pdf of the new U.S. Census Bureau map here.

Trail of Tears Exhibits Placed At Port Royal, TN

2011-12-15T16:52:00.000-05:00

ADAMS, Tenn. – Port Royal State Park has announced the installation of five new outdoor interpretive exhibits, designed to tell the story of the area’s history including information about the town of Port Royal and the Trail of Tears.
“As the first outdoor interpretative signage in the park, this is a great milestone toward our efforts to enhance visitors’ experiences in Port Royal State Park,” said Park Manager Allen Fenoseff. “These new exhibits will educate park visitors about the historic significance of Port Royal and the part this area played in shaping the state of Tennessee.”
Because Port Royal played such an important role in how travelers or settlers passed through Tennessee, transportation themes are prominently featured as part of the local community’s history.
Port Royal was the site of one of the earliest Colonial communities and trading posts in Middle Tennessee. Today, visitors can stroll through the park and still see the foundation remains of original homesteads, stores and warehouses all dating back to the 18th century.
Settled in the early 1780s, Port Royal was a known Longhunter camp as early as 1775. The town of Port Royal was founded in 1797 and rose to great prominence in the early part of the 19th century because of its strategic location at the headwaters of the Red River, serving all of northern Middle Tennessee and South Central Kentucky through a major stagecoach route.
“Situated at an important junction of roads and rivers, Port Royal became the only stop in Tennessee on what was called the ‘Great Western Road’ stagecoach line between Nashville and Golconda, Ill. and served as such until the 20th century,” added Fenoseff.
Preserved within the park is an excellent example of an early Pratt truss-designed steel bridge, which was built in 1887. This bridge spans the Sulphur Fork Creek and offers visitors a picturesque vantage point of both the Red River and the Sulphur Fork Creek. This bridge is available to foot traffic only.
There also are existing remains of several old roadbeds with one dating back to prehistoric times, including the certified Trail of Tears National Historic Trail site. The Trail of Tears commemorates the forced removal of Native Americans from their homelands in the Southeastern United States and the paths they traveled westward in 1838 and 1839. Diary records of their removal mentioned Port Royal, the last stop before leaving Tennessee, as an encampment site where the Cherokee stayed overnight to re-supply, grind corn and rest.
Below is a brief description of the five new outdoor exhibits:

The first exhibit is located in the park’s upper parking lot and discusses when and why Port Royal was founded and its general importance to state history.
A second panel, located adjacent to the old stagecoach inn foundation, describes some of the stores and businesses that were located at Port Royal over the course of 150 years.
The three Trail of Tears exhibits are located adjacent to the certified Trail of Tears trail section. One features a map of the various removal routes taken by the Cherokee to the west, another panel discusses Port Royal's role as a supply station along the removal route, and the last panel is a map of the trail section within the park.
The three Trail of Tears interpretive panels were produced in cooperation with the National Park Service’s National Trails office and will help maintain continuity between other certified Trail of Tears sites.

Located in Adams, Tenn., Port Royal State Park is a day-use park. In 1977, the state of Tennessee received the deed to 26 acres of land in the Port Royal area and designated it as a state historic park in 1978. In addition to its many historic features, the park offers boating, fishing and hiking. For more information about the park, including directions, please visit www.tnstateparks.com/PortRoyal.
Tennessee's 53 state parks offer diverse natural, recreational and cultural experiences for individuals, families or business and professional groups. State park features range from pristine natural areas to 18-hole championship golf courses. For a free brochure about Tennessee State Parks, call toll free at 1-888-867-2757. For additional information, visit our Web site at www.tnstateparks.com.

How Will History Judge Us?

2011-12-15T01:28:00.002-05:00

'Invented' Identities: How Real Are They?

2011-12-14T00:17:00.000-05:00

Big Think's David Berreby posted in "Mind Matters" this week that "Newt Gingrich was almost right about the Palestinians when he said they were an 'invented people.'" But only if he'd gone on to say that Americans, too, are an invented people. "All peoples are invented," he contends.
"The problem with believing in national essences is that so many have disappeared, not by extermination but by transformation into new identities," he said. "As for the nations that still endure, their continuity over the centuries is an illusion."
Here's more:

The key to a passionate identity ... is a feeling of personal connection to people you have not met, and who died long ago — a feeling that is as strong as it is illusory... However, if an identity does have a deep, daily, personal, inescapable effect on your life, then it will feel, and be, quite real.
...But all peoples are, in reality, invented in the present — by teachers, pundits, politicians, bureaucrats and businesses. It's an old cheap trick of propaganda to point out that the other guy's stories are myths while claiming that your own are gospel truth. Yet the fact of invention is shared by all peoples.
So the right question to ask about a people isn't "is it invented?" but rather "is it real?" Is this an identity that people vote in, work in, celebrate in?; is this an identity they teach their children, weep for, and hope for?; is this an identity for which they're getting tortured and shot? When the answer to those questions is yes, then the identity in question is at least as real as your own.

Read the whole essay here.

Benjamin Hawkins Grave: National Register Property

2011-12-13T14:07:00.000-05:00

The latest edition of the Georgia Historic Preservation Division's Preservation Georgia Online newsletter reports that the Colonel Benjamin Hawkins grave site has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The grave is located on a small knoll on the eastern bluff above the Flint River and is accessed from Benjamin Hawkins Road off Georgia Highway 128. Colonel Hawkins was buried at the site in 1816 and the fieldstone monument marking his grave was built in 1931. Here's more:

...Located in a rural area southwest of Roberta in Crawford County, approximately five miles from Knoxville, (the site) was listed in the National Register of Historic Places at the state level of significance on November 10, 2011. The Crawford County Historical Society and Crawford County Board of Commissioners sponsored the nomination and a volunteer prepared the nomination materials.
Benjamin Hawkins was President George Washington's official Indian Agent for the Southeast from 1796 to 1816. Hawkins was born August 15, 1754 in present-day Warren County, North Carolina. The outbreak of the American Revolution ended Hawkins' studies at the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). George Washington recruited Hawkins to join the general's staff as a French translator. After the war, Hawkins held several state political offices in North Carolina, represented Congress during negotiations between the federal government and the Creek and Cherokee tribes, and served in the U.S. Senate (1789-1795). In 1796 in recognition of Hawkins' diplomatic skill, President George Washington appointed him to serve as the "Principal Temporary Agent for Indian Affairs South of the Ohio River." Read the full press release here.

Read the entire newsletter here, or better yet, LIKE their Facebook page.

TOTA Winter 2012 Newsletter Bows

2011-12-12T16:50:00.003-05:00

The latest issue of Trail News is out, including updates from all the Trail of Tears Association chapters and TOTA Executive Director Jerra Quinton, as well as stories on newly-elected Cherokee Nation Chief Bill John Baker, TOTA’s emerging youth initiative, a hot-off-the-press book on Cherokee families from UNC Press, new NPS funding for chapter “capacity building,” a $15,000 grant for the Alabama chapter, and much more. You can download the newsletter in its entirety here.

Report From Illinois TOTA

2011-12-10T12:23:00.001-05:00

Dr. Herman Peterson, one of the representatives of the Illinois chapter to the National Trail of Tears Association, has departed the state of Illinois and his position at Southern Illinois University to take a new position in a western state. The chapter elected John O’Dell to fill Dr. Peterson’s position as a representative to the National Board.
In the spring of 2011, Chapter President Sandy Boaz convened a forum bringing together Shawnee National Forest personnel, chapter members, local citizens, and an archeologist from Southern Illinois University to discuss past and current research, maps, and local traditions to more accurately identify the paths of the Trail of Tears through the western part of Union County, Illinois. Review of historical information, older maps, research, archeological findings and local traditions were involved as well as trips this summer out into the field to more accurately assess the Trail locations to establish the paths.
Due to the proximity to the Mississippi River and flooding over the years of the low-lying terrain, some of the topography has altered since 1838-1839. Conclusions were drawn by the group and coordinates identified where the trail crossed this part of Union County.
The Illinois chapter was very pleased to work with staff of Southern Illinois University in July 2011 in hosting a week-long workshop for selected elementary and secondary classroom teachers of southern Illinois, providing them information about the Trail of Tears that they will use in their classrooms. The Library of Congress Teaching With Primary Resources provided the model for this professional development program for teachers. The program was conducted by Dr. Jerry C. Hostetler and Mr. Mike Scott from the Education Department at SIU. Several Illinois Chapter board members were involved inthe workshop by providing information on the path of the Trial across southern Illinois. The workshop was well received by the classroom teachers as it will assist them with their development of their instructional curriculum to teach their students about the Trail of Tears. This effort will result in youngpeople of southern Illinois having a better understanding of the local history and the significance of the Trail of Tears.
Several years ago, the Illinois Chapter hosted a bus tour for the public and chapter members to have a guided driving trip along the Trail in Pope, Johnson, and Union Counties in southern Illinois. As we have had numerous requests to conduct another bus tour, plans are now being made to have another tour in March of 2012. As these plans are finalized, additional information will be disseminated through the chapter’s newsletter and local media.

TN TOTA Chapter Plans for 175th Anniversary

2011-12-08T15:12:00.001-05:00

The Chattanooga Times-Free Press reported that members of the Tennessee chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, which met Saturday in Cleveland, TN, "will need all of the new year to plan commemorative events for 2013, the 175th anniversary year of the Cherokee removal."
If memory serves, I believe that this will also be the year that the TN chapter will be hosting the annual conference / symposium, so there should be plenty of opportunities to schedule some memorable events.
This comes from the article:

The challenge will be to plan commemorative events along Trail of Tears routes without being overlooked because of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which will be halfway through its five-year calendar of events by then, according to association members.
Many young U.S. Army officers in the Chattanooga region during the 1838 Indian removal events returned as senior commanders during the Civil War, said Shirley Lawrence, Tennessee Trail of Tears Association chapter president.
“I would like to see that whole year with events telling the story, accurately, about what happened,” Lawrence said.
When the chapter meets again it will be 2012. Members said Sunday that, before then, other state chapters and interested organizations will be contacted to see how much interest there is in a series of 175th year commemorative events at appropriate sites between here and Oklahoma in 2013.
The association met Sunday at Red Hill United Methodist Church, which has a history going back to meetings during Cherokee removal times. Members also toured sites in the nearby Flint Springs area, including the last eastern farm of Cherokee Chief John Ross and the home believed to once have belonged to Judge John Martin, treasurer of the Cherokee Nation.
“I think this is one of the most unrecognized areas associated with the Trail of Tears,” said local author and history promoter Debbie Moore.
Moore has started the process to have the Martin House listed on the National Trail of Tears.

Read the original article here.

Some more info on the Martin home, from the TN TOTA chapter:

Judge John Martin, judge of the Amohee and Coosawattee districts, treasurer of the Cherokee Nation, delegate to the Cherokee Constitutional Convention, and Chief Justice of the first Supreme Court of the Cherokees after the removal west, lived in the area known as Red Hill. Judge Martin moved to the southern part of Bradley County, TN in 1835. He purchased a large plantation and lived about three miles from the John Ross farm.
Martin had gathered with the leaders of the Cherokee Nation in his home in December, 1837. Officers from Fort Cass surrounded the home during the night and then captured the men and all the treasury records of the Nation. The men were later released at Fort Cass, but the records were never recovered.
Martin's house was moved in 1951 from the west side to the east side of Highway 60. The house has been lovingly restored and is now a private residence.Pictured above is the old two-story log home as it appears today. Pictured below are the log supports that were recently exposed during a needed repair.
The house is the typical Cherokee home for the wealthy at the time of removal. The original part of the house is 50' x 18', with a 10' hallway.

The Martin valuation (transcribed by TN TOTA):

Upcoming Events

2011-12-07T17:00:00.001-05:00

By Leslie Thomas
GA TOTA VP

Note to all volunteers for GA TOTA:
If you have been doing research or have helped out GA TOTA at special events or done any type of volunteer work for us - please remember to fill out a "Trail of Tears Association Volunteer Activity Log". If you need a copy please let us know. WHY? Because your time and efforts count towards our matching grant applications. Your time is important to us. Forms can be faxed or mailed to National TOTA in Arkansas.

CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT AT CHIEF VANN HOUSE 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011 5-9 p.m.
Saturday, December 10, 2011 5-9 p.m.

CHRISTMAS AT CHIEFTAINS/Major Ridge Home
December 2-Jan 14 - check their website for more information -- Click here.

Marsh House Christmas Candlelight Open House
At LaFayette, GA on December 10 (6-8 p.m.) and Dec. 11 (4-8 p.m.)
Call 706-638-5187 or visit the Marsh House website for more info.

Red Clay Trail of Lights Event
December 17 from 6-9 p.m. Refreshments will be at the Visitor Center.

Holiday Tours at New Echota State Historic Site for small groups (up to 25 people)
Presented by Honoring the Ancestors, LLC Historic Tours and Traveling Trunk
Did you miss the New Echota’s Christmas Candlelight Tour and want to see the decorations? Have out-of-town company to entertain during the holidays?Planning an outing for your friends, club, organization, or Sunday school class? Guided tours are available Tuesday through Saturday, now until December 31. Tours last about two hours and provide access to all historic buildings - bring your camera!
SPECIAL HOLIDAY RATE - $50, plus regular admission fee $4-$6 / groups of 15 or more may qualify for a discount.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SCHEDULE A TOUR, CONTACT
Donna J. Myers, Ph. D. h. 706-624-4344
honoringtheancestors@gmail.com
Tours are also available at Etowah Mounds.

Check out the Cherokee Nation's gift shop for you gift-giving
http://www.cherokeegiftshop.com/ or
Qualla Boundary Museum of the Cherokee Indian gift shop
http://cherokeemuseum.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

December Issue of the Cub Reporter
Check out the early snow pictures! One Christmas my husband and I decided to avoid the Christmas hassles and run away. We went to Dillsboro, N.C. (and Sylva) and stayed in a lovely cabin amid the first snow of the season. Christmas Day we drove the Waterfall loop. The train doesn't run over the holidays... but the drive made up for that. Just an aside...
Click here to find out more.

Three and Five mile hikes to start out the New Year!
Click here.

Leslie Barker Thomas
V. P. Georgia Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association
http://www.gatrailoftears.org

TONIGHT: 'The Trail of Tears: Then and Now'

2011-12-06T14:08:00.001-05:00

Gold Museum After Dark
Trail of Tears; Then and Now
Tuesday, Dec 6, 2011 5-7 p.m.
Historian Linda Woodward-Geiger, GA TOTA Treasurer, will present information on the history of the infamous Cherokee removal from Georgia in 1838-39, and the ongoing efforts to map and maintain the Trail of Tears removal routes today. $3.50 - $5 706-864-2257.

Location:
Dahlonega Gold Museum Historic Site
1 Public Square
Dahlonega, GA 30533

Ocmulgee Celebrates 75 Years

2011-12-03T10:59:00.001-05:00

UPDATED: See video of the event here.
Join the staff and friends of the Ocmulgee National Monument this Saturday, Dec. 3 at the historic site in Macon, GA for a celebration of 75 great years as a National Monument. Three of the CCC workers who helped with the excavation in the 1930s will be there, along with the Speaker of the Muscogee Nation in OK. The celebration will be from 12-5, and the presentation/cake cutting wil be @ 2:00.
Here's a story on the event from The Macon Telegraph:

Three men who were part of the Civilian Conservation Corps that worked on the site of the future Ocmulgee National Monument during the 1930s will be on hand for an open house and reception there Saturday.
The reception is part of the monument’s 75th anniversary celebration, which began earlier this year and continues this month. On Dec. 23, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the document that created the national monument.
Construction of buildings at the Ocmulgee National Monument was part of a New Deal initiative.

Read the whole story here.

Christmas By Candlelight at New Echota, Vann House

2011-12-02T16:46:00.001-05:00

The New Echota State Historic Site and the Chief Vann House will both be celebrating Christmas by candlelight this week.
“We’re doing our candlelight tour this weekend, and then it’s the Vann House the weekend after, and then Red Clay the weekend after that,” said Dr. Donna Myers, president of Friends of New Echota.
“That’s three in a row, to get us ready for Christmas,” she said.
Decorations were put together the week after Thanksgiving. The decorations are constructed to resemble decorations from the period when Northwest Georgia was still a part of the Cherokee Nation.
The New Echota event will be this Saturday, December 3, 6:30 to 9:30 pm.
By the early 19th century a number of Cherokees had adopted the traditional Christmas celebrations still in practice today, according to the Friends of New Echota. Visitors are invited to tour historic pathways of the town brightened by luminaries andto enjoy the decorations inside the historic buildings.
Decorations were donated by park staff, Friends of New Echota, Gordon County Master Gardeners, Girl Scout Troop 771, the Georgia Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, Garden Buddies Garden Club, and local volunteers, and they include traditional greenery and Kris Tingle decorations introduced by Moravian missionaries during the early 19th century time period. Boy Scout Troop 30 will serve as fire tenders throughout the evening.
Sounds of the season include traditional Christmas caroling by the King Family. Singer-storyteller, Gary Greene, will perform songs and tell Cherokee stories in the Council House, while the New Echota Singers entertain visitors with Christmas favorites in the Supreme Court House. Carole Hall will be in the Worcester House singing and playing the psaltery, a harp-like instrument that dates back to ancient times.
Visitors will witness the Cherokee Phoenix printing press operating in the Print Shop and enjoy warm refreshments in Vann’s Tavern. Visitors should dress for the weather, bring a flashlight or lantern, and be prepared for a ¾ mile walk.
Standard admission fees of $4-$6 allows access to the museum, film, historic grounds, and buildings. The site is located one mile east of 1-75, exit 317, on GA Hwy. 225N. For more information, call 706-624-1321 or visit www.gastateparks.org.
The Chief Vann House Historic Site is planning its traditional “Candlelight Tours” on Dec. 9-10 from 5 until 9 each evening.
The public is invited to come enjoy the sights and smells of a nineteenth century Christmas in one of America’s best-preserved Cherokee homes.
The house will be decorated with only natural greenery and handmade items similar to what the Moravians would have used so long ago.
The Vann House is located at the intersection of Ga. 225 and Ga. 52 Alternate in Spring Place, just west of Chatsworth. The Candlelight Tours, which began in 1978, are made possible through the efforts of the Friends of the Vann House, and auxiliary of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society.
Admission to the program is $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors 62 and older, $3.50 for youth 6 to 18, and free for children 5 and younger. For more information contact the site at 706-695-2598 or vann.house.park@dnr.state.ga.us.
Find a news write-up about the event here.

Tiya Miles Named to Ebony 'Power 100'

2011-11-30T22:49:00.001-05:00

Tiya Miles, author of Ties That Bind and House on Diamond Hill, just found out she has been named to the Ebony Magazine Power 100 List this year. Here's what the mag says about the latest list:

As we bring 2010 to a close and prepare to dive headlong into 2011, it’s time to take a look, once again, at the doers and influencers within our community—the folks who are making things happen in a wide range of disciplines.The annual EBONY Power List is a chance for us to give thanks and praise to those who may or may not get the recognition they deserve for making it happen every single day. For those high profilers whose names never seem to retire from headlines, we want you to know that your accomplishmentsare of special significance to us because you serve as both proof of our power and as role models to the next generation. For those not used to being in the limelight, we want you to enjoy the attention.

What does Tiya have to say about it? She just posted this response on her Facebook page:

Guess how I found out...? Someone from my stepmom's church saw it and called her, then she called me while I was careening through Whole Foods looking for stuff to pack in the kids' lunches for the next day. I so don't deserve to be on any list with Michelle Obama (love her!), but I know my grandmother would have been thrilled. She used to say she had a lifetime subscription to Ebony Magazine. (Is that even possible?)

Congratulations, Tiya. A well-deserved honor to add to your impressive list of accomplishments this year.

Bike Riders Sought for Trail of Tears Ride

2011-11-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

Bike riders are being sought for next year's "Remember the Removal" bicycle ride, sponsored by the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The annual Remember the Removal ride is a three-week, 950-mile bicycle journey from New Echota, GA to Tahlequah, OK following the Northern Route of the Trail of Tears.Eligibility requirements:

* You must be at least 16 years of age to ride.* Open to any enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation or the Eastern Band that is interested and physically able.* You must be willing to commit to four months of training leading up to the ride and the three weeks for the ride itself.* Must be willing to raise money to cover all remaining costs for the trip.

Only a limited amount of slots are available and riders will be selected through an application process and panel interview.For more information, contact Tara McCoy at 497-1976, or for pictures and blogs from past rides go here.

Deer: The 'Life Staff' of the Cherokee

2011-11-29T15:56:00.001-05:00

The Cherokee One Feather has an interesting story today about the Cherokee relationship with the whitetail deer, in an essay by Tyler B. Howe:

Whitetail Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, was the main food source throughout the prehistoric southeastern United States. It was said that Whitetail Deer was “considered the ‘life staff’” of southeastern American Indians. As the most important food source, nearly every portion of the animal was utilized. Its flesh was used for clothing, drum heads, and other leather goods. The hooves were rendered into glue, or used as scrapers, while various bones were fashioned into projectile points, and so forth and so on. Prior to European contact, “white-tailed deer was the single most important mammal species in the Mississippian diet . . .” In terms of the archaeological evidence for whitetail deer, deer skeletal and tool remains have been found throughout the Traditional Cherokee Aboriginal Territory.

Read the whole essay here.

Attention GA Teachers: Traveling Trunk Input Needed!

2011-11-28T22:41:00.001-05:00

As we reach the end of this year's Native American Heritage Month, it's becoming increasingly clear that Georgia social studies teachers have begun to place the Trail of Tears Association on their speed dials. As we near the 175th anniversary of the Cherokee Removal, I believe the demand is only going to increase. (In fact, we actually had to turn down some speaking engagements this year because we were over-booked.) One solution? Traveling trunks! "Trail of Tears" traveling trunks, that is. Here's an example from Tennessee of something like what we might do before next November rolls around. OUR QUESTION: What would you teachers like for these trunks to contain? What would be most helpful in your classrooms, when it comes to teaching kids about Native Americans? What do your students seem to respond to the most? We're looking at putting together three trunks for teachers to check out during the school year. Please submit your comment below! We'd like to hear from you. We'll probably be applying for a grant for this, and we want to make sure we do something that's going to be useful. Thanks!

Pocahontas Wedding Site Found?

2011-11-27T14:07:00.001-05:00

Yahoo! News reports today that archaeologist William Kelso "is certain he's discovered the remains of the oldest Protestant church in the United States," which would have also been the spot where Pocahontas was married. The site is "standing between two holes he insists once held wooden posts."Here's more:

In 1614, Pocahontas was "married right here, I guarantee," Kelso told AFP at the Jamestown, Virginia archeological site southeast of the nation's capital.Near the James River, on May 14, 1607, a group of about a hundred men landed on commission from England to form the first colony in the Americas."It's fantastically exciting and significant because Jamestown is usually depicted -- the whole early settlement depicted -- as it was carried out by lazy gentlemen who wanted to get rich quick, and go right back to England."The area was carefully excavated to reveal several large post holes 6.5 feet (two meters) deep and the trace remnants of four graves.

You can find the whole story here.

Homecoming At Chieftains Museum

2011-11-26T12:10:00.001-05:00

Do You Take Wampum?

2011-11-25T17:31:00.003-05:00

Black Friday is all about money, of course. But before money, there was Wampum.
Wampum were the sacred shell beads of the indigenous people of North America. Wampum was made from whelk shell, quahog, and clam, and often woven into belts to commemorate treaties or special events, and for exchange. It was North America's first form of hard currency.
A bit more about Wampum from primary source texts:

From James Adair's The History of the American Indians, London. reprint: Watauga Press, Johnson City, Tenn. 1930, p. 170:

"Before we supplied them ... with our European beads, they had great quantities of wampum; (the Buccinum of the ancients) made out of conch-shell, by rubbing them on hard stones, and so they form them according to their liking. With these they bought and sold at a stated current rate, without the least variation for circumstances either of time or place; and now they will hear nothing patiently of loss or gain; or allow us to heighten the price of our goods, be our reasons ever so strong, or though the exigencies and changes of time may require it. Formerly four deer-skins was the price of a large conch-shell bead, about the length and thickness of a man's fore-finger; which they fixed to the crown of their head, as an high ornament -- so greatly they prized them."

From John Lawson's A New Voyage to Carolina, Univ. of N. Carolina Press, Chapel Hill pp. 203-204:

"Their Money is of different sorts, but all made of Shells, which are found on the Coast of Carolina, which are very large and hard, so that they are very difficult to cut.... the general and current Species.. is that which we call Peak and Roanoak; but Peak more especially. This is that which at New-York they call Wampum; and have used it as current Money amongst the Inhabitants for a great many Years. This is what many Writers call Porcelan, and is made in New-York in great Quantities, and with us in some measure. Five Cubits of this purchase a dress'd Doe-Skin, and seven or eight purchase a dress'd Buck-Skin.... it is made out of a vast great Shell, of which the Country affords Plenty; where it is ground smaller than the small End of a Tobacco-Pipe, or a large Wheat-Straw. Four or five of these make an Inch, and every one is to be drill'd through, and made as smooth as Glass, and so strung, as Beads are, and a Cubit of the.. Measure contains as much in Length, as will reach from the Elbow to the End of the little Finger. They never stand to question, whether it is a tall Man, or a short one, that measures it; but if this Wampum Peak be black or purple, as some Part of that Shell is, then it is twice the value.
..."This the Inds. grind on Stones and other things, till they make it current, but the Drilling is the most difficult to the English-men, which the Inds manage with a Nail stuck in a Cane or Reed. This they roll it continually on their Thighs, so in time they drill a Hole quite through it, which is a very tedious Work; but especially in making their Roanoak, four of which will scarce make one Length of Wampum. The Inds. are a People that never value their time, so that they can afford to make them, and never need to fear the English will take the Trade out of their Hands. This is the Money with which you may buy Skins, Furs, Slaves, or anything the Inds. have; it being the Mammon (as our Money is to us) that entices and persuades them to do any thing, and part with everything they possess, except their Children for Slaves."

The First Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T11:38:00.003-05:00

James W. Loewen does a great job setting the record straight when it comes to the so-called “First Thanksgiving” in Lies My Teacher Told Me:

Thanksgiving is full of embarrassing facts. The Pilgrims did not introduce the Native Americans to the tradition; Eastern Indians had observed autumnal harvest celebrations for centuries. Our modern celebrations date back only to 1863; not until the 1890s did the Pilgrims get included in the tradition; no one even called them "Pilgrims" until the 1870s. Plymouth Rock achieved iconographic status only in the nineteenth century, when some enterprising residents of the town moved it down to the water so its significance as the "holy soil" the Pilgrims first touched might seem more plausible. The Rock has become a shrine, the Mayflower Compact a sacred text, and our textbooks play the same function as the Anglican BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, teaching us the rudiments of the civil religion of Thanksgiving.

Indians are marginalized in this civic ritual. Our archetypal image of the first Thanksgiving portrays the groaning boards in the woods, with the Pilgrims in their starched Sunday best and the almost naked Indian guests. Thanksgiving silliness reaches some sort of zenith in the handouts that school children have carried home for decades, with captions like, "They served pumpkins and turkeys and corn and squash. The Indians had never seen such a feast!" When his son brought home this "information" from his New Hampshire elementary school, Native American novelist Michael Dorris pointed out "the Pilgrims had literally never seen `such a feast,' since all foods mentioned are exclusively indigenous to the Americas and had been provided by [or with the aid of] the local tribe."

In fact, there are only two primary source accounts of the “first Thanksgiving” in 1621 at Plymouth. Edward Winslow wrote of the event in “Mourt’s Relation,” and William Bradford also mentions it in Of Plymouth Plantation.

Winslow’s account:

"our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others. And although it be not always so plentifull, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plentie."

Bradford’s account:

"They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; fFor as some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no want. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, &c. Besids, they had about a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corn to yt proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained, but true reports."

The Native Americans had been celebrating the “Busk,” their own Thanksgiving ceremony, for centuries or longer. You can find accounts of the Busk, or Green Corn Ceremony, here and also here and here.
You can learn to talk around the Thanksgiving table using a bit of Cherokee here.
Learn more about Native American foods and dishes here.
To find out how second graders think about Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims, see this link.
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Cherokee Mounds & Towns Subject of NC TOTA Meeting Dec. 3

2011-11-23T01:27:00.000-05:00

The next North Carolina Trail of Tears Association chapter meeting will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. The speaker will be Dr. Benjamin Steere, who is currently conducting research on the Cherokee mounds and towns in Western North Carolina. His presentation will be on those located in Macon County.
The library is located at 149 Siler Farm Road, about one mile east of Hwy. 441, south of Franklin. To get there, turn off of Hwy. 441 (The Georgia Road) onto Siler and follow it until you see the sign for the library on your right. The chapter meeting will be in the library’s meeting room.
“Those of you who were able to attend the national TOTA conference in October know what a great success it was,” said Anne Rogers, chapter president. “I heard a number of favorable comments concerning everything from the presentations by the speakers to the quality of the food at the luncheons. I really appreciate all the help provided by our members as that contributed greatly to the success of the conference.
“We hope to see you in Franklin on December 3!”

Historian Douglas Brinkley to Congress: 'You Don't Own Me'

2011-11-22T20:14:00.001-05:00

No comment.

This Is Your Brain On Maps

2011-11-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

Your brain ... after taking in a bit too much cartography. From Big Think's Strange Maps.

'They Brought Only A Few Things With Them'

2011-11-20T16:31:00.002-05:00

The Sequoyah Research Center provides us with the story of Mary Cobb Agnew, who related her family's remembrances of the Trail of Tears in an interview recorded May 25, 1937:

An Interview with Mary Cobb Agnew; 917 North M Street; Muskogee, Oklahoma
My name was Mary Cobb and I was married to Walter S. Agnew before the Civil War.
I was born in Georgia on May 19, 1840. My mother was a Cherokee woman and my father was a white man. I was only four years old when my parents came to the Indian Territory and I am now ninety-three years old.
My mother and father died when I was but seven years old and I was raised by an aunt, my mother's sister. I never attended school and my education is practical except what I was taught by my husband.

Migration
My parents did not come to the Territory on the "Trail of Tears" but my grandparents on my mother's side did. I have heard them say that the United States Government drove them out of Georgia. The Cherokees had protested to the bitter end. Finally the Cherokees knew that they had to go some place because the white men would kill their cattle and hogs and would even burn their houses in Georgia. The Cherokees came a group at a time until all got to the Territory. They brought only a few things with them traveling by wagon train. Old men and women, sick men and women would ride but most of them walked and the men in charge drove them like cattle and many died enroute and many other Cherokees died in Tennessee waiting to cross the Mississippi River. Dysentery broke out in their camp by the river and many died, and many died on the journey but my grandparents got through all right.
I have heard my grandparents say that after they got out of the camp, and even before they left Georgia, many Cherokees were taken sick and later died.
The Cherokees came through Tennessee, Kentucky, part of Missouri and then down to Indian Territory on the "Trail of Tears".
Some Cherokees were already in the country around Evansville, Arkansas, before my grandparents came. They called them Western Cherokees. It was in 1838 when my grandparents came and I heard them say it was in the winter time and all suffered with cold and hunger.
My mother and father remained in Georgia about six years after Mother's folk's came on the "Trail of Tears" and Mother worried continually about her parents. Then when I was four years old, I with my parents and other kin, came west to join my grandparents. I don't know why the Government let Mother stay longer than the rest of the Cherokees in Georgia unless it was because she married a white man. We came by wagons to Memphis, Tennessee. At Memphis we took a steamboat and finally landed at Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, in June, 1844. I don't know how long it took us to come from Memphis nor do I remember the names of the towns we came through but I have heard my folks say that we had to change boats two or three times because the rivers became shallow and we had to change to smaller boats.
After our arrival at Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, we met our kinspeople in the Flint District and settled in the Territory a short way from Evansville, Arkansas. It was in the Flint District and around Fort Gibson that I grew to be a young lady.

Read the entire transcript of her testimony here.

Find more family stories about the Trail of Tears here.

Family Stories from the Trail of Tears, Edited by Lorrie Montiero, May 25, 1937

Native American Dishes Featured on NPR's 'Splendid Table'

2011-11-19T12:40:00.002-05:00

NPR's Splendid Table has a great piece this weekend on food selections from chef Richard Hetzler of The Smithsonian's Mitsiam Café in the National Museum of the American Indian. You can catch the program here if you missed it on your local NPR radio station, or you can download the mp3 here.

TN TOTA Meets Dec. 4

2011-11-18T20:51:00.001-05:00

Trail of Tears Association, Tennessee Chapter News for November, 2011

CHAPTER MEETING: Sunday, December 4, 2011, noon Eastern time, 11 am Central time.
For our next meeting, Debbie Moore has arranged for us to meet at Red Hill United Methodist Church near Red Clay State Park in Bradley County. The address is 527 Red Hill Valley Road, Cleveland, TN 37323.
Directions from Debbie: Exit I-75 at exit 20. Go east. You will go (I'm guessing) 8 miles.....you will see Taco Bell then McDonalds... pass McDonald's, turn right at the light. Turn left at the next light. You are now on Hwy 60/Dalton Pike. You will go about 6 miles and then you will see Waterville School on the left. Go probably another 4 miles south then you will see Farming Dale Subdivision on the right. Take the next LEFT onto Red Hill Valley Road. Follow this road for about a mile and a half and you will see the cute country church on the left.
Remember to bring a snack or covered dish. Debbie mentioned that if someone wants to pick up Zaxby's or KFC, they are located at the last left turn as you get on HWY 60. We will be visiting the house of Judge John Martin after the meeting is over.

REPORT FROM CHAPTER PRESIDENT SHIRLEY LAWRENCE (As submitted to the National TOTA newsletter)
We are pleased to report that the James Brown Plantation is now protected by an easement agreement for the house and 80 acres of grassland. The plan assures that the property will never be destroyed. Brown was one of thirteen detachment leaders on the Trail of Tears.
On November 14, TNTOTA and Aubudon Acres, a certified interpretive site on the National Trail of Tears Historical Trail, sponsored a book signing by Daniel Blake Smith on his book American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears. The book signing was held at Concord Baptist Church in Chattanooga. This is the first stop on Smith’s book signing tour. Smith spoke at the National TOTA conference last year in Metropolis, IL.
Great News from the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park at Blythe Ferry! The memorial wall with the 1835 Henderson Census is now ready to be built. The park must raise $25,000 to match money promised from a generous supporter who has agreed to match dollar for dollar the money raised by the park. NPS visited the park on Thursday Oct. 6. After a successful visit, NPS generously agreed to furnish a new entrance sign.
Bob Richards, Greenways and Trails Program Coordinator for the State of Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, is working with TNTOTA on where to place road directional signs for significant Trail of Tears sites across the state. This year, the Tennessee chapter has been holding its quarterly meetings at sites along the Bell Route including Chattanooga and Winchester. The final meeting for the year will be held on Sunday, December 4 near Cleveland in the vicinity of the Black Fox community, John Martin house, and the Red Clay Mission.

REPORT FROM TNTOTA NATIONAL DIRECTOR CLEATA TOWNSEND ON TNTOTA CO-SPONSORED BOOKSIGNING: November 14, 2011
It was exciting to be contacted by Daniel Blake Smith a few months ago about being a stop on his book signing tour for his latest book An American Betrayal, Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears, which was released on Nov. 8, 2011 and getting to be the first stop of this tour on Nov. 14 th. This book addresses both sides of the Ross Party and the Treaty Party issues before and after removal, offering the reader a more balanced view of the complex situation that each faction faced and possible reasons for their decisions. A must read! The signing was held at Concord Baptist Church in Chattanooga with an announcement made by Drew Scott, a minister on staff, that this church was established by a group of white settlers that had been worshiping at Brainerd Mission. When the mission closed, as there were no other churches in the area, they began worshipping in a brush arbor on the site of the present day church. We are indebted to fellow TOTA members from several states that were unable to attend but ordered "signed" books. Overall, I would rate this as a positive event for TNTOTA.

UPDATE FROM TNTOTA STATE DIRECTOR VICKY GARLAND
Vicky currently serves as one of TNTOTA’s three state directors. She is actively researching Benge’s route through Tennessee which she has determined crossed the Tennessee River at Reynoldsburg and went up to Paris, Tennessee. Benge's detachment then went up to Dukedom and to Feliciana, Kentucky to Clinton, Kentucky. Then they crossed the Mississippi River at Columbus, Kentucky into Missouri.
Vicky provided this link to the 1839 David H. Burr map of Kentucky and Tennessee which shows post offices, postal roads, and railroads, most of which existed at the time of removal:
Vicky has been actively researching and educating Tennesseans about the Cherokee Removal for many years. I asked her to give us an update on some of her many activities. Here is what she shared:

What I have been doing over in Middle Tennessee . . .

I have gone to several schools this year and to organizations to do presentations on Native Americans and the Trail of Tears. I have been to many meetings this year because I work with Tourism Offices all over. Our focus is on the Trail of Tears Memorial walks we do including several parades that we participated in this year. We rode with First Nations People in Elkton and won 1st place for the float the kids did. We also rode in Lawrenceburg with the David Crockett Long Hunters dressed as Indians and won 2nd place in that parade.
April 25, 2011 A Walk into History at Elkton Bridge
In Elkton, Tennessee we did a Walk into History and educated the children about Benge's Route that crossed in Elkton. Then we went back to the school and did a presentation for the 4th and 5th grade classes.
June 9, 2011 Maury County Genealogy Society
I did a presentation to show people how I do American Indian research. I am not a genealogist: I just do what I do. It has helped many people on their quests for knowledge.
August 19, 2011 Trail of Tears Sign Dedication with the Remembrance Motorcycle Association on 64 Highway
October 1, 2011 Campbellsville Heritage Festival
We helped them tell about Benge's Route.
October 29, 2011 TOT Walk and Living History in Fayetteville, Tennessee. We helped Debbie Capino and First Nations people to put on this event.
November 5, 2011 TOT walk in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
This was our 8th year to walk in Lawrence County and we had a great turn out and our Drum was Memez Boyz from Crossville Tennessee.
November 12, 2011 TOT Walk and Ride in Pulaski Tennessee
This was our 8th year for the annual Motorcycle Ride and Walk in Pulaski.
That is a small list of what I have been doing with my Friends and Family in Southern Middle Tennessee.

UPDATE FROM CHAPTER MEMBER BOB RICHARDS
Bob visited the Santa Fe, NM office of the National Park Service on October 20, 2011 and met with John Cannella and Cory Kolisko about the Tennessee Trail of Tears signage project. He learned that the National Park Service - Long Distance Trails office - is working on a new Trail of Tears brochure, but it is not clear when it might come out.

THANKS TO DOOR PRIZE DONORS!
Thanks to Cleata Townsend for rounding up some beautiful door prizes for the National TOTA Conference in October. The following folks generously donated some really nice door prizes, many of which were beautiful hand-crafted objects of art: Lee & Doris Trevino, the W J Leary Family, Shirley Lawrence, Audubon Acres, Harold Belcher, Raymond Ewing, and Vicki Rozema.

News from the TOTA chapter in Georgia:
President Jeff Bishop and Vice-President Leslie Thomas were recently re-elected to new two-year terms. Leslie reports that New Echota State Park will have a Christmas event December 3rd at 6:30 p.m. Also, the annual Christmas candlelight tour of the Chief Vann House will be held on December 9th at 5 p.m.

November is National Native American Heritage month.

“The morning is excessively cold. Rode to the encampment, one mile, and found our dear Cherokees comfortable in their tents. Saw Mr. Taylor, he says they will remain today where they are. It is said the detachments now at the Mississippi are stopped by floating ice, and Mr. Hilderbrand’s detachment is stopped by the same means at the Ohio R[iver].” --From the Journal of Rev. Daniel S. Butrick, Dec. 26, 1838. Butrick, a missionary who served in the Cherokee Nation for many years including at the Carmel and Brainerd Missions, accompanied the Cherokees on the Trail of Tears.

My thanks to everyone who provided information for this newsletter.

--By Vicki Rozema, TNTOTA Secretary, vickirozema@comcast.net or vrozema@utk.edu

Museums Advocacy Day Slated for Feb. 27-28

2011-11-18T14:31:00.000-05:00

Museums Advocacy Day will give people a chance to speak up for history organizations across the country.
Registration for Museums Advocacy Day — the joint effort of the American Association of Museums, the American Association for State and Local History, and organizations and individuals across the spectrum of the museum field to make a case on Capitol Hill — is now open. Museums Advocacy Day 2012 is set for Feb. 27–28.
AASLH is a co-convening organization. AASLH members can register to participate in Museums Advocacy Day for free by entering the code AASLH2012.

Please plan to participate if you'd like to:

* Hear from Capitol Hill and policy experts about the 2012 political landscape
* Learn about issues affecting the field and specific "asks" to share with members of Congress
* Learn strategies for meeting with elected officials and the stats you need to make your case
* Learn how to participate in "year-round" advocacy and engaging elected officials in the ongoing work of your museum
* Network with museum advocates and professionals from your state
* Attend an evening reception and Congressional Kick-Off Breakfast with members of Congress and staff

REGISTER NOW or learn more.

Questions about registration?
Please contact the Museums Advocacy Day Scheduling Team at 202-349-1031 or email museums@advocacyday.com.

Questions about accessibility accommodations?
Please contact Antoinette Dixon at adixon@aam-us.org or call 202-218-7708.

To learn more about Museum Advocacy Day, please visit: www.speakupformuseums.org.

Phone: 202-349-1031
Email: museums@advocacyday.com
Web: www.speakupformuseums.org.

MAILBAG: 'Super Great!'

2011-11-17T17:14:00.000-05:00

We've been receiving a number of emails and comments from our readers lately, which I thought it might be fun to share:

Wow! What a fantastic On the Trail of the Trail issue (Cherokee U'har'lee Town)!! I love the maps along with the overlays -- super great!

Wado,
Glenn in Arkansas

Loved, loved, loved the post with all the info on the Soap family history. Several Cherokees are reading and passing the link around. The research was over the top good! We love it. Just goes to show how very much info there really is on Cherokees so no sense in pretending and telling stories that "all the records burned" or whatever! :)

Twila in Missouri

I and another relative have been looking for information on the whereabouts of our G-G-G-Grandfathers property (Jacob West) location near Rome Georgia. Only to find that in the fact that the house is still standing. The only clue the family has had is a drawing by Charles O. Walker of what it may have looked like. Words can't describe the surprise when this friend said that we should take another look at her post. Well I did..... then called my cousin and shared the finding. The Harlan house is another house of interest as well. WOW!!!!! What a shock to know these 2 places are still around. I would be there in a second if I could. But I will have to settle for pictures at this moment.
Jeff, I would like nothing better than to make a trip there to see the house. It has been my dream just to locate the land for the last 17 years since I started my quest to find my family in Feb of 1994…I am going through many things now and have no idea when I would be able to make the trip ....dream or not.

Kurt in Oregon

Thanks so much for the kind words, Glenn, Twila, and Kurt. One of our great joys is when the research we do at the Trail of Tears Association actually helps connect Cherokee people with Cherokee places in their ancestral homeland.

'An American Betrayal'

2011-11-16T11:07:00.000-05:00

NPR's Talk of the Nation interviewed Daniel Blake Smith yesterday about his new book, An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears, which "depicts the series of events and decisions that led up to the relocation of the Cherokee — decisions made not only by the federal government, but by actors from within the Cherokee nation as well."
You can read an excerpt from the book here and listen to the interview here:

Cherokee 'U'har'lee Town'

2011-11-16T00:58:00.000-05:00

Cherokee towns prior to the 19th century were compact, usually on major rivers and streams, and often centered around a mound or townhouse. By the beginning of the 19th century, this had begun to change. Although normally there was still a centrally located council house, the "towns" of this later period were often spread out for miles along a river or creek, sometimes for as far as 20 miles or more, as Cherokees surrendered most of their best hunting lands by treaty and began to adopt either "plantation" or subsistence farm lifestyles, largely modeled on that of their white neighbors. This was almost certainly the case for the Cherokee town of U'har'lee, along Euharlee Creek in what is now southwest Bartow County and northeast Polk County in Georgia, running between the modern towns of Euharlee, Taylorsville, Aragon, and Rockmart.
Judging from the claims for payment filed by the Cherokees during the Removal period and soon afterward, it appears that most of the Cherokee improvements (such as homes, outbuildings, fields, and orchards) were actually on what is now the Polk County side of the line (and what was then on the south side of the Cass County / Paulding County border). In fact, many of these improvements are clearly indicated on the Georgia Land Lottery maps.
Cherokees heads of household living on the Paulding side of the line included Cabbage, Thirsty, Barrow, Proud Man, Arkillo, Dryer, Cahnokee, Cahwahcheesah, Sharp, Liver, and Fish, for a total of 52 Cherokees, according to the 1835 Cherokee Census.
These Cherokees living on the extreme southern border of the Cherokee Nation were especially vulnerable, and were continually harassed by a group of white outlaws called "The Pony Club." A Cherokee named Davis reported that in the fall of 1836 he "saw a white man by the name of Rattle snake a citizen of the United States driving said hogs away towards the white settlement." Davis said he was dispossessed from his improvements "on Uhully Creek," and he testified on behalf of a neighbor, Susannah, who was also dispossessed from "an improvement on Uhully Creek." A Cherokee named Charley said that, in 1836, a "white man named Cockren stole hogs & cattle and drove them off toward Georgia from his residence on Uhulley Creek." The Georgia Guard also took three guns from Charley, which certainly did not help him to defend his property from the thieves. (Registration of Claims of Cherokee Indians Against the United States, Within the State of Alabama; Indian Pioneer Papers, Western History Collection, University of Oklahoma, Norman OK, Volume 105, Grant Foreman Interview #1425. Original Book of Claims is on Oklahoma Historical Society Microfilm CHN80 in Section X, Cherokee-Federal Relations. Claims were taken at the Wills Town Detachment between August 22 and September 13, 1838, given before Jesse G. Beeson and George C. Lowrey. Transcription made by Michael Wren, TOTA, GA and AL chapters.)
Although they were rounded up and removed from Georgia along with nearly all other Cherokees in May, 1838, this small group of U'har'lee Cherokees, along with about 300 others, apparently got off the boats that were to remove them to Oklahoma and made their way back home. As conductor John S. Young reported to Gen. Winfield Scott on July 31, 1838 from Fort Payne, AL:

Out of the detachments that were dispatched in the month of June last about three hundred escaped and have returned to this country. Of this number two hundred are now at Fort Payne - they are Georgia Indians all their relations & former associations are at Ross’ Landing and this place. They are anxious to be permitted to come to Ross’ Landing & join their friends
Upon a thorough examination of their case Col Lindsey had determined to comply with their wishes and issued an order to Capt Rogers to have them brought to Ross’ Landing – nearly two weeks since the order is presumed not to have reached Capt Rogers until after he was discharged consequently there has been no actions on the subject. John Benge a very respectable Indian chief from the vicinity of Fort Payne & now at this place can give you very satisfactory information in relation to the wants & wishes of these people.
……………………………………
Very Respectfully
Yr Mo Obt Servt
Jno S Young
Conductor &c

(National Archives Microfilm M1475, Reel 1 frames 1128-1131, transcribed by Michael Wren.)

Included below are aerial photographs from Google Earth, copies of the Georgia Land Lottery maps, and photographs taken along the Aragon / Taylorsville Road, all of which show the area where a number of Cherokee improvements were concentrated, which was very likely the hub of the original Cherokee U'har'lee community, about midway between Aragon and Taylorsville, GA

(Michael Wren contributed original research for this posting.)

For more information on the Cherokee town of U'har'lee and its residents, you can check out this post.

Archaeological Discoveries Shine Light On DeSoto, French Fort

2011-11-15T21:36:00.000-05:00

A couple of recent archaeological discoveries are of interest. National Geographic reports this month that "stunning" jewelry finds in South Georgia may lead a re-drawing of the route taken by Hernando de Soto in 1540 ... again. In an article titled, Conquistador Was Deep in U.S.: "Stunning" Jewelry Find Redraws Route? ..."Surprise" may put 1500s Spanish expedition led by de Soto farther east, an archaeological team led by Atlanta's Fernbank museum has put its hands on "16th-century jewelry and other Spanish artifacts" at a site located just outside of Jackson, GA.
Here's a bit more:

The discovery suggests an expedition led by conquistador Hernando de Soto ventured far off its presumed course ... an excavation organized by Atlanta's Fernbank Museum of Natural History found buried glass beads, iron tools, and brass and silver ornaments dating to the mid-1500s. The southern-Georgia location -- where they'd been searching for a 17th-century Spanish mission -- came to be called the Glass Site.
"For an Indian in the South 500 years ago, things like glass beads and iron tools might as well have been iPhones," said project leader Dennis Blanton, an independent archaeologist who until recently was Fernbank's staff archaeologist.
"These were things that were just astonishing to them. They were made of materials that were unknown and were sometimes in brilliant blue and red colors that were unmatched in the native world."
...Prior to the discovery, it had been generally accepted that de Soto and his men had crossed a river about 100 miles (160 kilometers) upstream of the site, but archaeologists hadn't suspect that the expedition had ventured so far south and east.
The trove of items—all of which could fit into a shoe box – represents the largest collection of early 16th-century Spanish artifacts ever found in the U.S. interior outside of Florida, according to Blanton, whose work was funded in part by the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration.

You can read all about the discovery at National Geographic.
Dr. Jeffrey Glover of Georgia State University, who also helped GA TOTA with its recent archaeological investigations of Cherokee Removal fort sites, filed a report on his students' participation in the De Soto digs here.
You can read a little more about some related research here.

In a separate discovery that's just as exciting, the "buried remains of the only 18th century Illinois frontier log fort not to have been washed away in floods long ago or destroyed by modern construction" have been found near the Fort de Chartres State Historic Site.
Here's more, from BND.com:

It is a previously unknown fort that was called Fort de Chartres... occupied from 1732 to 1751.
(Margaret K.) Brown, a former state archaeologist and former director of the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville, helped lead the excavation with Robert Mazrim, an archaeologist with the Illinois State Archaeological Survey and an expert on French Colonial Illinois.
"This is the only excavation of its kind anywhere in the region," said Mazrim.
"We have nothing to even compare it with until you go up to Michigan. We have excavated about a half dozen houses from the period in this area, but we have never, ever had a chance to look at something so well-preserved, such a single component. It's not been complicated by other kinds of remains or occupations."...
Beginning two weeks ago, Brown and Mazrim were aided in their research to locate what they suspected might be a third wood fort by an aerial photograph taken in 1928, which showed a dark, square outline in a farmer's field with the tell-tale triangular shapes of structures called bastions at each corner. They believed it clearly showed an early French fort. To make sure, they measured the scale on the photograph of one side of the fort and found it to be exactly one "arpent," a standard French measurement in use at the time that equals 192 feet.

Read all about it here.

'Polk County, GA: The First 100 Years' Goes to Press

2011-11-15T17:10:00.001-05:00

Polk County, Georgia: The First 100 Years, by Larry D. Carter, will be going to press this winter. Described as “an excellent resource for genealogists and historians performing research,” this 900-page, hardcover book will include “photographs, an index, narratives, biographies, military records, and early marriage records.” The book will include seven sections, the first of which will include details about the pre-history of Polk County. Chapter 2 “gives a detailed account of the removal of the Cherokee Indians,” the author states in a press release. All early settlers are identified in the third chapter. Other areas covered include the creation of Polk County in 1851, the Civil War period, and the early industrialization of the county. Two hundred pages will also be devoted to hard-to-find records such as “the two earliest historical writings of the county, written by early pioneers,” along with military, marriage, and biographical records. The pre-publication price is $55, and only $45 is two or more copies are ordered. After publication the price will increase to $75 per copy. To secure your copy, use the order form below.

Activist Argues For Port Royal Bridge Restoration

2011-11-15T11:11:00.000-05:00

Port Royal State Park, a certified site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, has found an advocate in Irene Smith, who was described in The Leaf Chronicle today as "a determined Clarksville woman" arguing for the "restoration of a covered bridge," which would grant access to an original Trail of Tears segment in the park, located in eastern Montgomery County, TN, near the KY border:

Irene Smith, who lives on Creekview Court near the park, has been in constant contact with local and state officials to bring funding for the park since 2006 when she helped form a now-defunct group dedicated to restoring the park back to what it was before the 1998 and 1999 floods. She's earned the strong support of 22nd District state Sen. Tim Barnes, who lives in the area, as well as the other three county representatives and Montgomery County's Legislative Liaison Committee.
"I've always enjoyed that park," said Barnes, who said he began talks with the Tennessee Department of Transportation about the need for a pedestrian bridge in 2008. "I've always thought from the time that the flood damaged that bridge that it's something we need to try to get built back."
District 8 commissioner Ron Sokol, the chair of the Legislative Liaison committee, said the covered bridge, which would cost more than $2.6 million, may be an unrealistic goal at this point...
The bridge is considered crucial because it would provide walking access to the park's Trail of Tears historical site, which is currently only accessible via the highway.

You can read more here.

FLASHBACK: Trail of Tears on 'This American Life'

2011-11-14T14:04:00.003-05:00

If you have an hour to spare, GA TOTA VP Leslie Thomas just stumbled across this 1998 airing of the NPR program "This American Life." Host Ira Glass says in the prologue that while "thousands of people ... all over America" visit historic sites "and stare at bricks and statues, trying to feel some connection with the past," he laments that "it's not easy." Writer Sarah Vowell and her twin sister re-traced the Trail of Tears along the route their Cherokee ancestors took in 1838-1839. "On the way, Sarah and her sister visit the land they would have grown up in had the Cherokees not been expelled," such as the New Echota State Historic Site, and visit Ross' Landing and "a tourist trap hotel" in Chattanooga, along with Andrew Jackson's home, the Hermitage. "They drive west to Cherokee graves in Kentucky and a commemorative marker that's been placed, oddly, at an Arkansas high school," and finally arrive in "the land in Oklahoma where the Cherokee nation settled (and where Sarah and her sister were born)." Along the way, "they reflect on their own American-ness and Cherokee-ness, and on the more difficult question: What's history good for, anyway?"

See the whole page here. (The embeds I originally posted had some sort of problem with the scripts they were using, so I removed them. Just go directly to the "This American Life" page in the link given here instead.) Thanks to Leslie for sharing.

From the Old Creek Nation, Looking Out Toward the Old Cherokee Nation

2011-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Taken today from a tower just a few miles northeast of the McIntosh Reserve on the Chattahoochee River.

Economic Development: Moving Beyond Casinos

2011-11-13T19:34:00.001-05:00

Associated Press reports that Native American tribes "aren't just banking on casinos, anymore":

Across the U.S., 220 tribes operate about 400 casinos, but economic development expands beyond that into real estate, construction and energy.
Two tribes in Wisconsin and two in southern California formed Four Fires LLC to collaborate on construction of a hotel in Washington, D.C. In Florida, the Seminoles own the Hard Rock brand. The Southern Ute in southwestern Colorado and Osage Nation in Oklahoma have successful oil and gas operations.
"Tribes, large and small, have found success in gaming, in construction, in defense contracting," said Carl Artman, who runs the Tribal Economic Development Program at the Arizona State University College of Law. "It's all over the board. They vary in size. They vary in geography. It's a matter of tribal leaders taking advantage of the opportunities that are before them."

Read more here.

Dr. King Outlines Trail of Tears through KY, IL, and MO

2011-11-13T18:18:00.000-05:00

The Southeast Missourian reported that "more than 40 people gathered Saturday morning to hear a leading authority on the Cherokee," Dr. Duane King, discuss "their movement along the Trail of Tears and through Southeast Missouri."
Here's more:

During the presentation, titled "Northern Route of the Forced Removal of the Cherokee Trail of Tears through Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri," King ... read several firsthand accounts from witnesses to the removal. One described the passing as "full of suffering."
There was no single route for the relocation, but the Trail of Tears followed well-established roads across nine states, King said. The Northern Route was traveled by more than 12,000 Cherokee with an estimated 4,000 Cherokee dying along the way.
The term "Trail of Tears" was first used in 1872 by a missionary to describe the Choctaw removal, King said. But it later came to refer to the forced removal of the Five Civilized Tribes -- the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole -- from their native lands to Indian Territory.
There were three main crossings of the Mississippi River into Southeast Missouri; the one that corresponds to Trail of Tears State Park was called Green's Ferry, while the other two, Bainbridge and Columbus-Belmont, were in Mississippi County, according to King.
The Cherokee bought feed for their livestock at Bollinger Mill, King said, and received assistance from residents of the area as they moved through Southeast Missouri.
King called Trail of Tears State Park one of the best interpretive sites and encouraged anyone to see what the Cherokee would have seen on the Trail of Tears.

Read more here.

GA TOTA Meets, Elects Officers

2011-11-13T09:11:00.002-05:00

GA TOTA met at the Chieftains Museum / Major Ridge Home in Rome, GA this weekend and elected President Jeff Bishop and Vice-President Leslie Thomas to new two-year terms. Updates were heard on events at New Echota, Red Clay, the Cave Spring cabin, and Bill Barker discussed planned signage for Chattooga County, and new discoveries made there. Ruth Demeter, president of Chieftains, gave an update on the vision for the museum and plans for a new visitor center. She and archaeologist Dave Davis gave tours of the grounds afterward.
Bishop will speak on the "twice-removed" Cherokees living in the shadow of Kennesaw Mountain at the Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield park today (Sunday) at 2 p.m.

Five Historic Georgia Events That Shaped the World

2011-11-11T22:41:00.000-05:00

Imagine a world where the South won the Civil War, where slavery continued into the 20th century, and the Nazis emerged victorious from World War II. That’s the kind of world Dr. Jamil S. Zainaldin said probably would have resulted if not for a few key events in Georgia history.
“I think that we who live in Georgia do not really appreciate the extent of how significant Georgia is to American history and even to world history,” Zainaldin, president of the Georgia Humanities Council, told members of the Newnan Carnegie Library Foundation at their recent lunch meeting at the Carnegie building.
Georgia has “influenced and changed the world,” he said. He shared with the board members five events in Georgia history that he said are especially significant.

The Invention of the Cotton Gin
“Number one is the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney,” he said. That event in 1793 changed not just the future plantation period history of the South, but also led to the industrialization of the North, he said.
Before Whitney came along, said Zainaldin, no one could figure out how to get cotton to grow in the Georgia uplands, although it had proven to be a very profitable Sea Island crop.
“On the islands, you could just shake the cotton and the seeds would just fall out,” he said. But the cotton wouldn’t grow in other regions.
Another line of cotton would grow off the islands but was economically unfeasible due to the tedious process of removing the cotton seeds. Whitney solved that problem with his invention of the cotton gin, and out of that came a vast expansion in Southern wealth and African-American slavery.
“Cotton production spread quickly from the islands to the Louisiana territory and into Texas,” he said. “It was a form of gold. With that, the South became the wealthiest region, up until 1861. It has the highest percentage of millionaires. Cotton was the king of the South.”
The demand for new land to grow cotton led directly to the expulsion of the Native Americans in the South, he said, and to the demand for more slaves to work the fields.
“The South probably never would have sustained the institution of slavery without the cotton gin,” he said. “That generated a tremendous amount of capital for Southerners.”
Much of that capital was invested in the emerging industrialization of the North, he said, as mill villages were established. Some of those mills manufactured completed textile goods from the Southern cotton, which were then shipped back South for sale, but also throughout the nation and the world.
“Most of the world’s cotton was produced in the South before the Civil War,” he said. “And, ironically, the cotton fueled the industrialization of the North, bringing the U.S. into the industrial age, which ultimately enabled the North to defeat the South in the Civil War.”
No other battle proved to be as important a turning point in that war than the Battle of Atlanta, in Zainaldin’s view.

The Battle of Atlanta
“Before the Battle of Atlanta, Lincoln was on the ropes,” he said. “He was in deep trouble, politically.”
The North was losing more battles than it was winning, he said, and Lincoln was pretty much resigned to certain defeat in the next election.
“He had given up hope on having a second term,” said Zainaldin.
But the capture of Atlanta “changed everything,” he said.
“It came out of the sky, like a bolt from the blue,” he said, and energized the Northern troops.
Without that crucial win, Lincoln almost certainly would have lost re-election, he said, and his democratic challenger would have brought the war to a swift conclusion, likely resulting in two separate nations.
“Slavery would have existed into the 20th century, without a doubt,” he said. “It was a thriving and growing institution.”
In Zainaldin’s opinion, that ultimately would have weakened the U.S., and it likely never would have grown into the industrial powerhouse that was needed to overcome Hitler and his armies in World War II.
“Would the U.S. have been able to enter the war against Hitler in 1941? No. I don’t think so,” he said. “And it was the U.S. intervention that changed the course of that war. That changed the direction of history for the entire world.”

The Atlanta Race Riots of 1906
He said the Atlanta race riots of 1906 directly led to the founding of the NAACP, which spearheaded decades of legal battles and protest to secure civil rights for African-Americans. That was the beginning of the worldwide movement for recognition of basic human rights, he said.
“The Civil Rights movement was clearly the foundation for the larger human rights movement, which clearly changed the world,” he said.
Even so, the 1906 riots in Atlanta are little-known, he said.
“Most people have never heard of it,” said Zainaldin. “It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Georgia history. They did a beautiful job of sweeping it all under the rug.”
He said the riots apparently began with a lot of drunken talk in a local bar following a spate of stories in the newspapers about “black men supposedly raping white women.”
One Friday night, a bunch a drunk white men said, “let’s fix this,” he said, and they “rampaged” through black neighborhoods, pulling African-Americans off streetcars, off doorsteps, “wherever they found them.” The mostly black business district on Auburn Avenue was completely destroyed, he said.
This was a city that had “probably the highest concentration of African-Americans in the U.S.,” he said. After the violence subsided, there were 48 dead African-Americans and one dead white woman who “died of a heart attack” from what she witnessed that night.
“This was embarrassing for Atlanta. This was supposed to be the New South,” he said. “This gave the city a black eye.”
For some prominent African-Americans, it galvanized their attitudes about race, he said. Prominent African-American intellectual W.E.B. DuBois was in his office in Atlanta, witnessing the riot from his window. A lifelong pacifist, he immediately went out and purchased a gun.
“He decided that he needed to defend his family,” said Zainaldin.
A 13-year-old boy, Walter White, watched the crowd advance toward his house, but his father held his ground.
“White was traumatized,” said Zainaldin. “It had a tremendous impact on him.”
Both DuBois and White became prominent leaders of the NAACP. What they witnessed that night in Atlanta, Georgia changed them forever, he said.
“They adopted a strategy of using litigation to achieve their goals,” he said. “Walter White recruited Thurgood Marshall to head up their legal team.”
There’s a direct through-line to the pivotal Brown vs. Board of Education case, which declared the doctrine of “separate but equal” unconstitutional.

Charles Lindbergh Buys a Bi-Plane
Zainaldin lists Charles Lindbergh’s little-recognized solo flight at Souther Field in 1923 as another turning point in world history.
“After World War I, a lot of those old bi-planes were still sitting in crates,” said Zainaldin. “They were just sitting in storage there at Souther Field.”
A decision was made to sell them off for $800 each, he said. Some assembly required.
“You had to buy the motor and gas tank separately,” said Zainaldin.
At that point, Lindbergh had been “a failure in life,” he said.
“He flunked out of the university after one semester. “He was shy, anti-social, didn’t have many friends. So he decided to come down to Georgia and buy an airplane.”
He “paid a couple of people to put it together for him,” said Zainaldin, and taught himself how to fly.
“After three weeks, he flew away,” he said. He became the first pilot to fly solo non-stop to Europe in 1927, which led to the rapid development of commercial aviation in the U.S.
“He changed the history of aviation and the history of the world,” said Zainaldin. “Before Lindbergh, people thought flying as something those crazy old barnstormers from World War I did. He changed all that.”

FDR Finds Hope and Courage at Warm Springs
Equally as important was Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “discovery” of the healing powers of Warm Springs, GA.
Prior to that, after a youth of wealth and privilege, Roosevelt had become a broken man, due to his battle with polio, said Zainaldin.
“He tried every ‘cure,’ but nothing worked. So he retreated into himself,” said Zainaldin. “He dealt with it through drinking. Six months out of the year he was on a boat that was described as a ‘floating garbage dump.’ FDR had hit bottom.”
But what Roosevelt experienced in Warm Springs – even if it were only due to the “buoyancy of the water” -- inspired him and transformed him into the man who would become, arguably, the 20th century’s greatest U.S. president.
Witnessing the great strides made by children in Warm Springs, “he developed a sense of compassion and empathy” that became his hallmarks, said Zainaldin. “He became the man who would say that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Warm Springs became his new home, he said. It shaped his future, and the future of the country, and the world.
Without the election of Roosevelt, there may have been a government coup, Zainaldin said, and the country may never have entered World War II.
Does history matter? You bet it does, Zainaldin said.
“In Georgia we are surrounded by things and events that have changed the history of the world,” said Zainaldin. “But we never think about it.
“At its essence, history is individuals. It’s us. It’s people. The past is never still. Each person plays a part in it. And that part goes on, it’s unending.
“What part are you playing?” he asked.

Denson to Speak at AL TOTA Meeting Saturday

2011-11-11T16:09:00.001-05:00

This Saturday, Nov. 12, at the AL TOTA chapter meeting, Dr. Andrew Denson of Cullowhee, N.C., will speak about the Cherokee Trail of Tears in Alabama.
The board meeting will be at 10 a.m., with a general membership meeting to follow, at 11.
The meeting has been described as "very important," since "it is time for the chapter to conduct board elections, and there is a strong possibility that we will have a quick board election at the November meeting, and your vote counts in this process."
Denson is an associate professor in the history department at Western Carolina University.
The meeting will be held at the Etowah Historical Society, Gadsden, AL. The Etowah Historical Society is located at the rear of Elliott Community Center, 29th & Meighan Blvd. (U.S. 431).
Dr. Denson is currently working on a book project examining public commemoration of Cherokee removal in the modern South. Denson teaches courses about the Cherokees, Native Americans and U.S. history.
He received a Ph.D. from Indiana University. He is the author of Demanding the Cherokee Nation: Indian Autonomy and American Culture, 1830-1900, as well as articles in Southern Cultures, Western Historical Quarterly and Appalachian Journal. He writes about public memory and how Southerners in the 20th / 21st centuries commemorate the Indian removal.
The public is invited to the free presentation that begins at 11 a.m. Indian artifacts and pre-Removal maps will be on display. Refreshments will be served.
You can download the latest edition of the AL TOTA newsletter here.

GA TOTA Meets At Chieftains Museum Nov. 12

2011-11-11T11:57:00.000-05:00

By Leslie Thomas
VP, GA TOTA

Visit the the GA TOTA chapter website
The November newsletter is online, along with all the back issues. Take time to view the Georgia group picture from the October national conference in Cherokee, North Carolina (takes a while to download - Were you in the picture? You can print a copy for yourself!)

November 12 -- GA TOTA will have its regular meeting
At the Chieftains Museum / Major Ridge Home in Rome, GA. Come learn what is happening at Chieftains. A new vision and plan is in the works there and Ruth Demeter will share what is going on. Take a tour of the facility. The address is 501 Riverside Pkwy, Rome 30161. 706-291-9494. http://chieftainsmuseum.org/

The latest issue of the Blueridge Highlander is here.

Blood Mountain Hike November 19
Find out more here.

Bartow History Museum's 'Lunch and Learn' program
Leslie Thomas, GA TOTA VP, will be doing the program for November 16 on the activities of the organization. Find out more here.

Daniel Blake Smith Book Signing
Historian and author Daniel Blake Smith will be at the Concord Baptist Church, 7025 E. Brainerd Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37421 (Exit 3 East off of I-75) on November 14, 2011 at 7 p.m. for a book signing of his newly released An American Betrayal - Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears. Smith offers his view of why neither assimilation nor Cherokee independence could succeed in Jacksonian America. This event is sponsored by the Audubon Society and the TN TOTA.

Towns County Historical Society
Saturday, November 12, 2011, is Unicoi Turnpike Day in Towns County, GA. This is a great opportunity for you to see the longest remnant of the old turnpike in Towns County. Meet at Unicoi Gap, on GA 17/75 (Hiawassee to Helen Highway) from 9 AM until Noon for information and directions. This remnant of the old Unicoy Road is a steep, sunken road starting at the gap and stretching over two miles north into Towns County. The trek is rather strenuous, so wear hiking clothes and boots. Brightly colored (hot pink or orange) hat and/or vest are recommended for safety since hunting season will be open.

Georgia Veterans Pow-Wow / November 19 & 20, 2011 in Ellijay, GA
The Georgia National Veterans Pow-Wow is the #1 Veterans Pow-Wow in the southeast and the group has moved it this year from Canton, Georgia to the beautiful Ellijay Lions Club park on the Coosawattee River in Ellijay. This is the park where they host the annual Apple Festival, which draws 30,000-plus visitors.
November is Native American Heritage Month, as well as the month we pay tribute to our soldiers and veterans for their many sacrifices and we value your support. Directions: Take Hwy 515 either north or south to Ellijay and follow the signs. 1729 S. Main St. Ellijay 30540. Please share this event with your Pow-Wow friends, artists, crafters and dancers. Find out more here.

Why Don't People Rally Around (Or Even Know About) These Sites? I'm Stumped.

2011-11-10T14:08:00.004-05:00

There’s always so much going on in Cave Spring that, frankly, it’s hard for me to keep up. They’ve got a passionate, very active group of folks working to preserve and research the log structure once known as the Green Hotel, which may have originally been built by the Vann family. I received a call this week from Peggy Allgood of the Cave Spring Historical Society – she was excited to tell me that when they were deconstructing portions of the log building a couple of weeks ago, they came across a stump under the building. She wondered if that might be good news, since dendrochronology could perhaps be utilized to determine when the tree was cut, which may help to date the building. I contacted Dr. Georgina DeWeese from the University of West Georgia, who said, “the stump could be dated if it’s in good condition and it’s a datable species,” so I guess we’ll see. We’re all still waiting to hear if any of the cores Dr. DeWeese took earlier this year wind up giving some dates. We’re hoping they show a date that’s pre-Removal. If so, the National Park Service folks have indicated they’re ready to begin the certification process to get the site added to the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. That would be truly exciting, since signs denoting the Trail’s path through Northwest Georgia have already been erected through town.
On the research front, Billy and Victoria Abernathy have been joined by Andrea Montgomery Adams, a descendant of U.S. Indian Agent Hugh Montgomery, to find out what they can from the historical record about the origins of the log building. Again, it’s hard to keep up, because it seems like they uncover some new tidbit every few days, but if you’re interested -- and I know you are -- check out the Save the Log Building blog page or the Cave Spring history Facebook page to get the latest. Be prepared to be overwhelmed with details!

The Rome News-Tribune recently ran a story saying that the group had to halt its latest restoration efforts “until crews can stabilize the structure.”
Here’s a bit more from the story, which has been picked up by the Associated Press this week:

Archaeological analysis is under way on what is thought to be part of an early 1800s Cherokee settlement. But when a section of the old Green Hotel was peeled away to fully expose the rear wall of the building, it also exposed some structural shifts and deterioration of the foundation joist beam.
“We’ve got to replace the bottom of it and brace it up before we can take the side off,” committee chairman Billy Abernathy said. “It’s not going to fall, but it has to be addressed before we go any farther.”
Paul Davis Restoration is handling the reconstruction.

You can read the whole story here. The Tribune, which to its credit has really gotten behind the effort to save the cabin, also ran a blog editorial:

...To this point, a small band of Cave Spring history buffs and boosters has largely carried the financial load after an intrigued resident accidentally found the ancient cabin was there beneath the old Green Hotel exterior now being removed.
It’s rather surprising that with the potential now so plainly visible, the Cave Spring government and business interests haven’t swarmed to the scene and, even in these economic times, offered to bankroll whatever needs to be done.
After all, the small city’s primary dollar draw from “outside” is tourism centered on its being quaint and unusual. This cabin is about as quaint/unusual as could be imagined and likely unique besides. An original Cherokee stagecoach stop right where it was built? There’s nothing similar for hundreds of miles and maybe anywhere (the handful of similar preserved cabins were largely relocated to the parks where they now reside).
A “saved” Cherokee cabin with attending displays would pretty much guarantee a steady stream of visitors to Cave Spring and its hometown businesses for at least the next 100 years. Maybe somebody needs to next excavate Cave Spring’s City Hall and see if anybody’s left alive in there.

I appreciate the sentiments expressed here, and I agree that everyone needs to rally behind this effort. I do take exception with one remark, though. To say that “there’s nothing similar for hundreds of miles and maybe anywhere” is just untrue. The fact is that Northwest Georgia – and Floyd County especially – is rich with structural remnants of its Cherokee heritage.
Since there seems to be a general lack of awareness on this crucial point, I thought it might be helpful provide a brief (and only partial) list of some of these gems, most of which are endangered, in some way:

Just drive northeast from Cave Spring a few miles on the Trail of Tears, following the signs along U.S. 411, and you'll arrive at the campus of Georgia Highlands College. Just south of the campus is a community once called Courtesy, formed around what had once been the plantation of Jacob West, clearly marked on the Bethune map of Cherokee Georgia, which pre-dates even the Land Lottery maps. The West house, a Cherokee-built log structure, still survives, and is now a rental property. It was almost lost to arson several years ago, just a year or so after it had been beautifully restored.

Travel north into Rome and just across the bridge as you cross onto Broad Street, at the head of the Coosa River, is the site of the old John Ross Ferry (formerly owned by "Widow Fool.") A park was built there called "Unity Point," to commemorate the 1996 Olympic games, but there's nothing there to note that this was once the site of the Ross Ferry, operated by the famous chief of the Cherokee Nation. The park itself is crumbling, but the view of the Etowah and Oostanaula merging to form the mighty Coosa is fantastic.

Of course, if you travel just a few miles up the Oostanaula, you will arrive at one of the more famous sites in Georgia connected to the Cherokee, the Chieftains Museum, former home of Major Ridge, a leader of the Treaty Party. The home is protected, but is in serious need of more funding, and the larger Ridge plantation surrounding it has been all but lost.

Travel east on what used to be the old Etowah Road / New Echota Road, toward Calhoun, and you'll come to this interesting old I-house, which could have Cherokee origins and should be studied further.

Travel a few miles farther east, and on the north side of the Old Calhoun Road, in the midst of a neighborhood of low-value homes, is this beautiful old I-house, which could be of Cherokee origin and should be investigated.

A home on Berwin Road, known as the John Hume / F. L. Forster Place, was mistakenly identified as the John Ridge home at Running Waters during a DOT road project a few decades ago. Although it's not the Ridge home, it's likely of Cherokee origin, and its misidentification as the Ridge home is the only thing that kept it from being demolished to make room for a bypass.

A few miles father east along what was once the New Echota Road, now the Old Calhoun Road, is the home of Thad Rush, which was almost certainly once the home of John Ridge, leader of the Treaty Party.

Travel a few miles farther, to Rush Chapel Road, which used to be a continuation of the New Echota Road, and you'll find the home of Ken and Barbara Earle. This may have been the home of Dick Scott, and is likely of Cherokee origin.

A few miles to the west of the Earle house is what is likely the final remnant of the old Cherokee town of Woodward, on Woodward Creek. This house on Gaines Loop road is in pitiful shape, and was almost demolished about two years ago. It was once owned by Thomas Woodward, arch-rival of John Ridge.

Near Floyd Springs, in northern Floyd County, is the Isham-Touchstone house. It's in terrible shape, as well, but early maps show a Cherokee home located in about the same location.

If you continue on the old New Echota Road, through Adairsville, and head north on Highway 41, you'll come to two homes that have been linked to Stand Watie, another Treaty Party member, and brother to Elias Boudinot, editor of the Cherokee Phoenix. The first is owned by Marvin Taylor, and is on a lot that clearly once belonged to the Watie family, shown in plats from the 1830s.

The second home, with strong oral connections with Watie, is called the Bannister Bray home, and is currently owned by Dr. Brent Box. This home, too, is in disrepair. Some believe this may be the oldest home in Gordon County, GA.

Near the site of the old Cherokee mother town Ustanauli is the home of Crane Eater, after whom the current community of Crane Eater takes its name.

Northeast of New Echota and Ustanauli is the house called "Carter's Quarters," which was originally called the "Harlin House," a stop in Coosawattee on the Old Federal Road and an important early Cherokee home.

The Freeman-Hurt house, or "Rockdale Plantation," a National Register property, is south of the Carter's Quarters house, in the old Cherokee town of Salacoa. It was once owned by Cherokee George W. Adair and is the newest Georgia site to be added as a certified site on the Trail of Tears. A separate house on the property once served as a hotel and stagecoach stop. A preserved remnant of the old Sally Hughes Road runs through the property. The property is endangered due to ongoing bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings.

Farther south on the Sally Hughes Road, now Hwy. 411, is the Johnson Thompson house, yet another Cherokee-era log building, which suffered extensive damage in storms this spring.

I could go on regarding the numerous endangered structures in North Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina, that are worthy of our attention and preservation efforts (The Chief John Ross House being perhaps the most highly publicized one recently). My point is only that there's much that still remains of the old Cherokee Nation in Georgia, but it won't be there long if people don't begin to recognize the importance of this heritage and, following the example of the good folks in Cave Spring, work to save it.

Last Call to 'Hike the Pike' this Saturday

2011-11-09T17:28:00.004-05:00

A Last Call to "Hike the 'Pike" on Unicoi Turnpike Day, Saturday, November 12th.
A part of old Unicoi Turnpike which in 1832 surveyors labeled "Wileys Road," can be explored this Saturday, November 12, 2011, during Unicoi Turnpike Day, sponsored by the Towns County Historical Society.
All who wish to "Hike the 'Pike" will meet between 9 a.m. and 12 noon at Unicoi Gap parking lot -- where the Appalachian Trail crosses GA Hwy 17/75 -- for turnpike information and hiking directions. There will be no guided tours. Each individual or group is responsible for their own safety and schedule.
The "Wileys Road" portion of Unicoi Turnpike was probably built by slaves and others, and completed about 1819 with the assistance of James R. Wyly, Sr. ( b. 1782 - d. 1855), according to Carey Waldrip of the historical society. The 1850 census indicates that Wyly owned 16 slaves, Waldrip said.
“At the time of turnpike construction, several Cherokee families lived in the vicinity, and could have worked as paid laborers on the road project,” he said.
According to Margaret Budd Stephenson, her ancestor James R. Wyly, Sr. served in many important positions including: state commissioner to improve navigation of the Savannah and Tugaloo Rivers; sheriff of Franklin County, Georgia for twelve years; a captain in the Creek campaigns of the War of 1812; and Colonel of the Habersham County Militia from 1828 to 1834. After moving to Union (now in Towns) County, where he resided in a big brick house on Unicoi Turnpike near the headwaters of Hiwassee River, Wyly was a noted and influential citizen. The 1832 surveyor's map, previously cited, labeled this area "George Ward’s Improvement."
Waldrip said his group plans to draw up a plan to certify the section as part of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
“We are working toward certification of the old Unicoi Turnpike in Towns County as an official part of the Trail of Tears,” Waldrip said. “When accomplished, this will provide Appalachian Trail (AT) hikers with an opportunity to actually walk a small portion of the Trail of Tears near where the AT crosses the old turnpike at Unicoi Gap, Georgia. This will be a unique opportunity for AT hikers from all over the world to contemplate this infamous act of removal.”
“We plan to suggest construction of a two-mile long, low-impact, eco-friendly footpath along the 'Wileys Road' remnant of old Unicoi Turnpike,” he said. “Not only will this give access to an outstanding old turnpike remnant, but it will also give AT hikers a good route to the valley floor and the junction of GA Hwy 17/75 and GA 180 in Towns County for services and supplies.”
If you are in good health and in reasonable physical condition, you are cordially invited to come make the rather steep and strenuous hike along the old turnpike, Waldrip said.
“If you would prefer just to drop by and overlook the beginning of the Wileys Road remnant from the parking lot, and express your support for this important preservation project, you will be very welcome, too,” he said. “We hope to see you November 12th at Unicoi Turnpike Day.
In the event of rain, there will still be someone at Unicoi Gap parking lot from 9 a.m. until 12 noon to provide information and directions to hikers who wish to brave the elements. So bring your rain gear and high-traction hiking boots, and please watch your step on slick surfaces, he said.
“In preparation for Unicoi Turnpike Day, several members of our Historical Society hiked the 'Wileys Road' remnant recently,” said Waldrip. “Even our County Commissioner, Bill Kendall and his wife made the trek. We all agreed that this impressive remnant is worthy of our efforts to preserve and protect it, and to encourage the Forest Service to improve access with eco-friendly footpath development.”

A Brief History of Unicoi Turnpike
by Carey Waldrip
When European explorers first entered southern Appalachia they found an ancient route that led from the upper Savannah River Valley over the Blue Ridge and Unaka Mountains to Tennessee Country. The words Unicoi, Unicoy, and Unaka were all derived from an Indian word meaning the color white, and all spellings are considered correct. Unicoi footpaths were important to trade and commerce from the earliest times.
To the southeast, trading paths connected the Unicoi with the coastal settlements now known as Charleston and Savannah.
In addition to westward passage through the mountains, Unicoi trails gave the first pioneers access to the fertile upper Little Tennessee and Hiwassee River Valleys which were very desirable for farming. This region also had mineral wealth in the form of gold, silver, copper and some precious stones including rubies and sapphires. Although this land belonged to the Cherokee Nation it became a target for annexation to the United States as more and more settlers cast envious eyes upon it and demanded removal of the Indians - which eventually climaxed in the infamous ''Trail of Tears."
In 1813, Unicoi Turnpike Company was chartered by a group of Indians and whites to build a wagon road through the Cherokee Nation. It took six years to complete. The route generally followed the lower portion of the old trade route. From the head of navigation on the Tugaloo River (a tributary of the Savannah), the toll road passed through present day Toccoa, Clarkesville, Helen and Hiawassee in Georgia; Hayesville and Murphy in North Carolina; and Coker Creek, Tellico Plains, and Vonore in Tennessee before terminating at the Little Tennessee River. This route took the turnpike over high mountains through two "Unicoi Gaps" - one in Georgia and one in Tennessee.
Unicoi Turnpike was the first overland vehicular route to connect the Little Tennessee and Savannah Rivers, and it became an important farm to market road. Grain was grown in the high country, fed to poultry, hogs, and cattle then they were herded to southern markets via the turnpike since railroads were not yet available in these remote mountains. In the first twenty years of operation, Cherokee farmers were frequent users of the turnpike. Wagon loads of not-so-perishable farm products, including grain in the form of whiskey, were also transported south along this toll road to trade or sell. Trade goods were then carted back north to the high country to complete the cycle.
The approximate center of Unicoi Turnpike was the town of Hiawassee which in 1856 became the county seat of the newly formed Towns County. This thoroughfare contributed greatly to the welfare and development of Towns County as well as many other places through which it passed.
While preparing for Unicoi Turnpike Day 2011, important Cherokee history known as the George Ward / Narcissa Monroe mystery has come to light, and a favorable outcome of future research would show that the Towns County segment of the turnpike is a proven part of the 'Trail of Tears,’ thereby providing more recognition and enhanced protection.
Unicoi turnpike will soon be 200 years old. Let's celebrate by identifying, preserving, protecting, and providing reasonable access to as many remnants as possible.

An additional bit of info from author Don Shadburn:

The George Ward mentioned is probably the mixed-blood Cherokee George W. Ward (1787-killed 1863 in Indian Territory), son of John Ward (white son of Bryant Ward, whose second wife was Nancy, widow of Kingfisher, by whom he fathered Betsy Ward, half-blood Cherokee wife of Gen. Joseph Martin of VA) and Catherine "Caty" McDaniel, mixed-blood, who lived in Habersham County. George married Lucy Mayes of Habersham. I'm sure he had improvements just over the Blue Ridge in original Union County (later eastern portion incorporated into Towns).

Upcoming Events

2011-11-08T16:44:00.000-05:00

By Leslie Thomas
VP, GA TOTA

Christmas is Coming to New Echota
The Christmas Candlelight Tour at New Echota is right around the corner - Saturday, December 3 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. We need volunteers to decorate the print shop. Last year Leslie Thomas and Linda Baker did the decorating for GA TOTA. Decorations can be installed anytime from Tuesday, Nov. 29 thru Friday, Dec. 2. If you can help in any way, please contact Linda Baker at badnil@windstream.net.

Cherokee County (Georgia) History Museum and Visitors Center: New Exhibit
A Fighting Spirit: Cherokee County in World War II is a new temporary exhibit featuring original uniforms, objects, and photographs. There are also three new videos of personal stories of the war provided by local citizens. The museum is open Wednesday-Friday from 10-5 and Saturday from 10-3. It is located on the first floor of the marble courthouse in downtown Canton at 100 North Street. Parking is available on the street or behind the courthouse.
Call 770-345-3288 for more information.

Dahlonega Gold Museum "After Dark" Lecture Series
"Acting Like Crazy Men" Tuesday, Nov. 15, 5-7 p.m.
Author Chris Worick will present newly discovered information that sheds new light into the Georgia gold rush of 1829. Taken directly from firsthand accounts and newspaper articles, much of the research includes stories that have never been heard before.
$3.50 / $5 706-864-2257

"Trail of Tears; Then and Now" Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011 5-7 p.m.
Historian / Certified Genealogist Linda Woodward-Geiger will present information on the history of the infamous Cherokee Removal from Georgia in 1838-39, and the ongoing efforts to map and maintain the Trail of Tears removal routes today. $3.50 - $5 706-864-2257

"Jennie Wimmer; Money Laundering Pioneer" Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012 5:30-7 p.m.
Much has been written about the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, thereby precipitating the California Gold Rush. Little is known about the one person present who was able to recognize the shiny rock. To prove it was the real thing, Jennie Wimmer boiled the nugget in her soap kettle. The rest of that story is history, but who was the mysterious "Mrs. Wimmer?" Historian Anne Amerson will attempt to answer that question. $3.50 - $5 706-864-2257
Dahlonega Gold Museum is located at 1 Public Square, Dahlonega, Ga. 30533

GATOTA's November Meeting.
Come hear who your officers are for president and vice-president per the nominations and elections. The next meeting of the Georgia Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association will be held at the Chieftains Museum in Rome, GA on November 12, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. Following the election process, Ruth Demeter will speak about current events and future plans for the site. At the core of the museum is the two-story dogtrot log cabin which was the home of Major Ridge and his family. The “Ridge” was born in 1771 in Tennessee. In the War of 1812, he and other Cherokees fought successfully alongside the Americans against the British and the Creek Indians. He played such a prominent role in the victory that Gen. Andrew Jackson gave him the title of Major.
For more information on the meeting, contact Leslie Thomas at aeriehollow@ellijay.com. For more information about the Chieftains Museum visit the website www.chieftainsmuseum.org or call 706-291-9494. For more information about the Trail of Tears Association, check out www.nationaltota.org and www.gatrailoftears.org.

Dahlonega's Vickery House Friday, Nov. 11, 3-5 p.m., NGCSU Dahlonega
Admission: free (Seating is limited to 20. Reserve your space here.)
Sonya Huber’s approach to memoir-writing demystifies the writing process by inviting writers of all levels to focus on their passions, questions, and obsessions as the key to generating seeds for further exploration of the world around them. Writers then develop these questions into focused projects that explore the teller's central role in the open-ended quest of unfolding a research topic. The boom in narrative journalism, memoir, and creative nonfiction has generated wonderful writing, but no resource for writers exists to bridge the gap between passionate research and the page. The workshop is supported by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.

The Trail of Tears ... and Zombies?

2011-11-08T00:15:00.004-05:00

The Trail of Tears came to AMC's hugely successful show The Walking Dead (which has been filming in my neighborhood for months now) this Sunday. In an episode called "Cherokee Rose," the ragtag caravan of zombie holocaust survivors finds its way to a farm, where Daryl goes off to find a little girl named Sophia. He doesn't find the girl, but he does find a flower, which he brings to Carol, telling her this story:

"The story is that when American soldiers where moving Indians off their land, on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way. Exposure and disease and starvation; a lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they sent a prayer, asked for a sign to uplift the mother's spirits. Give 'em strength, hope. The next day, this rose started to grow right where the mother's tears fell. I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers bloomin' for my brother. But, I believe, this one is bloomin' for your little girl."

Ball Ground and the Battle of Taliwa

2011-11-07T11:15:00.006-05:00

Early oral traditions point to a “Battle of Taliwa” that supposedly occurred in about 1755 near the current town of Ball Ground, GA (which some believe is a corruption of “Battleground” – for a more complete discussion of places named “Ball Ground” in Georgia, see John Goff’s Essay 23 in his Placenames of Georgia, pp. 55-57). Anthropologist James Mooney gives this brief account (in Myths of the Cherokee, pp. 384-385):

The Battle of Taliwa, which decided in favor of the Cherokee the long war between themselves and the Creeks, was fought about 1755 or a few years later at a spot on Mountain Creek or Long Swamp Creek, which enters Etowah River above Canton, Georgia, near where the old trail crossed the river about Long Swamp Town. All our information … is traditional, obtained from James Wafford, who heard the story when a boy, about the year 1815, from an old trader named Brian Ward, who had witnessed the battle sixty years before. According to his account, it was probably the hardest battle ever fought between the two tribes, about five hundred Cherokees and twice that number of Creek warriors being engaged. The Cherokee were at first overmatched and fell back, but rallied again and returned to the attack, driving the Creeks from cover so that they broke and ran. The victory was complete and decisive, and the defeated tribe immediately afterward abandoning the whole upper portion of Georgia and the adjacent Alabama to the conquerors…

One of the more famous incidents said to have happened at the Battle of Taliwa involved a young woman who would later be known as Nancy Ward, "Beloved Woman" of the Cherokee. Emmet Starr gives this account (p. 468):

A full blood Cherokee of the Wolf clan, whose name may have been Na-ni. Her first husband, Kingfisher, of the Deer clan, was the father of her first two children; Catherine and Fivekiller. In a battle with the Muskogees, Kingfisher was killed and his wife, who had been laying behind a log, chewing the bullets so that they would lacerate the more; picked up his rifle and fought as a warrior throughout the rest of the skirmish. The Muskogees were defeated and according to custom the captured spoils were divided among the victors. Kingfisher's widow was given a negro that had been captured from the vanquished and in this manner became the first slave owner among the Cherokees and by common consent she became the Ghi-ga-u, or Beloved Woman of the Cherokees, this life time distinction was only granted as an extreme mark of valorious merit and carried with it the right to speak, vote and act in all of the peace and war councils of the tribe, it also vested her with the supreme pardoning power of the tribe, a prerogative that was not granted to any other, not even the powerful peace or war chiefs.
She was described even after she was an old woman as a person of remarkable beauty, poise "with a queenly and commanding presence."

Ward would eventually re-marry to trader Bryan Ward, who would give the account of the Battle of Taliwa eventually recorded by Mooney (above).

Actually it was the Cherokees’ disastrous decision to side with the British during the American Revolution that resulted in them being driven out of much of their territory to the northeast. Most of the Cherokees entered Northwest Georgia as refugees. Rain Crow gave his testimony to General John Coffee in 1829 (See Charles O. Walker’s Cherokee Footprints, Vol. 1, pp. 67-86):

After the close of the Revolutionary War his father, for fear of the whites, fled from Seniker across the Hightower River. At that time he was a small boy and did not travel much but only heard of Creeks south of the Hightower River. When he was grown he found a Cherokee village at Hickory Log on the north side of the river but knew of none on the south side until a meeting of the Creek and Cherokee warriors for going to war against the whites in Tennessee that he attended. Before the Cherokees left, the Creeks agreed that should the whites drive the Cherokees from their towns, they might go and settle on the south side of the Hightower, where they would be out of reach. The Creeks never gave them the land, only allowed them to live there on these conditions.

Not long after the close of the Revolutionary War, on Nov. 28, 1796, Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins passed through what is now northern Cherokee County, and he included considerable detail in one of his letters (The Collected Works of Benjamin Hawkins, 1796-1810, pp. 17-18 in the “Letters” section):

Sat out at sun rise W.; in two miles cross a river 60 feet wide which I suppose to be Etowwah, travel over some poor, sharp hills, our course S.W. by W. In 4 miles came to a large and beautiful savanna, a creek running thro’ it stored with cane. After entering the savanna ¼ of a mile, enter a grove of dwarf hard shelled hickory trees, the ground covered with nuts, pass one mile over flat lands with small growth, cross a creek 15 feet wide running to the left, stored with cane; one mile farther cross over 3 creeks within half a mile of each other, the site of a town which I take to be Newtown, the land very good, and all the creeks margined with cane, go down the richest vale of land I have yet seen, one mile to Etowwah, the timber white oak, poplar, and chesnut, very large, and tall cane on the river, cross the river 75 feet wide, running to the right, continue thro’ rich uneaven chesnut land for 5 miles and cross the Etowwah running to the left, 120 feet wide, continue down the river W. by S. over steep poor hills for 5 miles and cross a creek 15 feet wide, the bottoms rich with cane. On the west side bordering the river is the remains of some Indian settlement. Continue 2 miles down the river and cross Looccunna heat (Long Swamp), a creek 35 feet wide, turn down the creek and thro’ the remains of the town of this name, there were some peach trees, cotton stalks, and corn; continue down the river 3 miles and saw and Indian and his family from Pine Log, going out to hunt, he conducted me to the habitation of some Indian women, there were three families from Towe. I lodged at the hut of one who was a halfbreed. She treated me hospitably. She was poor, she said from trouble and difficulty not from want of industry. She had been greatly incommoded by the misunderstanding between the Red and White people. She knew not where to fix down, and this uncertainty continued until it was too late to make corn, she planted some, but too late. She showed me a wound in her arms which she got on a visit to some of her friends who lived in the neighbourhood when the town was attacked by some white people from Tugalo. I mentioned the plan contemplated by the government for bettering the condition of the Red people, she replied she had once made as much cotton as purchased a petticoat, that she would gladly make more and learn to spin it, if she had the opportunity. I went over the river to John Candry’s and purchased from his wife some corn, potatoes and fodder. John was from East Florida since 1783, he uses the plow and has some fine cattle.
I was here informed of some of the difficulties and hardships which these poor people are subject to. They sell the fowls grown, 2 for 2 ½ yards of binding worth 2 cents, a bushel of corn for a quart of salt and sometimes a pint, and the woman had just returned from the settlements, a journey of 17 days. She carried a bushel and an half of chesnuts on her back and gave them for a petticoat. This little settlement is on the richest lands I have seen, the second low grounds about eighty feet above the first, with a gentle slope, the lands above by far the richest, the growth poplar and chesnut very large without any undergrowth, back of these rich lands about 500 yards are two little hills which over-look the whole of the flat-lands, and are beautiful sites for a dweling.

(In what's likely an unrelated but nevertheless interesting note, Traveller Bird, who claimed to be a descendant of Sequoyah, said that writing was invented by a group of Indians called the Taliwa, in 1483. Supposedly a remnant of that group eventually joined the Cherokee tribe, "where the introduced writing and initiated the training of clan scribes. Rather than being an innovator, 'Sequoyah was the last link to traditional knowledge and autochthonous wisdom.'" Scholars have generally rejected these claims. See Roy Fogelson, "On the Varieties of Indian History: Sequoyah and Traveller Bird," Journal of Ethnic Studies 2 [1974]: 105-112; see also The Payne-Butrick Papaers, Vols. One, Two, and Three, pp. 341-342.)

Hear Becky Hobbs' musical interpretation of the Battle of Taliwa here.

Euharlee, GA: 'Taking Care of the Red People'

2011-11-06T01:31:00.009-04:00

The 21-mile Euharlee Creek heads in Polk County, Georgia, near Rockmart, close to what was once the Cherokee town called Clean Town, and flows northeast, emptying into the Etowah River in neighboring Bartow County in what is now the town of Euharlee, Georgia, probably most famous for its 19th century covered bridge. The earliest glimpses we are afforded of the Euharlee Creek area (at that time known as “Lime Stone Creek”) come from U.S. Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins, writing in December, 1796, as he traveled through the southernmost reaches of the Cherokee country to reach the Creek Nation on the Tallapoosa River.

He wrote about meeting a number of members of the Vann family, who acted as his guides as he was traveling southwest from what is now the Cartersville area. British Indian Agent Alexander Cameron recorded John Vann and his brother Joseph Vann as living with the Cherokee in 1779, joining Chickamauga war parties led by Chief Oconostota and his son, Terrapin, during the American Revolution. John Vann, Sr., a white living among the Cherokee since the mid-18th century, had operated a trading post in partnership with Bernard Hughes on the Saluda River near Fort Ninety-Six in South Carolina prior to the Revolution, and British colonial officials had hired Vann, after the death of his predecessor John Watts, as an official Cherokee “linkster” or linguister / translator. John, Sr. was the father of both Wah-li, who would go on to become the mother of the infamous “Chief James Vann” of Spring Place, GA, and John Vann, Jr., who would marry a daughter of Terrapin. (After John Vann Sr.’s death, his wife, whose name is unknown, would go on to marry Hughes, and finally a man named Rowe.) Seventeen years later, along the banks of Euharlee Creek and in the area surrounding it, the extended Vann family included John Vann, Jr., his half-brothers David and Richard Rowe, and his father-in-law Terrapin (by this time called “Old Terrapin”).
Richard Rowe describes how his family entered the borderland area as refugees following the American Revolution, in testimony that was given Nov. 29, 1829 to General John Coffee, who was trying to establish the proper legal border between the Cherokee and Creek Nations following the expulsion of the Creek Indians from Georgia (National Archives Microfilm 234, Letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1831, reel 73, Cherokee Agency East, 1824-36, letters for the year 1829):

(Richard Rowe) is a half breed Cherokee about 60 years old ... His father many years ago lived high up the Holston (River) and when he was a small boy about the close of the Revolutionary War, the war between the whites and the Cherokees became very oppressive to the Cherokees, so much so, that his father removed the family to the south side of the Etowah or what is commonly called Hightower, where his father considered them safe.
At the time they settled there, there was a small Creek village on the head of a creek that emptied into the Hightower below Little River, which empties into the river on the south side and which forms the present line claimed by the state of Georgia. His father had not been there a year when the Creek village broke up and moved down the country and moved down the country to the Newyorker villages on the Tallapoosa. About the same time his father broke up and moved towards the settlements of the Cherokees on the Tennessee River until after he was grown and had a family of his own. He thinks about 30 years ago he removed his family to the south side of the Hightower River and settled in the same country where his father had carried him when a boy. When he returned to live there, many Cherokees had already settled there and there were a few Creeks living there also but at peace with the Cherokees. He understood that both nations claimed the country and no line had properly been agreed to. He and five or six chiefs of the Cherokee Nation attended a treaty held between the United States and the Creek Nation in 1802….

Coffee said he "inquired into the character of Richard Rowe and he stands as an honest man, unassuming and his word may be relied upon."
The women who recommended Rowe and his brothers as guides to Benjamin Hawkins as he crossed the border from Cherokee to Creek country were members of the same family, on the Hughes side, with whom Hawkins had visited the day before. Hawkins wrote:

Sunday, 3rd Dec.
This morning the women recommended two men, a young one and an old man to conduct me to the Creeks. They brought them prepared to set out, and they said that as I should soon be in a situation not so secure as I had been with my horses, the old man determined to take me by the hand and see me safe. I sat out X the river about 80 yards wide, moving W. N. W. went down for half a mile, then left it W. and passed thro' some very level land, not rich, in 2 miles X a small creek, in 1 ½ come to John Van's & David Roe living on a creek 10 feet wide (Raccoon). John Van bargained with my two guides to conduct me for a blanket each. I paid them. The blankets were 3 dollars each. Here old Mrs. Roe, near 80, the mother of these men received me and treated me with great kindness.
I sat out X the creek accompanyed by David Roe, who very obligingly offered to walk to my next stage. We passed the house of Mrs. Waters, continuing on 6 miles to the old Tarrapins. X here a creek and passed thro' some good lands S. W. W. to his house, he was from home. I visited his wife, informed her who I was, and directed her to inform her husband of it, and to deliver him a present of paint which I brought him.
The old fellow lives well, the land he cultivates is lined with small growth of saplins for some distance, his farm is fenced, his houses comfortable, he has a large stock of cattle, and some hogs. He uses the plow. I continued on through level open land for 2 miles, the growth tall young black oaks. Near the creek at the Tarrapins I saw some of the blue limestone, asked the name of the creek and was informed it was a branch of Lime Stone, a large creek on my right, which I was going up and should X in 8 miles. I saw some large holes on this flat land, 15 feet deep, 30 feet over, an inverted cone; continued on X another creek, the lands on the left mountainous. Here I saw much sign of turkies and the earth covered with acorns.
I was informed that at this place last summer the Indians had dug 3 bushels of the root of the buckeye, mixed 2 bushels of clay with it, pounded it in a mortar, and put it in Limestone Creek 4 miles above and that it poisoned the fish for eight miles, and 60 or 80 persons picked up as many as they could carry home.
4 miles farther thro' broken lands, passing a large hill of limestone rock on the left, I arrived at 3 Indian houses, and took up my abode in one belonging to halfbreed Will. The father and mother were out hunting, his daughters received me kindly and furnished plentifully. They gave me good bread, pork and potatoes for supper, and ground peas and dried peaches. I had corn for my horses. The hut in which I lodged was clean and neat. In the morning I breakfasted on corn cakes and pork.
They had a number of fowls, hogs and some cattle, the field of 4 acres for corn fenced, and half an acre for potatoes. These huts and 2 others in sight of them are the fartherest south of any in the direction I am going to the Creeks. I asked the girls when they expected the return of their parents, they answered not till the last of February, or as they expressed it not till after 3 full moons.
In every hut I have visited I find the children exceedingly alarmed at the sight of white men, and here a little boy of 8 years old was especially alarmed and could not be kept from screaming out until I got out of the door, and then he run and hid himself. Yet as soon as I can converse with them, and they are informed who I am, they execute any order I give them with eagerness.
I inquired particularly of the mother what could be the reason of this; they said, this town was the remains of several towns who formerly resided on Tugalo and Koowee and had been much harrassed by the whites; that the old people remember their former situation and sufferings and frequently spoke of them.
That those tales were listened to by the children, and made an impression which showed itself in the manner I had observed.
The women told me, who I saw gathering nuts, that they had a sensation upon my coming to the camp, in the highest degree alarming to them, and when I lit from my horse, took them by the hand and spoke to them, they at first could not reply, although one of them understood and spoke English very well.
There is at this place a limestone spring that affords water enough for a mill. I visited it in the morning and found it warm.

Monday, 4th Dec.
This morning being very cold I could not set out so early as I wished. The Tarrapin came and breakfasted with me, he told me he was glad to see me. He knew me, and rejoiced when he was informed in the talk from the President that I was to superintend their affairs. That this nation had been under much embarrassment from the uncertainty of their existence as a nation, as the encroachments of the whites were constantly going against them, notwithstanding their treaties, and the repeated promises made them to the contrary, by the agents of the government. I was fortunate in having David Roe as an interpreter; the Indian is his native tongue and he speaks English accurately.
I determined to explain the views of the government and my determination to use every effort in my power to carry them fully into effect, he heard me with great attention, and put many questions and then generally replied that the Act and the talk had been interpreted to him before, but not so satisfactorily as now, because he had the advantage of a conversation upon points which he did not clearly understand. He told me he had some cotton for market, and should soon send it to Tellico Block house. He wished to know when they might expect plows, and such other implements as are contemplated in the President's talk, he intended that I should be satisfied with his co-operation with the agents of the government. He told me he had raised some cattle of 1,200 Ibs. I sat out and he accompanyed me to Richard Roe's the last house on the path. I X Limestone Creek, 20 feet wide, the lands rich on its borders, and abounding with sugar maple, on this creek the sugar is made by the Indian women, they use small wooden troughs, and earthen pans to ketch the sap, and large earthen pots for boilers.
I continued on up this creek S. 2 miles and came to the long leaf pine and open land, here we saw 2 deer and much sign of turkies, in one mile the soil altered, to oak and short leaf pine, here we saw many turkies and one of my guides killed a fine one, the creek abounds with cane, and large trees, the hills are poor, the bottoms rich. One of my horses being disabled I was under the necessity of dismounting one of my attendants, and as my Indian guides were on foot, I divided the ride, turn about between the old Indian and myself, and between the two attendants. I walked two hours. 6 miles from the entrance into the long leaf pine.
I came to two high hills and went between them, and over some broken open lands, in 3 miles I came to a mountain and went round up to the top on my right. The view from N. W. round to N. E. extensive, and apparently a level country. Continue on 3 miles and came again over the tops of the mountains to the long leaf pine. 2 miles I came to a branch covered with reeds, my guide stoped and viewed it for some time, waved his hand up and down, said horse, pointed south, holding up two fingers, miles says he. I assented and away we went, we came to the creek 8 feet over, went down it until I saw good reeds, and here I encamped.
The branches are a mile and an half apart, and I went half a mile down it, the reed abundant, the whole length, but ruined by a recent burning of the woods, except at the place where I halted.
My guides spoke their native tongue only. I gave them directions when I set off, and had the aid of an interpreter, which they follow with great exactness.
I observe that the reed here has the appearance of being an evergreen, the leaves nearly being as broad as the cane, and long in proportion. I am informed they shed their leaves in March and the cane in September.

Monday, the 5th December.
I sat out at nine down the creek and in half a mile X Aquonausete runing to the right, 75 feet wide. Since I left the mountains yesterday I find I am on the Creek waters. This river is the Tallapoosa.

Two years later, Hawkins again travels through the area, from what is now the Cartersville vicinity to what is now Rockmart, GA:

November 12 1798
I left Etow,woh this day for the Hill,au,be There is a considerable change in the condition of the Cherokees of this town for the better since I visited on my first entering on the duties of my agency. All persons young and old appear to be happy Their little farms increased, vegetables to be had in plenty, I see bacon, colewarts, and turnips, at several houses, I met a sincere welcome, and The Children are no longer afraid of a white man they visit me the smallest of them when invited to do so with ease and gladness. They have increased their stock of hogs and cattle, appear well clothed and industrious.

X 1.10 arrive at John Vanns and pass the (warring?) his aged mother Mrs. Roe visited me, and informed me she had a side of bacon and some vegetables for me, for the path. She said
X 40+ c.r. dry. Course to Vans 1 V2.

The old cherokees would never forget At,tow,okee / the hawk a name given me at Hopewell the author of the beloved treaty of Hopewell, and who was now placed by Washington to take care of the red people.

13 Nov. course S45W.

1.10+ dry C.r. 6/.
12.+ dry. C.r. 12/. here was the residence of the Terrapin he is dead his house burnt but the heir to the estate lives well, the Farm is manured and improved. The ground (unintelligible) with colewarts and shallots.
57 + dry C.r. 6/
41. The paths divide I take the left, The division just over a ridge, where there is some pine, the right is the largest, and the direct path to the Creeks.

6. + dry C.r. 6/ a flat of rich land, joins to one that is poor, and a conic mount caped and thick set with Limestone
34 arrive at half breed Wills, near the large limestone spring, and where I lodged

Their lives generally increased and caused attention paid to them, and the cattle this family has twenty five hogs for market.

In the years leading up to the Cherokee Removal in the 1830s, descendants of the Vanns, the Rowes, and the Terrapin still lived along the Lime Stone Creek, now called U’har’lee Creek. However, their circumstances had taken a turn for the worse. By late 1829 Richard Rowe announced that he had "plans to emigrate to Arkansas with his family."
"He seems dispirited and dejected," said Coffee, who supposed it may have been due to the fact that he was father-in-law to the recently denounced and executed William McIntosh, speaker for the Lower Creek Towns and signer of the fraudulent Treaty of Indian Springs. "He is the father-in-law of the unfortunate General McIntosh. He feels the degradation of his family," said Coffee. "Although he still owns considerable property, he is reduced in his circumstances. He is waiting for boats at (the Indian Agency) to remove west of the Mississippi. He will not sign a statement out of fear it will render him obnoxious to one party or the other. He is already harassed an repressed unjustly."
Many of his family remembers remained at Euharlee Creek, however. Listed in the Cherokee ration books kept by Elbert S. Lenoir between 1836 and 1838 is an extended Rowe family consisting of Archy Rowe, Jinny Rowe, Levi Rowe, Ahle oah (wife of Levi), Money Rowe (a 13-year-old boy), Auley Rowe (an 11-year-old girl), Lydea Rowe (a 9-year-old girl), Tsu harlee gah Rowe (a four-year-old boy), George Vann, De ga wo he lah des ke, Dah dah ye Hughs, Coffee (the male child of Dah dah ye, the mother), Gah lung dah quah rah, Polly Quo quo, Jesse Swimmer, Peggy Rowe (daughter of Samuel Rowe), and Sawnee, her child. They were given rations of one blanket, a pair of shoes, and a few other minor items.

Although Ahle oah Rowe (also spelled Elly, Ala, and A lae) is listed in the 1835 Cherokee Census as well as the ration book, she (and apparently her husband) died just before the Cherokee Removal. A register of payment in Record Group 75, Bureau of Indian Affairs, of the National Archives lists “Ala” of “Uharley Creek” in what was then Cass County, Georgia, as being “dec’d,” with an estate totaling $107.50.
Her improvements to her property in “U,har’lee” (No. 47, A lae, “a woman”), on Euharlee Creek, near the Etowah River, included:

Dwelling House 16 sqr c. kind $50.00
5 acres imp’d land @$8. $40.00
= $90.00
Rent on land 1 yr @ $3.50 $17.50.

According to the 1835 Cherokee Census, Ahle oah’s (Elly’s) household consisted of nine Cherokees, all full-blood, living in only one house, and managing nothing more than subsistence farming. Ahle oah was the only adult in the household. The young women are listed as knowing how to spin and weave.
Her heirs, as listed in the registers of payment in RG75, included Etaskooyaskee, Celia, Kolelankee, Caty, and Peggy Rowe, all of “Uharley Creek.” Each received $15.03 in settlement for the estate.
Peggy Rowe also had her own separate estate (No. 65), on the Paulding County side of the line, but still on “U’harlee,” according to the valuations:

Dwelling 18 sqr hewed Puncheon floor c. roof & chy $150.00
7 acres imp’d land @ $10 $70.00
Rent on do 2 yrs @ $4 $56

She was paid $579 in a claim listed in the registers of payment (A056a).
The neighbors of the extended Rowe / Vann / Hughes family along the Euharlee Creek included Killer Moore and his family on the Etowah River, near the mouth of the Euharlee, as well as Foggs, Woman Killer (possibly the same person as “Ah-ne-key-yah-tee-hee” from Uhoala, listed in Cherokee claim 36 filed prior to emigration, on Sept. 23, 1838), Shut the Door, Wahharchy, Chicken, Polly ($195 claim, A119a), Diner, Craw “of Uharley Town” or Crawfish ($527.50 claim, A140a), along with Catageeskee ($470.50), Charlie ($712.50), and Dorcas,” ($220) all of Uharley Town, which apparently was originally centered a few miles southwest of the current town of that name, on the Paulding County side of the line, in Cedar Valley, according to the claims records and the improvements shown on the Georgia Land Lottery maps.
With its headwaters in the Cedar Valley, the upper reaches of Uharlee Creek also counted among its residents Oo’ta’le u’tah’quae or “Ootahleutahqua,” otherwise known as “Big John,” and John’s Son, or Johnson, from “Uharla.” And there was Goard, Liver, Yonah Killa or “Bear Killer,” Arkillo, Barrow, Cabbage, Cahnokee, Cahwahcheesah, Dryer, Fish or “Charly Fish,” Anna Grape, Proud Man, Sharp, Thirsty, Toonahnatelah / Toonowee / Tu’ni, wife of House Bug of Cedar Town, Bear Meat, Chalahketehe / Che-lar-ga-ta-hee or “Cherokee Killer,” E’ta’gu’na, Nicati, Peggy Overtaker, Quatey, and Watha.

Although Cherokees individually did not own land, the valuations of their personal property and improvements give some idea of what a typical Cherokee homestead would have looked like:

No. 35 Bear Meat
Improvements
On U’harlee Creek, Paulding County (Bear Meat also possessed 13 peach trees on the Etowah and additional improvements in Cedar Town and Oogeloga Valley)
20 acres imp’d bottom land @$10 $200
5 acres “ @$8 $40
55 Peach Trees @ $1.50 $82.50
$322.50

No. 46 Yonah Killa
Improvements
U,har’lee
18 acres imp’d land @$8 $144.00
3 Apple Trees @$3 $9.00
10 Peaches do $1.50 $15
$168.00

No. 48 Oo’ta’le u’tah’quae
Improvements
U’har’lee
Dwelling house 18 _16 ro. Logs $75.00
Kitchen 14 sqr “ $30.00
Crib 14 _ 8 $15.00
49 Peach Trees @$1.50 $73.50
30 small do @.50 $25.00
6 acres imp’d land @$8 $48.00
Rent 1 yr @3.50 $21

No. 49 Liver
Improvements
Uharlee
Dwelling 14 sqr ro logs $50.00
47 Peach Trees @ $1.50 $70.50
7 acres imp’d land @$8 $56.00
$176.50

No. 52 Charly Fish
Improvements
U’harlee
Dwelling 14 hewed, Puncheon floor $125.00
Crib $15
45 Peach Trees @$1.50 $67.50
35 Acres imp’d land @ $8 $280.00
$487.50
Rent on do 1 yr @3.50 $122.50

No. 53 E’ta’gu’na
Improvements
U’harlee
26 acres imp’d land @$8 $208.00
4 Peach Trees @$1.50 $6.00
at his old place $214.00
Dwelling 18 sqr hwd, cellar, pfloor c.roof & chy $200
Stable $10
25 Peach Trees @1.50 $37.50
5 Apple do 3 $15
30 Acres imp’d land @ $8 $240
502.50
This last mentioned houses and appurtenances was emigrated by Ben Johnson who married a native who married a native against which he protested at the time

No. 51 Ni Ca’ti, a woman
Improvements
U’harlee
Dwelling 18 sqr h. logs roof nailed $125.00
Dwelling 18 __ 16 hewed $87.00
Kitchen 18__16 c. kind $40.00
Small crib $15 Outhouse $15 $30.00
29 Apple Trees best kind @$5 $145.00
4 Peach do @1.50 $6.00
25 Acres imp’d land @$8 $200.00
$533.00
Rent on the imp’d land 1 yr $87.50

(It may be interesting to note that, according to the 1835 Cherokee Census, not a single Cherokee family living on Euharlee Creek during that time owned slaves.)
It was difficult enough for these Cherokees on the extreme southern boundary to hold onto their improvements after Georgia extended its legal jurisdiction over the Cherokee Nation in the years leading up to the Cherokee Removal: the suspension of Cherokee government, laws, and courts led to a flood of white settlers invading the territory, often tossing the Cherokees -- many of whom in this area lived in households headed by single women -- out of their own homes. But the Cherokees along Euharlee Creek also had to deal with a new, sometimes even worse threat in the form of “The Pony Club,” a band of horse thieves and outlaws who terrorized both Cherokees and white families in the area. The Cherokees naturally bore the brunt of the attacks, as they were legally defenseless, unable to testify against white men in court. As the agents in charge of the valuations stated:

“In closing that portion of our duties relative to the valuation of improvements on the U’har’la Creek in Paulding County, we must take occasion to say that we experienced much difficulty in determining to whom the property rightfully belonged; with the assistance however of Bear Meat an aged Indian well known for his … honesty, we proceeded to examine and value the several improvements herewith submitted, noting such explanations as we trust will enable the proper authorities to determine (any) injustice (done) to that portion of the Cherokees, who in that section we doubt not experienced the most flagrant injustice from that lawless gang known as the “Pony Club” and others little Superior (to them) in Morals.”

Claims made by a Cherokee named Soap and his wife, Quaity Soap, who lived on the Chattahoochee River above what is now Atlanta, paint a vivid picture of the state of siege Cherokees living in the borderlands suddenly faced. One claim states that “about the 1824 there was a set of white men came to the house of Quaity Soap where she lived at the Standing Peachtree and took or stole a Bay mare and sold her and which mare she never got and which he states was well worth 80 dollars.”

Soap said that two years later, “about the year 1826, there was a set of white men took or stole from Quaity Soap 16 head of hogs and twelve head of cattle and drove them across the Chatahoochy River.”
Soap testified that “he pursued them and overtook the men with the hogs and cattle and they gave him a flogging and sent him back...”
Quaity Soap told Acting Justice Samuel Tate – the man from whom the modern town of Tate, GA takes its name -- that “she has good reason to believe that the foregoing described property was taken by a set of white men usually called the Pony Club.”
In other claims the Soaps actually name names.
In a claim recorded in Vol. C #819 in the fall of 1838, Soap and an Indian named Crow of Hickory Log District told Moses Daniel, U.S. agent for collecting claims, that “a white man named William Heard” stole the following from Soap:

1 Bay Mare 5 years old 100.00
1 Chesnut Sorrel horse 7 years old 70.00
1 Gray mare 10 “ old 80.00
___________250.00

The horses were “stolen by a white man named William Heard down on Soap Creek near Chattahoochee River about 15 years ago,” Soap claimed. Although he did not personally see the horses in Heard’s possession, a Cherokee named Yellow Paw testified that he had been an eyewitness.
Soap testified that he “has good reasons for believing Said Herd stole Said horse.”
Heard in fact returned a “Saddle & bridle and gave them to the claimant, but told him he should not have the horses untill the next day,” Soap testified.
“The next day (Soap) could not find the white man. He further said he has had no pay for the said horses as described above."
In Claims Book C, Claim #812, also filed in 1838, Quaity Soap of Hickory Log District states that “3 Large Steers $15 each” and “ 4 Grown cows $15 each,” along with “1 Yearling Cow $5” were “taken or stolen from her in Cherokee County, Georgia by white citizens of the United States, named Pleasant Jones, Thos. Copeland and George Hincle” or Hinckley.
The three white men did “carry away the above described cattle from her possession, killed and sold said cattle in the town of Canton in the county and state aforesaid without any cause or provocation,” she testified.
To quell the outrages of the Pony Club, other whites and some Cherokees finally formed a so-called “Slick Company” whose members retrieved stolen property and punished the thieves. Pony Club members from Clean Town, near the headwaters of Euharlee Creek, repeatedly traveled to nearby Cedar Town in the winters of 1832-1833 to publicly threaten that they would execute any member of the Slick Company who remained in town for longer than three days. Tensions between the two groups came to a head in 1832 in Carrollton, Georgia. According to genealogists investigating some of their ancestors who were Pony Club members, “a large fight broke out in the streets.” They go on:

According to one witness no guns were used, just fists, rocks and sticks. The Slicks, headed up by then Sheriff Giles S. Boggess, were victorious and this was the beginning of the end for the Pony Club.
At the September / October meeting of the Grand Jury, Sheriff Boggess was presented before the court as the aggressor in the may lay by the Pony Club controlled court. The jury was stacked with Pony Club members and the officer of the court was John A. Jones, also a member of the Club. Several members of the Club were also on trial for other charges. To the surprise of many it appeared that even the Club members were tired of the lawlessness. Perhaps like any other gang, membership was not always a choice. The Grand Jury did not file charges against Sheriff Boggess, but instead congratulated him and his Slicks for helping to bring peace and law to the area. Judge Colquitt disbanded the court as he knew that Jones "would have been justified in breaking up the court by any means he may have chosen…the judges duty to protect him as an officer of the court". No one was charged that session of the jury; Slick Company or Pony Club.
Other members who had been brought before the Jury were: "Edward Hall and Joel D. Hicks for keeping a Gambling House at the Gold Mines….Thos. Medaris for keeping a disorderly & drunken company about his house…selling liquer on Sabbath & allowing fiddling & dancing on Sunday, having work of various kinds done…selling spiritous liquers to Negroes and trading with them…Thusly corrupting them to the great misry of their owners the county at large.:" All identified as members of the Pony Club.

According to a local history, by the fall of 1834, the Pony Club “was run off from the country.” Although this undoubtedly seemed like good news at the time, on the other hand the banishment of outlaw elements opened the door for even more white settlers and speculators to flood into the Euharlee Creek borderlands. It quickly became apparent that the Rowes, the Vanns, and the rest of the Cherokee people would not be able to retain their lands there much longer, despite all the promises made by Agent Hawkins during his visits in 1796 and 1798 on behalf of President Washington – solemn promises to “take care of the red people.”

(Mike Wren and Dr. Sarah Hill contributed some research to this post.)

To read some speculation about the origin of the name "Euharlee," see this.

To read a modern-day resident's interpretation of early Euharlee native history, which she says is based on old family stories, see this news story.

Foster Care: A New Trail of Tears

2011-11-05T13:50:00.000-04:00

This 3-part NPR story about cultural bias in the foster care system has got people talking. Even the Desmond Tutu Foundation, of all places, took notice:

The story of Native American tribes in America has been one of dispossession. The first stage was symbolized by “The Trail of Tears,” when President Andrew Jackson and the Congress forced the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw Indians to abandon their homes in the Southeastern United States and relocate to the Oklahoma territories...
Today, native families are under a new threat of dispossession – the forced removal of their children to foster care.

NPR listed these key findings of a new investigation:

* Each year, South Dakota removes an average of 700 Native American children from their homes. Indian children are less than 15 percent of state's the child population, but make up more than half the children in foster care.

* Despite the Indian Child Welfare Act, which says Native American children must be placed with their family members, relatives, their tribes or other Native Americans, native children are more than twice as likely to be sent to foster care as children of other races, even in similar circumstances.

* Nearly 90 percent of Native American children sent to foster care in South Dakota are placed in non-native homes or group care.

* Less than 12 percent of Native American children in South Dakota foster care had been physically or sexually abused in their homes, below the national average. The state says parents have "neglected" their children, a subjective term. But tribe leaders tell NPR what social workers call neglect is often poverty; and sometimes native tradition.

* A close review of South Dakota's budget shows that they receive almost $100 million a year to subsidize its foster care program.

You can the whole report at NPR.

Part 2.

Part 3.

War Over John Ross House Continues

2011-11-05T12:30:00.001-04:00

Trail of Tears in Waynesville: 'Tourist Bonanaza?'

2011-11-04T13:37:00.000-04:00

A downtown bridge over the Roubidoux Creek near a Trail of Tears site could be a “tourist bonanza” for Waynesville, Missouri, according to Councilwoman Luge Hardman, the Pulaski County Daily reported this week:

During Tuesday evening’s economic development committee meeting, Hardman said she recently met with National Park Service officials regarding the Trail of Tears Cherokee encampment in Waynesville. While the original intent of the meeting was to help city officials learn how to put up signage telling visitors more about the forced removal of the Cherokee tribe from Georgia and the Carolinas into what is now Oklahoma, Hardman said she received more advice than she planned.
“They keep telling me all this they want to help us with the signage; of course, the signage for the interpretive walking trail is $50,000 to $60,000, just for the signage,” Hardman said. “They have a special company out of Texas; they would come here, they would research it, they would write the text, they would take the pictures. But he kept saying, ‘You guys have a tourist bonanza here.’”
Hardman said the site will be ready next year before the signs are done, but those who visit the encampment will come down Superior Road from Laughlin Park to the soccer fields by North Street and see sidewalks leading to a concrete pad with three pedestals and benches.
“The pedestals will tell the story of the Cherokee encampment here in Waynesville,” Hardman said. “The other part of this story involves the signage… we would start it up here at the gazebo and bring it down and tell the story of the Cherokee Indians crossing at the old bridge that used to be off North Street.”

Read the whole story at The Pulaski Daily.

Trail of Tears ... For Halloween?

2011-11-03T18:10:00.000-04:00

In an essay for the Cavalier Daily called "Would you dress as Auschwitz for Halloween?" University of Virginia student Katelyn Krause, communications and outreach chair for the American Indian Student Union, says at a recent frat party “someone definitely went (in costume) as the Trail of Tears.”
Even though "dressing as the victims of an event in which approximately 400,000 people died most likely would not help you make friends on Halloween," she says that this “Trail of Tears” costume idea "probably did not arise from malicious intent."
"It most likely arose from ignorance concerning the history of Native Americans and the genocide of nearly our entire race and culture," she said.
I think the reader comments, which are generally hostile and defensive, are especially interesting. You can read them at the Cavalier.

Ross House: 'It's Another Trail of Tears'

2011-11-03T09:53:00.000-04:00

Spat Over Ross House Boils Over

2011-11-02T17:16:00.000-04:00

The Chattanoogan reports today that the spat between Larry Rose of the Chief John Ross House Association and Ron Wade of the Rossville Downtown Development Association appears to be escalating.
Wade said in a press conference Wednesday that that a "dispute over ownership of the historic John Ross House should end and the two sides work together to promote Greater Rossville," according to the Chattanoogan.
A bit more:

Ron Wade stood in front of the two-story log cabin that dates to the late 1700s.
The John Ross Association, headed by Larry Rose, has long overseen the property. The RDDA now has ownership of the grounds around the house.
Mr. Rose and his group last week paid for an hour's time on UCTV in Fort Oglethorpe to give their side of the fuss.
Mr. Wade said Wednesday, "I challenge the John Ross Association to cease this bickering back and forth and get down to working with all of Rossville to do some good."
He added, "We do not care who owns the John Ross House, but ever who does has an obligation to the citizens of Rossville to do something with it instead of letting its name and structure deteriorate."

Read the whole story here.

(One note -- the house does NOT date to the late 1700s. Dendroarchaelogy performed on the house several years ago has conclusively proven that the house was actually constructed by an adult John Ross, not yet chief, in 1816/17.)

Native American Heritage Month: Mark Your Calendar

2011-11-02T14:45:00.002-04:00

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr., is joining other historic sites, parks, and museums nationwide in celebrating Native American Heritage Month with a slate of several presentations in the coming weeks.

Major Ridge and John Ross: Preamble to the Trail of Tears – Claudia Oakes, director of the Chieftains Museum in Rome, GA
On Nov. 5 at 11 a.m., Oakes will lead, a discussion about the decisions made in Georgia and our nation’s capitol that led to the forced removal of the “Five Civilized Tribes” from the Southeast.

If Plants Could Talk: A Cherokee Relationship – Tony Harris, ethnobotanist and Cherokee Nation citizen
On Nov. 12 at 10:30 a.m., Harris will share how the Cherokee used native plants for good, medicine, weapons, and ceremonial purposes.

Flintknapping and the Atlatl – Carl Etheridge, archaeologist
On Nov. 12 at 1 p.m., Etheridge will demonstrate a two-hour program the ancient arts of flintknapping and the use of the atlatl.

The Early Historic People of Kennesaw Mountain – Jeff Bishop, president of the Georgia chapter of the Trail of Tears Association

On Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. Bishop will discuss the origin of local place names and the lifestyles of the Cherokee people who lived in the shadow of Kennesaw Mountain before white settlers occupied the area.

Other events throughout the nation:

• Duane H. King, Ph.D., executive director of the Gilcrease Museum and vice-president for museum affairs / Thomas Gilcrease chair at the University of Tulsa, will present two programs in Missouri in honor of American Indian Heritage Month, on Nov. 11-12. Both presentations are free and open to the public. On Nov. 11 King will present the "Benge Removal Route" at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus, at 2 p.m. On Nov. 12, King will present "Cherokee Removal Route within a 50-mile Radius" at the Trail of Tears State Park at 9:30 a.m. The Trail of Tears State Park is located at 429 Moccasin Springs, Jackson, MO (573-290-5268).

• Events in and around Cherokee, NC, as listed in the One Feather:

The Cherokee Central Schools have events planned all month. Each week is a different theme including: week of Nov. 1 – Celebrating Native Style, week of Nov. 7 – Celebrating Our People, week of Nov. 14 – Celebrating our Lifestyle, week of Nov. 21 – Celebrating the Harvest, and week of Nov. 28 – Celebrating Our Survival.
Events planned throughout the month include:

- Thursday, Nov. 3 – Period Dress Day
- Friday, Nov. 4 – Pendleton exhibit in CHS Library
- Tuesday Nov. 8 – Tribal and Community Leader day
- Wednesday, Nov. 9 – Local speaker day
- Thursday, Nov. 10 at 1pm – Veterans Celebration in the Cultural Arts Center
- Monday, Nov. 14 at 2:30pm – Indian Car Paradein front of the school
- Tuesday, Nov. 15 – Food and Music Day
- Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 2:30pm – Games and Skills on the stickball field
- Thursday, Nov. 17 – Archeology presentations in the Gathering Place
- Friday, Nov. 18 – Indian Stickball on the stickball field
- Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 2:30pm – Indian Market at the Courtyard
- Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 9:30am – Cherokee Warriors and Intertribal pow-wow

The Qualla Boundary Library has several events celebrating the month including:

- Monday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m., Native American movie night featuring a showing of The Only Good Indian starting Wes Studi
- Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 9 a.m., storyteller Marie Junaluska, library kids room
- Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m., storyteller Dawn Arneach, library kids room

Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. has an exhibit at the WCU Mountain Heritage Center entitled “Qualla Arts and Crafts: Tradition and Innovation." The free exhibit will be up until February 2012.
“The exhibit features interviews with several Cherokee tradition bearers,” said Tonya Carroll, Qualla and Crafts. “They are Davy Arch, Darrin Bark, Karen George, John Walkingstick, Geraldine Walkingstick, Fred Wilnoty, Joel Queen, Kim Bottchenbaugh, Sylvester Crowe, Jerry Wolfe and Kathi Littlejohn. Tom Belt was also interviewed about Cherokee language.
“The exhibit has artwork items made by the interviewees and some other Cherokee artisans along with enlarged photos of prominent Cherokee artists from the 20th Century,” she said.
An open house for the exhibit is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 10 from 6-8 p.m. Carroll related, “The open house for the exhibit is part of the Native American Expo at Western Carolina University. Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual partnered with the Mountain Heritage Center on this project and it was funded by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.”

The 3rd Annual Native American Expo is scheduled at WCU from Nov. 7-10 and features numerous activities and events. The Expo will kick off with a special luncheon in the third floor of the U.C. Grand Room on Monday, Nov. 7 at 12:20pm. The luncheon will feature dances by Cherokee youth and EBCI flutist Tawodi Brown. All events listed will take place in the U.C. Grand Room third floor unless otherwise noted.

Monday, Nov. 7

- Cherokee Language Revitalization, 1:25-2:15 p.m.
- Traditional Cherokee Stories, 2:30-3:20 p.m.
- The First People: An Enduring Presence (photographs by Anna Fariello), 3:30-4:30 p.m.
- Native Health Panel: Cherokee Women’s Health, 6-7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 8

- Sustaining Tradition: A Cherokee Cooperative, 11am – 12:10 p.m.
- Cherokee Letterpress, 12:30-1:50 p.m.
- Du-Yu Dv-l: The Right Path Adult Leadership, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
- The Struggle for Freedom of the Press in Indian Country, Will Chavez (Cherokee Nation), 6-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 9

- Cherokee Boarding School Experience, 12:20-1:20 p.m.
- Indian Identity Panel, 3:30-5 p.m.
- Musical performance by Arigon Starr, 6-7:30 p.m.

For more information on the Expo, email to ygonell@wcu.edu.

The Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts (OICA) has the following events planned:

- Nov. 1-30 – OICA student work will be featured in the Balsam Building Gallery on SCC’s Sylva Campus.
- Nov. 14 – An "Introduction to Printmaking" class will be held where students can learn to make prints in the Cherokee syllabary. 6-8:30 p.m.
- Nov. 17 – A reception will be held for a basket display from the Clay County Historical Society featuring Qualla Arts and Crafts members, 4-6 p.m.

The N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh is planning its 16th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 19 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Several EBCI tribal members will perform at the free event including storytellers Lloyd Arneach, Sr. and his daughter Dawn Arneach. The Warriors of Anikituwah are slated to perform traditional Cherokee dances such as the Cherokee War Dance and the Eagle Tail Dance.
Pow wow style dancing will also be held with a grand entry scheduled at noon. For more information on this event, visit ncmuseumofhistory.org or (919) 807-7900.

• Events in Oklahoma listed by the Cherokee Phoenix include an announcement that the Cherokee Nation will host two days of activities Nov. 9 and 10 to honor Native American Heritage Month. All events are free and open to the public.

-At 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 9, Professor Tim Garrison of Portland State University will present the keynote history address for the two-day event in the Tribal Council Chambers. His lecture, “The Cherokees in the Pac-12? Elisha Chester’s Bizarre Removal Plan,” illuminates an interesting aspect of Cherokee history.
-From 1:30-3 p.m. on Nov. 9, in the council chambers, producers from Twin Path Productions will present for the first time in the Tahlequah area their film of the June 2011 “Remember the Removal Bike Ride.”
-From 3:30-4 p.m. Helena McCoy, fifth-grade teacher at the Cherokee Immersion School, will present “My Awakening,” a PowerPoint presentation of images she took as a member of the “West to East Tour” sponsored by the CN Leadership Group this summer to the Cherokee homeland. McCoy will discuss her personal awakening to the achievements of Cherokee people and places and history encountered on the trip.
-From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Nov. 10, in the Tsa-La-Gi Community Room (directly behind the Restaurant of the Cherokees), artists will be on hand to teach people how to make a variety of Cherokee arts and crafts.
-A stickball game will also be played this year for the first time. The game will take place from noon to 3 p.m. at the CN complex under the direction of Cherokee citizen Shane Dominick.

• In honor of Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month this November, the National Museum of the American Indian is partnering with StoryCorps, a nonprofit oral-history organization, to celebrate American Indian Heritage Day and the 2011 National Day of Listening, a new holiday started by StoryCorps that encourages Americans to record the stories of their families, friends and local communities. Both holidays fall on the same day this year-Friday, Nov. 25.
Last year, the museum participated by recording the tribal histories, family stories, and museum experiences of Native American staffers, including museum director Kevin Gover (Pawnee) and repatriation coordinator Terry Snowball (Prairie Band Potawatomi/Wisconsin Ho-Chunk). You can listen to the interviews here.
This year, the museum is reaching out to its visitors and fans in the hopes that they might make their own recordings and post summaries on the StoryCorps Wall of Listening.
Each interview's location will be highlighted on an interactive map on the StoryCorps website, illustrating not only the scope of the museum's friends but also the diversity of Indian Country.
The museum is also encouraging everyone to share some of these stories (and photos) on the museum's blog by writing them at NMAISocialMedia@si.edu.
If you'd like to participate or have any questions about the project, please email Molly Stephey at StepheyMJ@si.edu.

New Echota Friends Visit Bartow History Center Saturday

2011-11-02T13:58:00.000-04:00

The Friends of New Echota will take a field trip to the Bartow History Museum this Saturday, Nov. 5, at 10 a.m.
Bartow History Museum Director Trey Gaines "gave an interesting talk at our October meeting about how they renovated the old court house, designed and installed the exhibits, and planned their outreach programs," said Dr. Donna Myers, president of the Friends of New Echota. "Now we're fired up to see the museum in person!"
Friends members are encouraged to "bring a friend or family member to see it, too," Myers said.
The museum is located in downtown Cartersville, 4 East Church Street, under the bridge, near the Booth Museum.
Adults $5.50 / Seniors (65+) $4.50 / Students $4.50 / Children 5 and under free / Active military free.

Artifact Identification Night: Nov. 10

2011-11-01T17:14:00.000-04:00

The Northwest Georgia chapter of the Society for Georgia Archaeology meets this Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site in Cartersville, GA.
"Back by popular demand - come out for a night of fun and learning as we have an 'Artifact Identification Night' at Etowah Mounds Museum," said Jim Langford, spokesman for the group.
The Northwest Georgia Chapter of the Society for Georgia Archaeology will have archaeologists on hand to help identify whatever rocks, tools, weapons, projectile points, pottery, or Civil War artifacts that you want to bring to show and discuss.
"It has been a long time since we have hosted one of these night-time events," said Langford. "Everybody has fun and learns a lot when we put on these kinds of programs. Come out and bring your friends. As always, the public is invited to attend these meetings."
For any questions, please call Jack Walker at 770-655-2595 or Jim Langford at 404-285-2001. Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site and Museum is located at 813 Indian Mounds Road in Cartersville, Georgia. You may reach the site by exiting I-75 at exit 288 (Cartersville Main Street) and following the brown signs.
"We look forward to seeing you there!" said Langford.

'House on Diamond Hill' Racks Up Another Award

2011-11-01T16:09:00.000-04:00

Public historian Tiya Miles was interviewed for a show about "Urban Indians" by Tomeka Weatherspoon with the Kansas City, MO NPR station, KQUR. Her segment is in the last 10 minutes of the show, which you can listen to here.
The American Society of Ethnohistory has selected her recent book, The House on Diamond Hill, for the 2011 Erminie Wheeler-Voeglin Book Award. "I gave my first presentation on black-Cherokee history at an Ethnohistory conference, alongside of Celia Naylor, so this is a special prize for me," said Miles on her Facebook page. "Thank you, ASE and members of the committee!"

Battle Brews Over Chief John Ross House

2011-10-31T21:44:00.004-04:00

Looks like there's a tug-of-war going on between the Rossville Downtown Development Authority and Larry Rose of the John Ross House Association. Read more (or watch the video) here.

'The Haunting of Beaver Gap' and Other Tales

2011-10-31T15:16:00.001-04:00

The Cherokee Phoenix reports this week about Cherokee citizen and well-known storyteller Robert Lewis, who "said as a child growing up in Salina, Okla., he was often told stories of things children were not supposed to do in the dark."
Here's more:

“We were told not to run around the house three times when the sun went down because you would run into yourself. Then, that ‘being’ (also known as a ski-li) would get rid of you and walk around pretending to be you,” Lewis said. “So, as children we would in the evening try to dare each other to run around the house but no one would run around it three times.”

Read more at The Cherokee Phoenix.
Also read about The Haunting of Beaver Gap and things that go bump in the night at the Cherokee Heritage Center.

Chieftains Museum: 'When Ghosts Walk and Spirits Talk'

2011-10-31T10:15:00.001-04:00

"When Ghosts Walk and Spirits Talk" Join the S.P.I. paranormal investigation team as they present their findings tonight from their latest visitation to the Chieftain Museum in Rome, GA. There are two programs to choose from, at 7 or 9 p.m. If you have not already booked your time, contact the museum at 706 291-9494. $5 charge -- not suitable for small children. "Bring your cameras if you like, as you might catch something on film yourself!" say folks at Chieftains.

The Removed Townhouses

2011-10-30T22:45:00.000-04:00

Long ago, long before the Cherokee were driven from their homes in 1838, the people on Valley river and Hiwassee heard voices of invisible spirits in the air calling and warning them of wars and misfortunes which the future held in store, and inviting them to come and live with the Nûñnë'hï, the Immortals, in their homes under the mountains and under the waters. For days the voices hung in the air, and the people listened until they heard the spirits, say "If you would live with us, gather everyone in your townhouses and fast there for seven days and no one must raise a shout or a warwhoop in all that time. Do this and we shall come and you will see us and we shall take you to live with us."
The people were afraid of the evils that were to come, and they knew that the Immortals of the mountains and the waters were happy forever, so they counciled in their townhouses and decided to go with them. Those of Anisgayâ'yï town came all together into their townhouse and prayed and fasted for six days. On the seventh day there was a sound from the distant mountains, and it came nearer and grew louder until a roar of thunder was all about the townhouse and they felt the ground shake under them. Now they were frightened, and despite the warning some of them screamed out. The Nûñnë'hï, who had already lifted up the townhouse with its mound to carry it away, were startled by the cry and let a part of it fall to the earth, where now we see the mound of Së`tsï. They steadied themselves again and bore the rest of the townhouse, with all the people in it, to the top of Tsuda'ye`lûñ'yï (Lone peak), near the head of Cheowa, where we can still see it, changed long ago to solid rock, but the people are invisible and immortal.
The people of another town, on Hiwassee, at the place which we call now Du'stiya`lûñ'yï, where Shooting creek comes in, also prayed and fasted, and at the end of seven days the Nûñnë'hï came and took them away down under the water. They are there now, and on a warm summer day, when the wind ripples the surface, those who listen well can hear them talking below. When the Cherokee drag the river for fish the fish-drag always stops and catches there, although the water is deep, and the people know it is being held by their lost kinsmen, who do not want to be forgotten.
When the Cherokee were forcibly removed to the West one of the greatest regrets of those along Hiwassee and Valley rivers was that they were compelled to leave behind forever their relatives who had gone to the Nûñnë'hï.
In Tennessee river, near Kingston, 18 miles below Loudon, Tennessee, is a place which the Cherokee call Gustï', where there once was a settlement long ago, but one night while the people were gathered in the townhouse for a dance the bank caved in and carried them all down into the river. Boatmen passing the spot in their canoes see the round dome of the townhouse--now turned to stone--in the water below them and sometimes hear the sound of the drum and dance coming up, and they never fail to throw food into the water in return for being allowed to cross in safety.

--From James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee, the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology (1897-98) pp. 335-336