Post by Okwes on Feb 22, 2006 15:18:13 GMT -5
Trail of Tears Commemoration Scheduled
The Cherokee Nation will be holding a dedication ceremony at the historic Elkhorn Tavern, which housed people during the Trail of Tears and the Civil War.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-Cherokee Nation, in conjunction with the Pea Ridge National Military Park, the National Trail of Tears Association, the National Park Service-Long-Distance Trails Group, the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma Trail of Tears Associations, will host a Trail of Tears Commemoration on Saturday, March 11, at 10 a.m. at the Pea Ridge Military Park near Rogers, Arkansas.
"In 1838, one of the darkest chapters of American history was written. This event was the forced removal of 16,000 Cherokees due to the Treaty of New Echota of 1835. This episode in American history will forever be remembered as the Cherokee Nation's Trail of Tears," said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith. "Recognizing the Trail of Tears is important for three reasons. It reminds us that the United States government must not repeat the mistakes it made in the past, that it must honor its words, and that the inspiring story of the Cherokee spirit must be voiced."
The commemoration will begin with a public program, to be held in the Pea Ridge National Military Park Visitor Center Auditorium, on Trail of Tears research. This program, the spring meeting of the Arkansas Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, will feature a speech by Dr. Daniel Littlefield, Jr., director of the Sequoyah Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
At 2 p.m., a dedication ceremony will be held at the historic Elkhorn Tavern, which housed people during the Trail of Tears and the Civil War and is now a bed and breakfast. The dedication will feature comments from Chief Smith, Miss Cherokee 2005 and other Cherokee Nation representatives as well as representatives of the National Trail of Tears Association and the National Park Service. This ceremony marks the restoration and reopening of that portion of the Trail of Tears, one of the longest intact sections of the trail in existence, that runs through the east side of Pea Ridge National Military Park.
At 3:30 p.m., Chief Smith will lead participants on a short commemorative walk on a restored section of the trail north of Elkhorn Tavern.
Pea Ridge National Military Park preserves both the site of the Civil War battle that occurred in March 1862 and the longest restored section of the Northern Route of the Trail of Tears in Arkansas. The park is located 10 miles north of Rogers, Ark., on Highway 62.
For more information on the Trail of Tears Commemoration, call Kevin Eads, Chief of Resources Management, Pea Ridge National Military Park, at (479)451-8122, ext. 239.
The Cherokee Nation will be holding a dedication ceremony at the historic Elkhorn Tavern, which housed people during the Trail of Tears and the Civil War.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.-Cherokee Nation, in conjunction with the Pea Ridge National Military Park, the National Trail of Tears Association, the National Park Service-Long-Distance Trails Group, the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma Trail of Tears Associations, will host a Trail of Tears Commemoration on Saturday, March 11, at 10 a.m. at the Pea Ridge Military Park near Rogers, Arkansas.
"In 1838, one of the darkest chapters of American history was written. This event was the forced removal of 16,000 Cherokees due to the Treaty of New Echota of 1835. This episode in American history will forever be remembered as the Cherokee Nation's Trail of Tears," said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith. "Recognizing the Trail of Tears is important for three reasons. It reminds us that the United States government must not repeat the mistakes it made in the past, that it must honor its words, and that the inspiring story of the Cherokee spirit must be voiced."
The commemoration will begin with a public program, to be held in the Pea Ridge National Military Park Visitor Center Auditorium, on Trail of Tears research. This program, the spring meeting of the Arkansas Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, will feature a speech by Dr. Daniel Littlefield, Jr., director of the Sequoyah Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
At 2 p.m., a dedication ceremony will be held at the historic Elkhorn Tavern, which housed people during the Trail of Tears and the Civil War and is now a bed and breakfast. The dedication will feature comments from Chief Smith, Miss Cherokee 2005 and other Cherokee Nation representatives as well as representatives of the National Trail of Tears Association and the National Park Service. This ceremony marks the restoration and reopening of that portion of the Trail of Tears, one of the longest intact sections of the trail in existence, that runs through the east side of Pea Ridge National Military Park.
At 3:30 p.m., Chief Smith will lead participants on a short commemorative walk on a restored section of the trail north of Elkhorn Tavern.
Pea Ridge National Military Park preserves both the site of the Civil War battle that occurred in March 1862 and the longest restored section of the Northern Route of the Trail of Tears in Arkansas. The park is located 10 miles north of Rogers, Ark., on Highway 62.
For more information on the Trail of Tears Commemoration, call Kevin Eads, Chief of Resources Management, Pea Ridge National Military Park, at (479)451-8122, ext. 239.