Trail of Tears Cherokee

TRAIL OF TEARS CHEROKEE "Walk in their Footsteps" The area surrounding the Cedartown Big Spring was first inhabited by the Cherokee Indians. The land was prized for its abundance of sparkling spring water and shade-providing cedar trees. The Cherokee people lived here peacefully until May 26, 1838 when militiamen began their forced round up as part of the 1830 Indian Removal Act.

Eighty soldiers set up a military post here, on this very land, creating Camp Cedar Town. More than 200 Cherokee - men, women, and children - were captured during a month's time. Soldiers used the camp as a place to hold the Cherokee captive until they were forced to travel to deportation camps in Tennessee and later, farther west.

Because of this, the land where you now stand plays a significant role in the Trail of Tears. On this ground, the Cherokee people wept, mourning the loss of the land they loved and the lives lost along this trail paved with tears. This marker made possible by Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society - "With You Through Life" and the Trail of Tears Remembrance Motorcycle Ride.