The Trail of Tears and the Illinois Connection

In the early 19^th century, the United States was experiencing tremendous growth and was hampered by the fact that both Spain and England held land on the continent. Thomas Jefferson suggested creating a buffer zone between the states and the European-held lands which would be inhabited by Native Americans, relocated from the eastern states. In 1829, Andrew Jackson created a policy in his inaugural speech that allowed for the relocation of the eastern American Indians to lands west of the Mississippi. The Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830.

The removal began in 1831 with the Choctaw Indians of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, who left voluntarily claiming they would prefer to live freely in a new land, than to remain and be governed by laws in which they had no say. Somewhere between 5000 and 6000 remained in Mississippi, while some 17,000 made the journey. So grueling was the trek that a Choctaw chief believed to be Thomas Harkins or Nitikechi told the Arkansas Gazette that the removal was a "trail of tears and death", thus coining the phrase. Somewhere between 2500 and 6000 Choctaws lost their lives to the hardships.

The Seminole followed in 1832, the Creek in 1834, the Chickasaw in 1837 and the Cherokee in 1838-9.

In the winter of 1838, nearly 17,000 Cherokee set out on the journey from Red Clay, Tennessee to Oklahoma, and a large percentage of them passed through Illinois. The Cherokees crossed the Ohio River into Illinois, arriving at Golconda via Berry's Ferry, about 100 yards downstream from the current KY ramp. Their trek took them westward on the 19th Century version of what's now Route 146. They went through Vienna and Jonesboro and crossed the Mississippi using two different ferries. One was immediately west of Jonesboro at Willard Landing and the other was to the southwest opposite Bainbridge, Mo.

The Cherokees' trek across Southern Illinois was not a pleasant one. They were treated badly and they were stuck here, waiting for the ice flows to stop along the Mississippi River. The Cherokees traveled in 13 contingents to Oklahoma. One went by river, three took a southern route and nine traveled across Illinois. Each contingent was set up to take approximately 1,000 people, all except the 13th, which was smaller. Reverend John S. Butrick, a missionary, travelled with this last group and kept a diary of the journey.

Butrick crossed the Ohio on Dec. 15, 1838; he didn't see the Mississippi River until Jan. 25. Even then, it took three more weeks to get all the people in his contingent crossed. From the time the first contingent crossed the Ohio in November to the last part of Butrick's group crossed in February, the Cherokees had spent three months in Southern Illinois.

According to Butrick's diary, by Dec. 29, 1838, the detachments were spread out across the region. "One detachment stopped at the Ohio River, two at the Mississippi, one four miles this side, one 16 miles this side, one 18 miles, and one 13 miles behind us. In all these detachments, comprising about 8,000 souls, there is now a vast amount of sickness, and many deaths," wrote Butrick, who himself was suffering from fever and a cough.

Today the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail auto route enters Southern Illinois on the ferry at Cave-in-Rock, turns west onto Route 146 north of the city and continues westward until it crosses the Mississippi at Cape Girardeau. Some places along the way to visit are listed below.

• Campground Church and Cemetery at 50 Tunnel Lane in Anna Illinois is the "first site certified in Illinois by the National Park Service (NPS) and recognized by the national Trail of Tears Association as a Trail of Tears burial ground" according to the Southernmost Illinois Tourism website. It has been in continuous operation since 1850 and has been scientifically authenticated as containing the remains of multiple Cherokees.

• Crabb-Abbott Farm on Hound Ridge Road in Golconda, Illinois sits on land that was part of the trail and has been verified by the county road commissioner's documents. Access to the still visible, deeply eroded, abandoned roadbed is permitted by the owner but as it lies on private property, visitors need permission from the owner before entering.

• The Trail of Tears State Forest at 3240 State Forest Road, off Highway 127 in Jonesboro Illinois offers, hiking, primitive camping, horseback trails, hunting and picnic areas. Call 618-833-4910 for more information.

So far, Pope County has been able to verify the vast majority of the original trail, though some of it is on private property. The picture accompanying this article details the original road and shows where you can travel it publicly or privately, with landowner's permission.

Sources: Personal Experience,

Illinois History

State Parks

National Park Service

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