Bicycle tour remembers the Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears becomes a road to discovery every year for a group of Cherokee Nation bicyclists who follow the path of their ancestors.

Called Remember the Removal, the annual bicycle tour meanders along 1,000 miles of road from North Georgia to Oklahoma.

It repeats one of the many dark chapters of U.S. history as the federal and state governments continued to push Native Americans off their land and out of existence or onto reservations.

In this case, the US government evicted the Cherokee from their lands that straddled Georgia and Tennessee in 1838. After being held in camps, they were forced at gunpoint to relocate to Oklahoma in the winter of 1838-39. Of the 16,000 Cherokee uprooted, 4,000 died that winter.

The Remember the Removal bike tour is geared toward Cherokee students. Applications are open now and about 15 cyclists will be chosen after the March 1 deadline. The bike travelers don't have to be in top physical condition, but they should be able to ride 50 to 70 miles a day.

Last year, group leader Todd Enlow explained to an Oklahoma TV station about the tour:

“There are three things you learn on this ride. First, you learn Cherokee history by experiencing it yourself; second, you learn your own family history; and third, you learn your strengths and abilities to go beyond what you think you can do.”

After leaving Georgia, they'll  ride through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas before reaching their destination of  Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the present-day capital of the Cherokee Nation. Most days require between 30 to 60 miles of riding.

I can see how worthwhile this bike tour would be for Cherokee students. The slow pace of bike touring would give them a good opportunity to soak in the landscape their ancestors crossed and visit any historical sites along the way.

The trip could be illuminating for others as well. Back in 2005, a New Jersey high school teacher took a leave of absence and followed a number of historical trails across the US. One of the Trails of Tears was among them. You can read his comments at “Trailing Dreams of America, 2005.”

The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail has a map of several of the different trails used by the Cherokees, although the roads aren't clearly marked. It also lists historical sites in the states through which those trails pass.

The Adventure Cycling Association already has created bicycle route maps for such historical trails as the Lewis & Clark Trail and the Underground Railroad. Although the staff is presently working on another historic pathway, Route 66, perhaps the Trail of Tears is a route they might do in the future.

Photo above from Remember the Removal website.