Historic Washington State Park to host 19th Annual Red River Heritage Symposium
By: Chris AdamsHistoric Washington State Park will host the 19th Annual Red River Heritage Symposium on Saturday, July 26, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s theme is “Trail of Tears in the Red River Region” and will focus on the removal period of the Choctaw tribe as they traveled from Mississippi into southeastern Oklahoma and the impact that had on the Great Bend Region of the Red River.
Specific topics and speakers will include:
· “Washington, Arkansas, and the Trail of Tears” by Josh Williams and Chris Adams of Historic Washington State Park.
· “Choctaw and Chickasaw Removal Stories through Southwest Arkansas” by Dr. Dan Littlefield of the Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
· “Indigenous Experimental Archeology at Choctaw Nation” by Dr. Ian Thompson of the Choctaw Nation Archeological Survey.
· “Remembering Choctaw Removal Today” by a representative of the Choctaw Nation Cultural Center.
As part of the symposium, an all-day Friday and Saturday workshop for teachers and researchers will take place on July 25 and 26, beginning at 9 a.m. Lunch is included on both days. Teachers can earn a total of 12 credit hours by attending both days of the workshop and symposium. Saturday morning of the workshop will include a bus tour to sites in southwest Arkansas related to the Choctaw removal route, sponsored by the Arkansas State Archives. The cost of attending the workshop is $40. Workshop presenters will include staff from Historic Washington State Park, Arkansas State Archives, Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkansas Trail of Tears Association, and Fort Towson Historic Site. Sessions will incorporate Washington, Arkansas, and 19th-century-related topics into curriculum standards for the classroom.
The cost of attendance at the symposium is $20. A discount price of $50 will be offered to those who wish to attend both the workshop and symposium. Check-in will begin at 8 a.m. at the 1874 Hempstead County Courthouse Visitor Center. Registration must be made by July 18; contact 870-983-2684 to register.
Chris Adams
Chris Adams is the Historical Researcher at Historic Washington State Park. He has worked at Historic Washington State Park since 2011. After high school, he joined the Navy, sailed the Atlantic Ocean, and during his four-year enlistment visited more than 14 countries. He is a graduate of Henderson State University. He enjoys reading history, working in autobody painting and repair and listening to the classical guitar in his spare time.
