Annual Arkansas Chapter Trail of Tears Meeting and Program

Join us in the visitor center Lakeview Room for “Choctaw Removals through the Dardanelle Area: 1831-1850” – After the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, Choctaw people were instructed to leave their homes in Mississippi and Alabama. This meant each family not only stood to lose their homes, but areas rich in generational knowledge passed down for thousands of years. This significantly impacted Choctaw people’s relationship with the land. And this happened not just in the 1830s, but on into the next century with subsequent removals. This presentation will begin by covering removals that went through Dardanelle during 1831-1850, with descriptions of these routes and historical accounts; special emphasis will be given to the lesser known 1840s Trail of Tears routes. A recent discovery of a Trail of Tears song, composed in 1831, will be highlighted, where the presentation will be open for group discussion. In this way, participants will hopefully leave in reflection of not just a mere understanding of the history of these removals, but the essence of the loss the Choctaw people faced in walking away from everything they knew.