Regional Trail of Tears route remembered through preservation by the National Forestry Service

Do you live in the northwestern area of Butler County? Have you ever found arrowheads in that area? Have you ever wondered why some area look like an old path? There could be historically and culturally significant reasons for that.

The Trail of Tears, a harrowing chapter in American history, marks the forced relocation of approximately 100,000 Native Americans from their ancestral homelands to designated Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River during the 1830s. Of the multiple routes that were taken, one went through Wayne, Butler and Ripley counties.

Ansley Lester, archaeologist/GIS specialist with the U.S. Forest Service, chose the historic trail as the subject of her thesis for graduate school. Using satellite technology as well as maps and other resources at her disposal, she was able to highlight three different types of routes utilized for the trail.

Lester shared information about her findings with the Poplar Bluff chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Thursday afternoon at the Agee Fellowship in Poplar Bluff.

“The Type One Road is designated for routes that are well-maintained and clear, like regular roads as we currently use them,” Lester explained. “Type Two Roads are roads limited use roads that may not be listed on modern maps or come up by name in a search. Think more along the lines of old gravel roads. And the Type Three Road is the kind that have become reclaimed by nature with lots of growth and plant life.”

Lester said the Type Three Roads are the ones that are more mysterious due to the nature of their condition, as well as their locations.

“If the route is on federal land, then we can do lots of things to preserve and work in that area,” Lester commented. “However, if it is on private property then we’re very limited with what we can do, because the lawn is privately owned.”

Lester explained that the routes are fairly easy to determine since such they can be identified by flat areas with groundswells on either side. And, while much of the mapping of the trail has been completed, Lester noted the continuing need for segments to be identified and preserved whenever possible.

Certain portions of the trail run through property designated as being part of the Mark Twain National Forest, and it is in this specific areas the government can immediately allocate preservation resources.

“If someone finds Indian artifacts on their private property, they can certainly reach out to the state historical society to let them know that a historical site may have been found,” Lester explained. “If artifacts are found on federal property, it has to be identified and then made available for the tribes to claim.”

The Trail of Tears, instigated by the Indian Removal Act of 1830, resulted in the deaths of thousands from disease, exposure, and starvation along the treacherous journey. As a result, Lester said remains have been found in various locations along the trail.

“If you were to look at the amount of artifacts that have been curated and are in Columbia, you would be shocked,” Lester remarked. “There are just so many artifacts that have been recovered. And much of what has been curated has been sent back to the tribes.”

Of the different tribes that were taken on the trail, only the Cherokee took land routes through Missouri, with the first arriving in late 1837 and the last detachment departing the state in February 1839. Because of the distance and the various roads taken through the state, Missouri has more miles of the Cherokee Trail of Tears than any other state at more than 600 miles.

Lester explained that the Cherokee tribe has an annual bike ride that follows the Trail of Tears beginning in Cherokee, North Carolina, and Missouri is considered to be one of the more difficult segments of the journey, due to the number of hills and uneven terrain.

Lester also explained the fact that there are stewardship opportunities available for individuals through the forest service, where individuals can work at preserving the areas through partnership with the Cherokee Nation.

“The research and protection management of the Trail of Tears with federal agencies and tribal nations today, signify how relationships have changed,” Lester said during her presentation. “But there are still policies and practices in place today that prove we have a long way to go.”