Trail of Tears

Mantle Rock - 1/2 mile. During winter of 1838-1839, the Cherokees were forced to leave their Smoky Mountain homes for Oklahoma territory. Mantle Rock, a 40-foot sandstone arch, was used for shelter on their "Trail of Tears." Since the icy Ohio River had no ferry traffic, the Indians sought cover beneath the arch. Many died there. Mantle Rock was also campsite for ancient Indians

In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. David Crockett, Tennessee Congressman, and many others opposed the bill, yet it passed by one vote. This act displaced over 100,000 Native American Indians from 1838-1839. They were ripped from their ancestral homes in the Southeastern US and forced to move to a reservation 1,000+ miles away in modern day Oklahoma. Approximately 4,000 died on the routes. These routes are known as the Trail of Tears. Two of the paths passed through Giles County and Pulaski, Tennessee. 

The Trail of Tears Memorial was built by Larry Baggett to memorialize the plight of the Cherokee Nation’s forced march and relocation from the southeastern United States to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Most of the concrete work is encrusted with local stone. Mr. Baggett studied Indian culture, astrology and numerology, and told visitors he created the monument to memorialize the plight of Native Americans, to whoms' ghosts he could speak with.