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OUTDOORS
Places to go: Trail of Tears Commemorative Park
The Trail of Tears Commemorative Park in Hopkinsville, Ky., hosts an annual Pow Wow. Pictured are some of the festivities from the 2009 event.
Purchase this photoThis historic park was used as an encampment in 1838 and 1839. It is the burial site for two Cherokee chiefs who died during the removal: Fly Smith and Whitepath. On site is a Cherokee memorial with a circle of flags. A two-room historic log cabin (relocated to the park) serves as a visitor center/museum (Heritage Center). The Trail of Tears Commission, Inc., manages the park, a certified site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
Thousands of Cherokee people lost their lives during their forced removal from their homelands in the Southeast to the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) in the late 1830s. Road conditions, illness and miserable weather conditions all took their toll on the Trail of Tears.
LOCATION: Hopkinsville, Ky.
DIRECTIONS: U.S. Highway 41 and Skyline Drive in Hopkinsville, Christian County.
PHONE NUMBER: none
WEB SITE: www.nps.gov or www.trailoftears.org
HOURS: Park access is unrestricted, but the park's heritage center is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.
THINGS TO DO: Picnic area, museum. The Heritage Center contains two rooms of exhibits interpreting the Cherokee Nation, the Trail of Tears and various American Indian tribes and their respective removal histories.
