Calhoun in Gordon County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Trail of Tears
Photographed By David Seibert, June 26
1. Trail of Tears Marker
The New Echota Treaty of 1835 relinquished Cherokee Indian claims to lands east of the Mississippi River. The majority of the Cherokee people considered the treaty fraudulent and refused to leave their homelands in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee. 7,000 Federal and State troops were ordered into the Cherokee Nation to forcibly evict the Indians. On May 26, 1838, the roundup began. Over 15,000 Cherokees were forced from their homes at gunpoint and imprisoned in stockades until removal to the west could take place. 2,700 left by boat in June 1838, but, due to many deaths and sickness, removal was suspended until cooler weather. Most of the remaining 13,000 Cherokees left by wagon, horseback, or on foot during October and November, 1838, on an 800 mile route through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. They arrived in what is now eastern Oklahoma during January, February, and March, 1839. Disease, exposure, and starvation may have claimed as many as 4,000 Cherokee lives during the course of capture, imprisonment, and removal. The ordeal has become known as the Trail of Tears.
Erected 1989 by Georgia Department of Natural Resources. (Marker Number 064-33.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Native Americans
this page online
Location. 34° 32.446′ N, 84° 54.58′ W. Marker is in Calhoun, Georgia, in Gordon County. Marker can be reached from Chatsworth Highway/Joseph Vann Highway (Georgia Route 225). Marker is located adjacent to the museum at the New Echota Historical Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1211 Chatsworth Hwy NE, Calhoun GA 30701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Historic Site in Journalism (a few steps from this marker); Cherokee Indian Memorial (a few steps from this marker); New Echota (a few steps from this marker); Hicks/McCoy House Sites (within shouting distance of this marker); New Echota Ferry (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); New Echota Cemetery (approx. half a mile away); Sequoyah (approx. 1.7 miles away); Calhoun War Memorial (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Calhoun.
Photographed By Jamie Abel, June 9, 2013
2. Trail of Tears Marker and Cherokee Indian Memorial
The marker is on the right at the end of this walkway towards the entrance to the New Echota Visitors Center.
Photographed By Craig Doda, May 19, 2018
3. Trail of Tears Marker
Photographed By Craig Doda, May 19, 2018
4. Trail of Tears Marker
Near this marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 1, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 7, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 2,504 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 7, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 2. submitted on June 9, 2013, by Jamie Abel of Westerville, Ohio. 3, 4. submitted on November 28, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
