The Trail of Tears along the Memphis to Little Rock Road

The Trail of Tears along the Memphis to Little Rock Road. Down the trail from where you are standing is the most well-preserved remaining section of the historic Trail of Tears in Arkansas. , Tradition and heritage run deep jn the collective souls of the Five Southeastern Tribes (Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Cherokee, and Seminole). Centuries before European contact, these tribes built communities, developed agricultural economies, and created complex tribal governments. , In the early 1800s, the United States was expanding westward into the new lands purchased from France. , The eastern states and the federal eovernment were attempting to satisfy white settlers by negotiating treaties with and passing laws over the Native American nations. This process led to the election of Andrew Jackson as President, passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, and removal ofthe Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Cherokee, and Seminole to present-day Oklahoma. , Arkansas played a key role in the removal story. The lands now presented as Village Creek State Park witnessed the passage of members of four of these Five Tribes. ,