What is the Trail of Tears?
From 1837 to 1839, thousands of Cherokee traveled along local roads and through what is now Laughlin Park on their way to Indian Territory in the West. Some groups encamped here on their journey.
The Cherokee, or the "Principal People" or Ani'-Yun' wiya, did not willingly leave their homelands in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The 1830 Indian Removal Act required that they surrender their land. In the decade that followed, the federal government forcibly removed Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole from their homes in the Southeast and relocated them to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma.
This tragic journey is called the Trail of Tears.
[Center map caption reads]
Waynesville and Roubidoux Creek lie along the northern route of the Trail of Tears. The northern route was used by 11 of the 17 Cherokee detachments. Other Indian nations followed different routes along their forced migration.
[Right map caption reads]
In the 1830s, the federal government forcibly removed approximately 16,000 Cherokee; 21,000 Muscogee (Creek); 9,000 Choctaw; 6,000 Chickasaw; and 4,000 Seminole
this page online
Erected 2015 by National Park Service, City of Waynesville, and Pulaski County Tourism Bureau.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Disasters • Native Americans. In addition, it is included in the Trail of Tears series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1837.
Location. 37° 49.579′ N, 92° 12.216′ W. Marker is in Waynesville, Missouri, in Pulaski County. Marker is on Superior Road south of Old U.S. Route 66 (Business Interstate 44), on the right when traveling south. Marker is in Roy Laughlin Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Waynesville MO 65583, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Resting Place for the Weary (here, next to this marker); A Trail of Tragedy (a few steps from this marker); Discover a Hidden History (within shouting distance of this marker); A Road Through History (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Waynesville Fort (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Frigid Crossing (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rigsby House and Standard Oil Station (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pulaski County (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Waynesville.
Also see . . .
1. Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail.
2. History of the Cherokee People. (Submitted on October 16, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Trail of Tears (Jack Baker talk on C-Span, 2020). (Submitted on October 16, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. History of Waynesville, Missouri. (Submitted on October 16, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 16, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 176 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 16, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
