End of the Journey

End of the Journey. Stilwell and the Trail of Tears , Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. , Between June 1839 and March 1839, more than 16,000 Cherokee Nation citizens trekked west from their traditional eastern homeland to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) over the "Trail of Tears." More than 1,000 died during the journey westward and there may have been as many as 4,000 that died as a result of their forced migration. Once they arrived in their new homeland, Cherokee detachments disbanded at one of seven disbandment depots, the most popular being the sites near present-day Spavinaw, Westville and Stilwell., In accordance with the Treaty of New Echota, the new arrivals were promised one of substinence provisions, to be distributed at one of five depots in the Cherokee Nation. That year proved exceedingly trying, however. The delivery of provisions proved halting, and most Cherokees spent the year 1839 living in tents and other temporary quarters while awaiting their first year's harvest.,

"The number was found to be 489 ... I have issued a sufficient quantity of cotton domestic to Indians for Tents to protect them from the weather ... as they were for the most part separated from their homes in Georgia without having the means or time to prepare" ... , Lt. Edward Deas, June 1838

, 1830s Indian Removal Policy , Federal Indian removal policy aroused fierce and bitter debate. Supporters claimed it was a benevolent action to save the tribes east of the Mississippi River from being overwhelmed and lost in the onslaught of an expanding American population. Opponents decried its inhumanity and the tragic consequences it would have for American Indians. One thing was certain; millions of acres of Indian land were given to white settlers., Today , Despite the hardships of the journey, members of the five civilized tribes established new lives in the West. The tribes stand as successful sovereign nations, proudly preserving cultural traditions, while adapting to the challenges of the 21st Century., Cherokee Nation citizens who survived the Trail of Tears joined those who removed earlier to form a new government for their sovereign nation in present-day Oklahoma. Some Cherokee remained in North Carolina and formed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.