Trail of Tears
Pea Ridge NMP Tour Stop #1
Directions: This is the first tour stop [ Waypoint = .N36 26.556 W94 01.764.] along the park's Auto Tour. I have included it to minimize the confusion with the park's tour stop numbering scheme. It does not have anything to do with the Battle of Pea Ridge, but is historically significant for the area.
Description: The Wire Road was the route traveled when the United States of America forced the relocation of thousands of Native Americans during the winter of 1838/1839. The interpretive sign's text reads as follows:
“The Trail of Tears – Land route”
“After passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the United States Government forced tens of thousands of American Indians to leave their ancestral lands in the southeast for new homes in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). They traveled over established land and water routes, all of which led through Arkansas. Rather than risk disease and other hazards of summer travel, many groups left in the fall and aced, instead, treacherous winter weather. Thousands died during the ordeal – remembered today as the Trail of Tears.”
“Despite the hardships of the journeys, the people of the five tribes of the Southeast established new lives in the West. They stand now as successful sovereign nations, proudly preserving cultural traditions, while adapting to the challenges of the 21st century.”
