Developing Trail of Tears Interpretation at Land Between the Lakes

The Trail of Tears displaced thousands of Native Americans between 1830 and 1850. Around 60,000 people from the Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw tribes were relocated from their southeastern homelands to Oklahoma, taking many different paths and modes of transportation. Several of those detachments traveled by boat down the Tennessee River which flows along forty miles of the western side of Land Between the Lakes. 

A collaborative effort is taking place between the Forest Service, the Tribes, and National Park Service, to create six interpretive locations at Land Between the Lakes to tell the story of these journeys. 

This presentation will share an overview of the history of the Trail of Tears, a specific focus on the water route, and the current collaborative effort to create public interpretation at Land Between the Lakes.

Christopher Thornock is an archaeologist, tribal liaison, and the Heritage Program Manager at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area where he has worked there since 2015. He grew up in Augusta, Georgia, and did his graduate work the University of South Carolina researching Native American landscapes.

In support of the Smithsonian's Traveling exhibit, Americans which will be at the River Discovery Center on August 23-September 27, 2025. The center is located at 117 S Water Street, Paducah, Kentucky 

All programs are free and open to the public 

For additional information contact: 

Bobbie Wrinkle, Adult Programming Coordinator bwrinkle@mclib.net