Tennessee dedicates Trail of Tears State Park

Officials have dedicated Tennessee’s newest state park in Meigs County. Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park preserves and interprets the story of the Cherokee removal across the states in 1830s. Located at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers near the historic Blythe Ferry Crossing, the park was formerly the county’s Cherokee Removal Memorial Park and marks the location where thousands of Cherokee and Muscogee (Creek) people camped in 1838 while waiting to cross westward. The Tennessee State Parks and the Tennessee Division of Archaeology have worked to ensure both that the natural landscape is protected and to preserve the important history of the area. The site is also a recognized interpretive site on the federal Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, which stretches across nine states including Tennessee.