ore than a century ago, these hallow grounds were witness to an event that will forever be a part of our national history. The Trail of Tears was a movement that took place between 1838 and 1839 moving individuals and families from their homes in the Cherokee Nation to Indian Territory in the west where their new homes would be made. During this time, lives were shattered and lost, and a land that was once home to these beautiful people is now a monument to what they experienced and survived. Where the Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers meet, we honor those that have passed before us along these paths we travel today and hope they will not be forgotten as a new generation emerges to call this place home.