Cherokee Trail of Tears Historical Marker

In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, requiring all Native Americans to leave their homes and move west of the Mississippi River. In 1838, those who had not relocated voluntarily were rounded up and marched west, crossing through McNairy and Hardeman Counties. About a quarter of the 16,000 Cherokees died on the march from what is now Chattanooga into Kentucky and on to what we know as Oklahoma. Look for the marker on your right as you head south on Hwy 45.