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Trail of Tears: Western Arkansas & Oklahoma Itinerary

Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

Map showing trail sites in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma
Map showing trail sites in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma on the itinerary. There are additional sites in Arkansas and Oklahoma that you can find under "Plan Your Visit."

Each site in this itinerary focuses on the western end of the Trail of Tears as detachments arrived in Indian Territory. Water route detachments passed by Fort Smith and with one glance left behind the US and entered Indian Territory.

Use this itinerary to retrace the path of those arriving in Indian Territory and rebuilding the Cherokee Nation. Depending on how much time you spend at each site, this is a one- or two-day itinerary.

Contact each site for visiting information, including hours of operation.

Itinerary Map

History

Prior to Forced Removal


Some Cherokee recognized the likelihood of forced removal and moved west to Arkansas prior to the Trail of Tears in 1838-1839. Still faced with discrimination those Cherokee relocated again, this time to Indian Territory (part of today’s Oklahoma). These “Old Settlers” established their own government.
Others who chose to leave early included those in the Treaty Party, a dissident group of Cherokee that negotiated a treaty with the federal government (signed at New Echota in 1835) accepting millions of dollars and agreeing to move west. Some of these party members traveled in the B. B. Cannon detachment that passed through Cane Hill in 1837.

Sequoyah, the creator of the Cherokee syllabary (alphabet), moved to Indian Territory before forced removal. He built his cabin near Sallisaw in 1829. He was an active advocate for Cherokee Nation political reunification in their new lands.

Indian Territory


After the 1838-1839 detachments crossed into Indian Territory many went to designated disbandment depots such as the one near Stilwell. The Treaty of New Echota promised one year of subsistence provisions yet supplies were irregular. Many Cherokee lived in tents waiting for their first year’s crops.

Cherokee transported not only themselves but also their lifestyle, as is illustrated at the Murrell home in Park Hill (near Tahlequah) and the stories told in Webbers Falls. The last detachment of Cherokee to leave their homelands arrived at Webber Falls before heading north to a disbandment site near Tahlequah.

A visit to the Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill connects the Trail of Tears to the modern visitor, highlighting what the Cherokee endured and how they are still a nation—the largest tribal nation in the US.

Trip Itinerary

Showing results 1-7 of 7
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  • Fort Smith National Historic Site, the Trail of Tears

    • Sites: Fort Smith National Historic Site, Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail
    In the center of the image a large 37 star flag flies on a 100 foot tall flag pole to the right is t

    Fort Smith witnessed life on the edge of Indian Territory, and the park tells its stories through the experiences of soldiers, outlaws, and lawmen. For those on the Trail of Tears, it was the last point of federal land before entering Indian Territory. The site has in-depth exhibits about Indian removal.

  • Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

    Webbers Falls Oklahoma

    three interpretive waysides on the banks of the Arkansas River in Webbers Falls Oklahoma

    Webbers Falls was a Cherokee settlement prior to the forced removal of 1838-1839. There are several sites in Webbers Falls to visit related to the Trail of Tears.

  • Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

    Cane Hill - Trail of Tears

    Trail of Tears site. Where B B Cannon contingent stopped overnight at their last stop before reaching Indian Territory at the Bean Farm near Stilwell.

  • Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

    Sequoyah’s Cabin

    A historic, small log cabin, with an awning, sits in front of a distant small stone cabin in forest.

    Sequoyah wrote the Cherokee syllabary, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible. He built this cabin in 1829 and it remains as a monument to Sequoyah's efforts to unite the Cherokee Nation.

  • Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

    Stilwell, Oklahoma - Trail of Tears

    An expansive view of a flat, grassy cemetery dotted with headstones and a few deciduous trees.

    When Cherokee detachments arrived in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), each had a designated dispersal or disbandment site. Mrs. Webbers’ plantation was located near present-day Stilwell on what is now New Hope Cemetery. There were five disbandment sites near this site in Stilwell.

  • Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

    Hunter's Home

    Hunter’s Home is the only remaining pre–Civil War plantation home in Oklahoma. A kitchen garden, field crops, animals, log cabin, and the historic home give visitors a window into life on an antebellum Cherokee plantation.

  • Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail

    Fort Gibson State Historic Site

    A stone sign sits in front of large historic log fort "Fort Gibson Historic Site."

    Active from 1824 through 1890, it was at first the westernmost US military fort and was a key to US military strategy, inasmuch as the fort held more soldiers than any other fort located west of the Mississippi River. The fort was also a dispersal site for the Seminole and Creek Indians after their long journey from their homes in the southeastern United States.

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Last updated: May 21, 2023