The tradition continues: thousands prepare to commemorate Trail of Tears

Sep. 14—During the Cherokee removal in the summer of 1838 — the last tribe to be forcibly removed from east of the Mississippi River under the Indian Removal Act — thousands languished in concentration camps after a drought made water transportation on the Tennessee River impossible.

As conditions deteriorated and Native Americans succumbed to disease and illness, the federal government decided to move 1,070 Native Americans in a forced overland march from Ross Landing in Tennessee to Waterloo, Alabama. This portion of the Trail of Tears, known as the Drane/Hood Overland Route, was nearly lost to history until eight motorcyclists in 1994 decided to trace the route on their bikes.

A tradition was born.

On Saturday morning, tens of thousands of motorcyclists are expected to gather in Bridgeport to retrace the route in the 30th Annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride, a route that goes near Decatur and through Athens.

"A local historian and our ride founder, Jerry Davis, from the Scottsboro area, discovered that the Drane/Hood route traveled right through Scottsboro," said Ike Moore, president of the nonprofit Alabama-Tennessee Trail of Tears Corridor Association Inc. (ATTOCAI). "This route left from Ross Landing in Chattanooga and came through north Alabama pretty closely following what is now U.S. 72. Of course, a lot of them didn't make it to Waterloo because of the harsh conditions."

Moore said the route was named Drane/Hood after two of the wagon masters hired by the government to facilitate the forced removal.

"The reason this ride was started was to bring awareness to this Drane/Hood route," Moore said. "We've done that. We put trail markers I think every 5 miles saying Trail of Tears Route along U.S. 72 — that was one of the projects. And then we put up historical markers everywhere there was a camp that we can verify."

Moore said, in addition to the markers, ATTOCAI makes donations to Native American tribes and contributes to the Miss Indian Alabama Scholarship Fund. This year, donations from the event will go in part toward erecting a memorial statue at the Riverwalk in Waterloo.

"We are a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization," Moore said. "Every penny that comes in for donations goes to either promote the ride or bring public awareness, or scholarships, or different projects."

Eloise Josey, executive director of the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission, said Saturday's event is important for Native Americans and their descendants because it brings awareness to the Trail of Tears. Many people hold the misconception that Native Americans voluntarily relocated, according to Josey.

"That's the one thing that needs to hit home with people, is that this was not by choice," she said. "They were not paid. They could not carry their belongings. It was forced removal. It needs to never be forgotten, because when you forget history it's subject to repeat itself."

The ride has expanded in recent years beyond north Alabama, as some riders will begin ahead of Saturday in Cherokee, North Carolina, and end Tuesday in Tahlequa, Oklahoma, the capital of Cherokee Nation, according to Moore.

Still, the main event, with the largest number of riders, takes place on Saturday.

"I would guess 20- to 30-thousand motorcycles will go into Waterloo," Moore said. "There will probably be 30 miles or so worth of motorcycles by the time the ride is coming through the Athens area."

Riders, escorted by Alabama Law Enforcement Agency state troopers, will mostly follow U.S. 72 westbound before stopping for lunch and festivities at Redstone Harley-Davidson in Madison, off Interstate 565.

"We'll have live music here and about 10 vendors confirmed so far, and I think eight or nine food trucks," said Sheri McGowan, marketing and event coordinator for Redstone Harley-Davidson.

From there, motorcyclists will make their way back onto U.S. 72 and ride through Athens.

"All westbound traffic, basically, in the city of Athens will be closed during the time the motorcycles are coming through," said Capt. Anthony Pressnell, interim chief of police of the Athens Police Department.

Pressnell, who is assigning 15 officers to help with the event, said drivers won't be able to cross or turn west on U.S. 72 during the 20 to 30 minutes he expects it will take for the motorcycles to pass.

"We ask people to be patient during this time," he said. "We try to get them through town as quickly as we can, but you may have to go an alternative route. If nothing else, just get out and watch the motorcycles go through."

From Athens, riders will make their way to Waterloo at about 3 p.m. where a three-day powwow to honor the nine recognized Native American tribes of Alabama will already be underway. The event, free to the public, will offer live music, dancing, food, arts and crafts vendors and other activities, in addition to a 10 a.m. remembrance walk Saturday.

"That's on the National Historic Trail, Waterloo Point, that has been designated by the National Park Service," said Josey. "We'll walk from the top of the hill in Waterloo down to the Point, and we always do a small ceremony down there to welcome people."

Josey will be working at a T-shirt booth at Waterloo with proceeds going to the scholarship fund. She said she hopes the event will continue years into the future.

"A lot of the leadership — we're all getting older and so we need to pass the baton on to younger people," she said. "You don't have to be a Native American to care about this or to want to be involved with it."

Riders are not required to register or pay a fee to participate in the event. Interested parties can visit www.al-tn-trailoftears.net or call 678-RIDE-TOT for more information.

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.