Trail of Tears in north central Arkansas may be recognized

By: John Anderson

The Trail of Tears, a forced march of American Indians from the homes they had known in eastern states to Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma, in the early 1800s, is well recorded by historians.

Designation of the Trail of Tears as a National Historic Trail, which was signed into law by former President Ronald Reagan in 1987, led to Americans being educated about the deadly toll of U.S. policies toward American Indians in the days of westward expansion.

But the tale of a journey of about 1,200 American Indians, who took a route on the Trail of Tears crossing the Twin Lakes Area before either lake existed, largely has gone untold.
The Benge route they took in 1838-1839, from northeastern Alabama, through Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas and to Indian Territory, soon may be designated as part of the Trail of Tears.

Along with the Bell Route that crossed central Arkansas, the designation of the Benge route would add the missing chapters in the saga of the American Indians who were forced to leave their homes.

"We could fully tell the tale of the Cherokee relocation for the first time," said Mark Christ, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

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