>> Thousands of Cherokee once walked this path, part of a forced migration.

An overland journey covering more than 800 miles.

A journey that cut through southern Illinois in the dead of winter.

The Cherokee called this trail the place where they cried.

We know it as the Trail of Tears.

[MUSIC] I'm Mark Kiesling.

Join me as we follow in their footsteps today on Illinois backroads.

[MUSIC] Our journey actually begins on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River at a place called mantle Rock, about three miles east of Golconda, Illinois.

Mantle Rock is the largest freestanding arch east of the Mississippi during the winter of 1838 and 39.

This rock outcropping served as a shelter for many Cherokee who were stuck here waiting for the Ohio River to thaw and become passable.

Several groups of Cherokee spent days or weeks here or in camps nearby, waiting and shivering in the December cold.

But this was just the latest challenge on a journey that started hundreds of miles southeast of here in the summer of 1838.

Federal agents operating under the Indian Removal Act rounded up the nearly 16,000 Cherokee living in and around Georgia, driving them off their land and into detention camps in Tennessee and Alabama.

>> Initially, prior to removal, they were put into internment camps.

And so that was during the summer period, which was a really long, dry, hot summer.

Um, they were, you know, had inadequate food, inadequate supplies.

And then, of course, they went from being kind of already in a bad situation and malnourished with lack of supplies, um, into traveling.

>> They spent four months suffering in these camps.

The forced marches that eventually passed through Illinois began in October of 1838.

It was December of that year before most of the detachments made it to the Ohio River and this place, mantle Rock.

There is some debate, however, as to how many Cherokee actually used this site for shelter.

Nearly a dozen detachments passed through this area, each included between 700 and 1500 Cherokee.

Some likely sought protection from the weather under this natural shelter or near the bluffs around it, where streams provided natural water sources.

Most stayed in temporary camps that stretched for miles along a road just north of mantle Rock.

It led to a ferry owned by John Berry, which carried travelers across the Ohio to Golconda.

A detachment led by Major Richard Taylor was one of those camped here, waiting for ice floes on the Ohio River to thaw enough to allow passage.

The contingent had already traveled more than 400 miles to reach this point, a trip that took about six weeks.

>> Every contingent of Cherokees had a minister with them.

Sometimes those ministers were Cherokee themselves, like the Reverend Bushyhead, and sometimes they were not.

They were just Baptist missionaries that were committed to the Cherokee on their journey west.

>> Mary McCorvey is a former heritage program manager for the Shawnee National Forest.

>> So those people and others kept a journal of their travels across southern Illinois.

And thank goodness we have that because it adds so much more insight into the daily lives, the suffering.

>> The Taylor detachment included the Reverend Daniel Buttrick.

He was raised in the northeast, but joined the Cherokee Nation as a missionary around the age of 30.

He kept a detailed journal of their travels, including crossing the Ohio River into Illinois.

>> Saturday, December 15th.

Early in the morning, the detachment started for the river and commenced crossing about 10:00.

The weather was pleasant and still affording us a favorable opportunity for crossing the river.

Reverend Daniel Buttrick Taylor detachment.

>> Once the Cherokee crossed the Ohio.

They camped near Golconda.

Cherokee leaders expected a fairly quick journey through southern Illinois, a trip of about 55 miles.

Doctor Mark Wagner is a former professor at Siu and led the university's center for Archaeological Investigations.

He's done exhaustive research on the Trail of Tears in Illinois in 1837.

>> There was a group that came through.

One of the first groups came through, and they got through in a matter of days or a week because their weather was great.

But the group that came through in 1838 got the weather was just awful, and they came through in the winter and they got stuck for months in southern Illinois.

>> By the time the Taylor detachment arrived on December 15th, several detachments had already passed through this area, and many landowners in Polk County were growing tired of the Cherokee's presence.

>> As soon as one contingent, uh, got across the river from Kentucky into Golconda, they moved to where they knew they were supposed to be camping.

And the farmer wouldn't let them do that anymore.

So they they had already set up camp.

And then the farmer wrote in and said, get off my land, basically.

So they moved to the next spot that had been assigned, and the same thing happened.

>> The trail the Cherokee used was actually a very old trail that connected the Ohio and Mississippi rivers with river ferries at either end.

>> So if you go, if you take that trail, you can bypass having to go down to the confluence and then coming up the Mississippi.

And a lot of people did that.

And so it was well known in the 1800s about that trail.

So the Cherokee are not arriving here and wandering aimlessly around looking for a way.

They they're following the trail and the people know they're coming.

>> The trail was located within five miles of either side of what is now Illinois Route 146, stretching from Golconda in Pope County to the Mississippi River, just beyond where in Union County, most of the Cherokee marched alongside caravans of wagons hauling supplies.

But those supplies would only last a few days, then had to be replenished.

That presented a chance for many locals to make money.

>> The Trail of Tears was an economic opportunity for people in southern Illinois and Kentucky.

That was never going to come again.

You have 10,000 people coming through that are going to need shelter.

Going to need food.

Going to need places to stay.

And and a lot of people can make money off of that.

And so that's one of the things that's going on.

And you know, if people could make money off of it, they were more welcoming.

And if they couldn't, um, they may not be.

>> The Cherokee also had to endure adverse weather conditions.

The trip through Illinois did not go as expected.

The harsh winter conditions meant instead of a week or days.

These later detachments needed six weeks to get from river to river.

Some were in Illinois much longer.

>> And when they got here, this was the worst time.

I think it took some of those contingents like three months.

Some of them had entered at Golconda in October, and they didn't get cross into Missouri until the new year.

So they were here for quite some time and needed obviously a lot of resources.

>> Many died of exposure, malnutrition, various diseases and physical Exhaustion at nearly every stop.

The Cherokee held funerals and burials.

[MUSIC] >> Thursday, December 20th.

As several wagons and some sick persons are still behind.

We wait today for them.

This morning a little child about ten years old died Reverend Daniel Buttrick.

[MUSIC] >> There were elderly, there were children.

And so just the harsh conditions were just, um, made it really difficult for them to continue.

>> There were a few bright spots along the way, though.

On December 21st, Buttrick wrote, they traveled six miles to a very pleasant spot.

McCorvey and Wagner believed that place was near present day Dixon Springs State Park, a place where people still come to camp when the weather is more favorable.

Dixon Springs was located directly on the trail, and back then the area was known for its seven springs of mineral enriched water.

Those springs and streams provided a natural water source important for any campsite.

It's still a place of natural beauty.

These bluffs not only provided an incredible view for the Cherokee, they also provided shelter from the wind.

Several years after the Cherokee passed through, Dixon Springs became a health spa, attracting hundreds of visitors annually.

But while the Taylor detachment was there, the weather turned threatening.

Temperatures dipped again and a cold front brought strong winds.

>> Sunday, December 23rd.

The wind blew a gale nearly the whole night and seemed to threaten almost certain calamity, both by scattering the fire through the leaves and tents and also by throwing limbs, trees, and the like upon our head.

Reverend Daniel Buttrick.

>> Reverend Buttrick noted two more children in his party died of a stomach illness while at Dixon Springs.

By Christmas, the Taylor detachment had made it to a camp near Dutchman's Creek, a couple miles west of Vienna in Johnson County.

But by this time the Reverend Buttrick was not impressed by the illinoisans he had met along the way.

>> Tuesday, December 25th.

Thus far, the citizens of Illinois appear more and more pitiable.

They seem not only low in all their manners, but ignorant, poor, and ill humored.

Reverend Daniel Buttrick.

>> By December 29th, detachments were spread from mantle rock to the banks of the Mississippi.

Deadlocked, waiting on both rivers to thaw enough to cross, the Taylor detachment was stuck 25 miles from the Mississippi.

>> Saturday, December 29th.

It is distressing to reflect on the situation of the Cherokee Nation.

One detachment is stopped at the Ohio River, two at the Mississippi, one four miles this side, 116 miles this side 118 miles and one three miles behind us.

In all, these detachments comprise of about 8000 souls.

There is sickness in almost every tent, and yet all are homeless in a strange land and in a cold region, exposed to weather almost unknown in their native country.

But they are prisoners.

Reverend Daniel Buttrick.

>> I'm out here today on a day when the temperatures hovering around freezing with this insulated coat and gloves on, and I'm still cold.

Imagine what the Cherokee were going through without adequate shelter or adequate clothing.

One of the groups stuck on the Mississippi floodplain was the Daniel Detachment.

Martin Davis was traveling with that group.

There is the coldest weather in Illinois I ever experienced.

The streams are all frozen over something like 8 or 12in thick.

We are compelled to cut through the ice to get water for ourselves and animals.

It snows here every 2 or 3 days.

Martin Davis Daniel detachment.

Like the Taylor detachment, the Daniel Group spent three weeks waiting on ice floes on the Mississippi to thaw enough to allow passage.

>> They got, uh, trapped in all these camps along the in in Illinois, and people started getting sick and dying.

Uh, and they couldn't get out of them.

They couldn't.

Uh, there were people jammed up in about a dozen different camps and the whole thing.

Uh, the bottleneck was trying to get across the Mississippi River.

>> Thursday, January 3rd.

Confined mostly to our tent by ill health.

Road a short distance to purchase a few articles of food.

Found a delightful family.

Will the Lord remember them in mercy?

Reverend Daniel Buttrick.

>> The detachments often found supplies at local taverns along the route.

These establishments should not be confused with our modern day bars or saloons.

>> The tower is really a modern day hotel, or if you think of it as a truck stop, and they would arrange for the local farmers to bring in all their produce, and the taverns would have campgrounds with them, they'd have springs for water, so they'd have pasture for the animals.

And because you couldn't, there were so many people coming.

They couldn't stay inside.

They had to camp outside.

And so there were about a half dozen of these campgrounds strung along there, where they knew that they could come in and get food.

And, you know, it was already set up and supposedly waiting for them.

>> One of those taverns was located in Johnson County near Buncombe.

The bridges family built the tavern and wayside store in the early 1830s.

The tavern burned to the ground in 1940, but the small store remains sheltered inside this old barn which was built around it.

This site is on private property, but the owners gave us permission to give you a look.

Inside the old store was a 20 by 20 foot, one room structure built of hand-hewn logs held together by interlocking half dovetail joints.

It's considered a witness structure because it witnessed the Trail of Tears event.

>> We do know for certain that this structure was existing as a store prior to 1838.

We also know that the highway that we have that runs right here next to us was the Golconda to Cape Girardeau trace.

So that is the route that they would have used.

So as well as, you know, other evidence such as the presence of of springs here in the area, which would have been necessary for large numbers of people to camp.

So all evidence points to the fact that they very likely stopped here and purchased supplies from the bridges family.

>> The property's owner, Lisa Thompson, hopes the site will be used to teach future generations about the Cherokee's difficult journey.

>> They've been taught conflicting things before, but now we actually have evidence, we have proof.

There's been archaeological digs and and things to show.

This is the journey.

They were here, right?

They were here?

>> Yeah.

So what does it make you feel like knowing that they were here on this land, that if they didn't stop by the wayside store, they probably camped really close by?

>> Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

I, I feel good about it.

I really do feel that there's, um, there's good on this earth here.

There's been good people that have been been here.

>> Lisa led us to a spring on her property that dates back to the time the Cherokee were here.

It no doubt provided drinking water for those who camped on or near the property.

>> My roots trace back to people that were here.

I mean, because obviously I am ancestor to a survivor.

Um, and so, um, um, the the people that crossed here, many didn't get further.

And so it's very special because I feel like the land was, you know, blessed while they were here.

So, I mean, I feel good about it, I feel good.

>> The Illinois Trail of Tears Association is working to restore the wayside store.

The group hopes to remove the old barn wood, then build a permanent structure to cover the original log building.

>> You know, over the decades, time has taken its toll.

So we'll probably have to do a little bit of preservation work.

Um, potentially restoring a few of the logs that are that make up the structure as well as, um, at some point throughout history, the top portion of the structure has been removed.

So eventually we would like to rebuild that part so that the public and people driving by can get a sense of what the original structure looked like.

In 1838, when the Cherokee were here.

>> As they traveled into Union County, the Taylor detachment spent one night at this site, the present home of campground Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

When the Cherokee came through, it was an area similar to Dickson Springs, with several springs to provide fresh water.

The land was owned by George Heilman, who was receptive to the Cherokee camping there.

>> It was a known campground.

They knew to camp there because there are.

There always has to be a spring there for fresh water for them.

So Campground Church has like 5 or 7 springs in the immediate vicinity.

So that's a no brainer for them to be able to use that.

But they they also asked permission from Mr.

Heilman, uh, if they could bury some recently deceased Cherokee.

And he graciously said, of course, I you know, I have two sons up here.

You're welcome to use that cemetery as your cemetery.

>> Recent studies using ground penetrating radar did discover unmarked burial sites on these grounds near where Heilmann buried his children.

Signs at the site point out the area of those unmarked graves, and while it's likely those graves belong to Cherokee people, it's impossible to know for sure.

>> That's one of the things that our Trail Association Board is investigating.

With the help of Siu Department of Anthropology and the center for Archaeological Investigations, is documenting some of these known graves that we know from journal, um, journals that were kept on the trail.

>> Wednesday, January 23rd, we traveled again five miles and camped two miles beyond Jonesborough.

This is a pleasant little village and its moral character much better than that of any we have seen in the state.

Reverend Daniel Buttrick.

>> As they made their way past Jonesborough, the Taylor detachment joined several other groups still waiting to cross the Mississippi River.

They gathered here on Hamburger Hill.

It's one of the few undisturbed places in Illinois where you can still walk in the Cherokee's footsteps.

>> So Hamburger Hill is a certified site on the National Historic Trail.

And this particular location, we have about a mile and a quarter of the original road corridor that the Cherokee would have walked on.

So this right here behind us is the road that was here in 1838.

And the Cherokee would have traversed up the hill and then down this road onto the Mississippi River floodplain, which would lead to Hamburg Landing, which was one of the ferry locations that got them across the Mississippi.

>> Friday, January 25th, we proceeded seven miles to the bank of the Mississippi River.

We fixed our tent on the bank of the great River.

One of the wonders of creation.

Reverend Daniel Buttrick.

>> A day later, Reverend Buttrick and his wife crossed into Missouri.

But it was another 18 days before the rest of their contingent made it across the Mississippi, completing a two month journey across southern Illinois.

The Trail of Tears was designated a National Historic Trail in 1987 through an act of Congress.

The Illinois Trail of Tears Association works to keep alive the history and the lessons learned through the suffering.

>> It's a hack phrase, but we just have to keep it here.

We have to keep it so that it's here for future generations.

And I know that sounds very trite, but there's no other person that's going to be able to do that unless we act on it.

>> I think it's really important.

It helps to evoke an emotional response.

I think when you actually see this, this old abandoned roadbed and know that 10,000 people walked on this and, and, you know, they weren't even they weren't even halfway to their new home.

Yet by the time they were here in southern Illinois, they still had a very long way to go.

>> The city of Jonesboro is a designated stop on the Trail of Tears.

In November of 2025, city officials and members of the Illinois Trail of Tears Association held a ceremony to commemorate a new sign adjacent to City Hall.

It's a partnership with the looking for Lincoln Organization.

>> This is significant because it's the result of a combination of two and a half years of work with the Cherokee Nation, National Park Service, City of Jonesboro, and the Trail of Tears Association to accomplish it.

This plaque Signifies that it's a partnership agreement that certifies Jonesboro as a historic site.

>> The Cherokee finally made it to Oklahoma in the spring of 1839.

The death toll from the internment camps, the forced marches, and the aftermath was an estimated 4000 people.

That's nearly a quarter of the 16,000 population.

Today, the Cherokee Nation numbers close to 500,000 people.

But the memories of their ancestors suffering remains.

>> Trail is extremely important to the Cherokee.

The modern day Cherokee.

It is a very tragic part of their history, and they haven't gotten over it.

And it's still like an open wound.

>> We close with the words of Cherokee poet and educator Ruth Margaret Muskrat Bronson, who wrote a poem in 1922 entitled Trail of Tears.

It ends this way.

From the homes their fathers made from the graves.

The tall trees shade for the sake of greed and gold.

The Cherokee were forced to go to a land they did not know.

[MUSIC] And Father time or wisdom old cannot erase.

Through endless years.

The memory of the trail of Tears.

[MUSIC] I'd like to thank the Illinois Trail of Tears Association for their help on this production, especially president Heather Carey and the husband wife team of doctor Mark Wagner and Mary McCorvey.

[MUSIC] For more information on the Trail of Tears in Illinois, scan this QR code.

[MUSIC]