Fort Jackson, Alabama
The site of the signing of the
Treaty of Fort Jackson is now
a historic site in Alabama.
The site of the signing of the
Treaty of Fort Jackson is now
a historic site in Alabama.
The Arkansas River
Thousands of Creeks were
carried up the Arkansas by
boat until shallow water
forced them to walk.
Thousands of Creeks were
carried up the Arkansas by
boat until shallow water
forced them to walk.
The Creek Trail of Tears
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - The Creek Trail of Tears
| The Creek Trail of Tears A memorial symbolizing the ceremonial fire of the Creek Nation now stands at the Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Center in Fort Mitchell, Alabama. |
Forced Removal of the Creeks
Although they had occupied lands in the
modern states of Alabama and Georgia for
hundreds of years, the people of the Creek
Nation were driven west at bayonet point in
1836 and 1837.
The road that would lead to the Trail of Tears
for the Creeks began 23 years earlier when a
civil war erupted in the nation. Remembered
today as the Creek War of 1813-1814, the
conflict spilled over to the whites and ended
when three American armies invaded the
Creek lands. The destruction of the last
major Creek fighting force at the Battle of
Horseshoe Bend in 1814 led to the Treaty of
Fort Jackson, a settlement that stripped tens
of thousands of acres of land from the Creek
people.
Other treaties followed and by 1836 there
was dramatic pressure on the Creek people
to abandon the last of their Alabama homes
and move to new lands in the Indian Territory
of present-day Oklahoma. The Hitchiti and
Yuchi branches of the nation resisted,
sparking the Creek War of 1836.
After crushing this last major outbreak, U.S.
soldiers and state militia troops rounded up
thousands of Creek men, women and
children. These unfortunate individuals were
herded into what would today be considered
concentration camps. From these camps,
they were driven west in large groups.
The Creek Trail of Tears was a route that
included travel by both land and water. Its
easternmost point was Fort Mitchell in
Alabama and it ended at Fort Gibson in
Oklahoma, where the unfortunate people
stopped briefly before crossing over to the
lands reserved for them in the West.
Thousands of men, women and children
died on the trial and contemporary accounts
describe how their bleached bones could be
seen along the route for years to come. The
wholesale removal of the Creeks was one of
the greatest tragedies in American history.
To learn more about sites and events
associated with the Creek Trail of Tears,
please follow the links on the right side of
this page.
modern states of Alabama and Georgia for
hundreds of years, the people of the Creek
Nation were driven west at bayonet point in
1836 and 1837.
The road that would lead to the Trail of Tears
for the Creeks began 23 years earlier when a
civil war erupted in the nation. Remembered
today as the Creek War of 1813-1814, the
conflict spilled over to the whites and ended
when three American armies invaded the
Creek lands. The destruction of the last
major Creek fighting force at the Battle of
Horseshoe Bend in 1814 led to the Treaty of
Fort Jackson, a settlement that stripped tens
of thousands of acres of land from the Creek
people.
Other treaties followed and by 1836 there
was dramatic pressure on the Creek people
to abandon the last of their Alabama homes
and move to new lands in the Indian Territory
of present-day Oklahoma. The Hitchiti and
Yuchi branches of the nation resisted,
sparking the Creek War of 1836.
After crushing this last major outbreak, U.S.
soldiers and state militia troops rounded up
thousands of Creek men, women and
children. These unfortunate individuals were
herded into what would today be considered
concentration camps. From these camps,
they were driven west in large groups.
The Creek Trail of Tears was a route that
included travel by both land and water. Its
easternmost point was Fort Mitchell in
Alabama and it ended at Fort Gibson in
Oklahoma, where the unfortunate people
stopped briefly before crossing over to the
lands reserved for them in the West.
Thousands of men, women and children
died on the trial and contemporary accounts
describe how their bleached bones could be
seen along the route for years to come. The
wholesale removal of the Creeks was one of
the greatest tragedies in American history.
To learn more about sites and events
associated with the Creek Trail of Tears,
please follow the links on the right side of
this page.
 | |  | |  | |  |
Battle of Hobdy's Bridge, Alabama
Battle of Roanoke, Georgia
Battle of Shepherd's Plantation, Georgia
Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Center
Creek War of 1813-1814
Creek War of 1836
Eufaula, Alabama
Fort Cusseta, Alabama
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
Fort Jackson, Alabama
Fort Mitchell, Alabama
Fort Morgan, Alabama
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Milly Francis - The Creek Pocahontas
Historic Sites in Alabama
Historic Sites in Georgia
Historic Sites in Oklahoma
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
Battle of Roanoke, Georgia
Battle of Shepherd's Plantation, Georgia
Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Center
Creek War of 1813-1814
Creek War of 1836
Eufaula, Alabama
Fort Cusseta, Alabama
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
Fort Jackson, Alabama
Fort Mitchell, Alabama
Fort Morgan, Alabama
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Milly Francis - The Creek Pocahontas
Historic Sites in Alabama
Historic Sites in Georgia
Historic Sites in Oklahoma
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
| Copyright 2009 by Dale Cox All rights reserved. |
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
This frontier fort was the final
stop on the Trail of Tears for
thousands of Creek men,
women and children.
This frontier fort was the final
stop on the Trail of Tears for
thousands of Creek men,
women and children.
lor.
The Creek Pocahontas
Milly Francis, the woman
known even in her own time
as the Creek Pocahontas,
was among those who
traveled the Creek Trail of
Tears.
Milly Francis, the woman
known even in her own time
as the Creek Pocahontas,
was among those who
traveled the Creek Trail of
Tears.
