The Sequoyah National Research Center launched the Journey of Survival: Indian Removal Through Arkansas website in October 2020. The purpose is to map the journey of all Five Tribes – Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole – from their tribal homelands in the Southeastern United States to Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma. The National Park Service marked the routes used by the Cherokees as the National Historic Trail of Tears. However, this did not tell the full story of Indian Removal and left out four of the five tribes affected.
The project includes over 80 sites in the state of Arkansas that were either significant in the Indian Removal journey or that served as witness sites. Each map site contains photographs of the sites taken in Fall 2019 and Spring 2020, photographs of historical markers, if available, and digitized documents from the National Archives that support the evidence of the journey. Updates are ongoing as more information is added to the site, including names of survivors from all tribes.
The Journey of Survival touchscreen table is available for interactive use and exploration in the Center’s new home on the UA Little Rock campus, Fine Arts building, Room 156. Visitors are highly encouraged to visit Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. The companion website is available here.
The project was completed using grant funding awarded by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.
