Ten cyclists are participating in the 2018 Remember the Removal Bike Ride and Woodbury will be a stop today (Wednesday) on their three-week trek spanning approximately 950 miles along the northern route of the Trail of Tears.
The Cherokee Nation’s 10 cyclists joined eight from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, North Carolina. After participating in cultural activities and team-building exercises in North Carolina, their ride began in Georgia, Sunday. While commemorating the 180th anniversary of the Trail of Tears, cyclists will travel through seven states before concluding in Oklahoma on June 21.
The original Remember the Removal Bike Ride was held in 1984, and the leadership program resumed as an annual ride in 2009. Participants learn about Cherokee Nation’s history, language and culture and get a glimpse of the hardships their ancestors faced while making the journey on foot.
Starting in 1838, Cherokees were rounded up and forced from their homes in Georgia, Tennessee and other southeastern states to the Cherokee Nation’s current capital in Tahlequah. Of approximately 16,000 Cherokees who were forced to make the journey to Indian Territory, about 4,000 died from disease, starvation and exposure to the elements.
Follow the Remember the Removal Bike Ride at http://www.facebook.com/removal.ride and at www.remembertheremoval.cherokee.org. On Twitter and Instagram, search for the hashtags #RTR2018 and #WeRemember.
The cyclists will be traveling from Spencer to Murfreesboro today. Anyone who would like to meet the riders and welcome them to Cannon County should come to the Farmers Market at the Arts Center on John Bragg Highway. The estimated time of arrival should be from Noon until 3:00pm.
