News Release

Arrival in Indian Territory

Date: February 14, 2020
Contact: Kim Coons, 706-866-9241 x139

Fort Oglethorpe, GA: On Saturday, February 29, at 2 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a special 1-hour ranger-led program discussing the experiences the Cherokee Tribe endured as they made a new life in Indian Territory. This program will take place at the Brown’s Ferry Federal Road Trail located at 707 Moccasin Bend Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37405. 

It was a region within the land purchased by the United States from France. The name for this place came from the indigenous peoples forced here from their native lands with the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, this was Indian Territory. The Cherokee had established strong communities in their native lands in the Southeast. When they arrived in Indian Territory, they were determined to reestablish those same type of communities. There would be challenges though. The removed tribes, including the Cherokee, would face pressures in their new home. Hostile confrontations, theft, and tensions were building between the new tribes forced here and the American Indian tribes already established here for centuries. We hope you will attend to hear their stories of determination and perseverance.

For more information about upcoming programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, please contact the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/chch.