Big Al, and Popcorn (Don) rode to my neck of the woods today for a visit. It was a beautiful day with a high of 67. We ate at my favorite meat & 3, then went on a ride through my local hood. I took them to Red Clay State Park. It is located just north of the TN/GA state line. Red Clay was the last council meeting place for the Cherokees, It was moved here from north Georgia, when Georgia forced the Cherokees out of that state.
Red Clay is also the beginning of the "Trail of Tears" or other wise known as "The Native American Genocide" of the Indian Nations. Roughly 16,000 Cherokees left my beloved Bradley County to walk to Fort Wayne in Oklahoma, with only 12,000 making it there. The rest died from exposure, disease or killed by white settlers along the trail.
I am part Cherokee, My 6th great grandfather was Capt John Stuart a Scottish-born official of the British Empire sent here as the superintendent for the southern district of the British Indian Department. During the French & Indian war, his role was to help Great Britain bring order to their relations with the Southeast Indians so trade would still continue between the colonies and the tribes. It was while Capt. Stuart was at Fort Loudoun, he met a Cherokee maiden, who would become my 6th great grandmother. Since that beginning, many of my ancestors that were part Cherokee were able to stay here in Bradley County while the rest made the trek to Oklahoma, where some died on the way. I have dual citizen ship, one as a U.S. Citizen and the other to the Cherokee Nations. The last member of my family to have both was my Great Grandfather, this made it simple for me to get mine. I always enjoy riding and hanging with Al and Don, and I wanted to share some of this local history with my two buddies. I Know I had a good time today and I think they did too. Al said it was a number one trip
P.S. Big Al said Hi to all
