It's been more than 170 years since U.S. soldiers rounded up the Cherokee Indians and forced them westward along the Trail of Tears—a desolate pathway leading to reservations in Oklahoma. Much has changed since then, but one thing remains the same: the Trail of Tears Redbud stands today, just as it did in 1838.
/TearRedBud.jpg?n=9394 "Tear Red Bud")
The Cherokees were forced into Eastern Oklahoma after a small group of their tribe signed the Treaty of New Echota with the U.S. Government. The Treaty turned over Cherokee lands in the east to the government in exchange for land in Oklahoma. Most Cherokees protested the treaty. About 4,000 Cherokees died along the route.
The Trail of Tears Redbud at the Ruth Bowling Nichols Arboretum was grown from a seed taken from a redbud that still lines the Trail of Tears.