ARE WE THERE YET?

Cadron park recalls 1834 Trail of Tears tragedy

Signs at Cadron Settlement Park recount the Trail of Tears suffering that took place at this location on the Arkansas River west of Conway.
Signs at Cadron Settlement Park recount the Trail of Tears suffering that took place at this location on the Arkansas River west of Conway.

CADRON SETTLEMENT PARK -- Arkansas highways are marked with so many signs for "Trail of Tears" -- the forced westward migration of American Indians in the 1830s -- that they tend to become just a roadside blur.

But some locations in the Natural State convey in compelling detail events that were part of a shameful chapter, certainly by today's standards, in U.S. history.

One of those places, overlooking the Arkansas River five miles west of Conway, is Cadron Settlement Park.

This historic site was the first permanent European settlement in central Arkansas, dating to 1818, but was abandoned by 1830. Its dominant feature is a two-story replica of a blockhouse from that pioneer era.

But visitors who take time to peruse the details on plaques and other memorials at the site will learn about the tragedy that struck at the end of 1834 as some 700 Cherokees were being transported west on the river. Low water left them stranded at Cadron, where a cholera epidemic claimed 100 or more victims.

Putting a human face on the situation, one panel lists the names of some who died. It notes that many graves were "marked with native stones, with no inscriptions. Some of the Indians had adopted Christianity and customs of whites, and had assumed Anglo-Saxon names. Before 1850, it was common for Cherokee children to be unnamed until their seventh birthday, hence the lack of given names for the children."

Thirty of the 50 listed victims were children, some identified only by their father's name: "Bear Track's child." "_ Foxes' five children." "Spencer Sheldon's child." "William Vann's three children." According to the plaque, 56 additional burials are unidentified.

Today's view from Cadron Settlement Park is a tranquil one. But, as a sign points out, "Far from being the wide, smooth river you see today, the Arkansas was treacherous in the 1830s, causing delays and increasing the misery of the emigrants."

About 60,000 Indians from five nations passed through Arkansas during the decade. "Despite the hardships of the journey, the people of the five tribes of the Southeast established new lives in the West," asserts an unexpectedly upbeat inscription. "They stand now as successful sovereign nations, proudly preserving cultural traditions, while adapting to the challenges of the 21st century."

Be that as it may, the forcible transfers at the time "aroused fierce and bitter debate. Supporters of the policy claimed it was a benevolent action to save the tribes east of the Mississippi River from being overwhelmed and lost in the onslaught of an expanding American population.

"Opponents decried its inhumanity and the tragic consequences it would have for the Indian peoples. One thing was certain: Removal freed millions of acres of Indian lands for use by American settlers."

To reach Cadron Settlement Park, proceed five miles west from Conway on U.S. 64 and turn left on Arkansas 319 at the sign marked for the park.

A map and detailed information on Trail of Tears routes in Arkansas are available at arkansasheritagetrails.com/tears.

Weekend on 07/07/2016

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