Cut from Washington, Ark., to Fort Towson in 1831 for the removal of Choctaws from Miss., this road became known as the Choctaw Trail of Tears after thousands of suffering Indians used it to reach new lands. The road served as a major east-west artery for the Choctaw Nation until the early 1900s. Important early Choctaw settlements on the road were Harris Mill, Eagletown, Lukfata, Wheelock, and Clear Creek, and segments of the road are still identifiable and visible.