After President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act in May 1830, Native Americans were rounded up and moved to the Indian Territory. After being driven from their homes, the Cherokee were divided into detachments, with the first leaving in late October 1838 and the others following one by one. There were only 645 wagons for all 16,000 Cherokee, so the aged, sick, and young children rode with the provisions and bedding while others traveled on foot. The journey took place in the dead of winter, and thousands of Cherokee died from disease, fatigue, and exposure to sleet and snow. The route to the Indian Territory became known as the Trail of Tears, or, as the Cherokee called it, Runna dual Tsung, "The Trail Where They Cried," and Nunna dual Tsung will never be forgotten.

Photo: via Cherokee Nation

Photo: William Fischer, Jr.

Photo: William Fischer, Jr.

Photo: William Fischer, Jr.

Photo: William Fischer, Jr.

Photo: William Fischer, Jr.

Steelville, Missouri · USA