In late fall of 1838, a group of approximately 660 Cherokees known as Bell's Treaty Party traveled through McNairy County. The only detachment accompanied by the military, it was escorted by U.S. Army Lt. Edward Deas and Cherokee leader John Bell. The party followed the Old State Road to Purdy, where Deas purchased supplies on November 14, 1838. From Purdy to Bethel Springs to Rose Creek, the route closely followed present-day Highway 64. Their 89-day journey ended on January 7, 1839, just inside the Cherokee Nation's border, west of Evansville, Arkansas.