2017 Trail of Tears

​Nationwide Gathering of Motorcyclist Commemorate Trail of Tears

Motorcycle enthusiast of every age have gathered in Chattanooga and Bridgeport  for the beginning of the annual Trail of Tears Remembrance Ride that will travel to Waterloo, AL on Saturday. September 16 via Mooresville Road and U.S. Highway 72 in Limestone County.

Motorcyclist have packed hotel rooms along...

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... the U.S. Highway 72 corridor to refresh and rest before they join the ride as it passes through the communities marking the solemn events of the forced march and removal of First Nations from their lands in the eastern United States under President Jackson with pressure from the states of Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.

It is estimated that over 4,000 of approximate 16,000 Cherokees died of cold, hunger, and disease after being forced from their ancestral lands between the years of 1836 and 1839.  The Cherokee were not allowed to carry their belongings nor pack sufficient supplies for the arduous and unauthorized journey.   The Cherokees were not the only First Nations to be forced from their lands - Creeks, Choctaw, Chickasaw and many other - were among those removed to lands west of the Mississippi River making removal numbers upwards of 100,000.

The routes chosen to march the Cherokee and other tribes included trails through Limestone County making this remembrance an important part of our heritage.  Many of the removed Cherokee were put on flat bottom boats and floated down the Tennessee River to Gunter's Landing then marched from there through Huntsville and East Limestone County and eventually through Ardmore and up into Tennessee to pick up a route that passed through Pulaski, Tennessee.

The Trail of Tears Remembrance Ride will stop at Redstone Harley Davidson on Interstate 565 Exit 3 Greenbriar Road for the lunch before continuing the ride at 10:00AM.  Riders of the Trail of Tears will enjoy vendors, live music, food vendors and more before they resume the ride at 12:30PM.

The Trail of Tears will then ride west on Interstate 565 to Exit 2 Mooresville Road and travel north on Mooresville Road until U.S. Highway 72.  The group will then turn west on U.S. Highway 72 and pass through Limestone County including the communities of Athens, Clements and Coxey as they head for Waterloo and the end of ride events.

People out and about this Saturday will see motorcyclist at restaurants, hotels, gas stations and shopping center along U.S. Highway 72 in Limestone County.  If you are traveling on U.S. Highway 72, please be courteous and watch for motorcycles leaving and entering the highway.