This is to JES and Jan-Oklahoma has the largest collection on all this outside of NATIONAL ARCHIVES IN WASHINGTON. For several years I've had two Volumes on this. In case you know Jack Baker , he is my cousin and he too lives here in OKC. These two volumes documents all this-All Trails clearly marked, etc. I was very active in lots of things and even though was married to a white man.he was as bad as I was or maybe worse. When he was hit with Lou Gehrig Disease and I lost him that is about all she wrote. Life wasn't worse living. But while he lived, we traveled a lot so I've been all over the USA including Eastern Cherokee Country. One time we were in New York City sitting in the car while my husband ran into this place and a gal standing in the window started looking at me and would not stop.However the minute I walked in she said Aren't you a Cherokee. I said yes and from Oklahoma. I'm very proud of my Cherokee Blood and my people were wealthy in the East. I'm also from the Lowreys.Jan, if you check Arkansas you will find me listed as Oleta Elizabeth Benge Kite (Mrs. J. W.,Jr.). Since I'm now a widow I don't get aroud much anymore. Also, had a Pulmpnary Embolism while home alone but Good Lord still did not want me. Oleta On Sun, 1 Oct 2006 11:02:10 EDT janb0423@aol.com writes: > Jes, > > Good morning. > I am located in Bryant (which as you may know is approximately 10 > minutes > south of Little Rock on I-30). I love the area of the state where > you live. > Many, many years ago, I learned to water ski on Lake Dardanelle. > There should be > a lot of Cherokee history in your area, but I'm sure much of it was > > unappreciated in decades past and has been lost. > I hope you can go to the Sequoyah Research Center when you get to > Little > Rock. Did you know the Arkansas Chapter of the Trail of Tears is > also in Little > Rock? It (the Arkansas Chapter) is a part of the Arkansas Native > Press > Archives/Sequoyah Research Center and is located off-campus, but > almost right next > to U.A.L.R. on University Ave. Here is a link. The address and > phone number > are at the bottom of the page: > _http://www.nationaltota.org/_ (http://www.nationaltota.org/) > Jerra Quinton, the coordinator for this chapter, is wonderful; very > helpful. > > Recently (July 21, 2006), I received an e-newsletter from > Congressman Vic > Snyder. It was full of good news for those interested in the TOT. I > found it > especially interesting as I had done a presentation about the > Bell-Deas Route in > my Arkansas History class. Oleta may find it interesting as it also > relates > to the Benge Route. Here is the portion of the newsletter related > to the TOT: > > ____________________________________ > > > ____________________________________ > > > This Week In Congress > A bill encouraging the National Park Service to expand the current > National > Historic Trail of Tears to include additional routes used when the > Cherokee > were forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands passed the > House on > Monday. H.R. 3085 encourages the Secretary of the Interior to > complete the Trail > from North Carolina to Oklahoma and preserve the paths that Cherokees > used to > find new land in Indian Territory. A large part of the Trail of > Tears runs > through Arkansas. > While the Trail of Tears story will always be one of sorrow and > regret, it > is important that we remember it accurately. Knowing the history of > our > country and the mistakes we have made helps us prevent repeating > such mistakes in > the future. With the recognition of the Benge and Bell paths, > Arkansans will > be able to know the historic footsteps taken in our state. > When the original Trail was designated in 1987 only primitive > research > existed, leaving two main arteries, Benge and Bell, omitted. Both > of these routes > pass through Arkansas. The Bell Route, traveled by John Bell's > Treaty Party > across Tennessee and Arkansas, leads up the Arkansas River through > North > Little Rock, Maumelle, Conway, and on to Fort Smith. The Benge > Route, used by > Cherokee leader John Benge's detachment, begins in Ft. Payne, > Alabama, passing > through Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and northern Arkansas, > before arriving > in Oklahoma. > The Trail of Tears Documentation Act asks the Secretary of the > Interior to > study these additional trail segments, emigration depots, and land > components > and incorporate them into the national landmark. > > In the 1830s, the U.S. government began using forced treaties and > U.S. Army > action to relocate Native American tribes from their homes in the > eastern > United States into Indian Territory, now known as Oklahoma. Forced > removal of > the Cherokee took an estimated 15,000 from their homelands in > southern > Appalachia for a journey West that caused the loss of an estimated ¼ > of the tribes' > population, and would eventually be called the "Trail of Tears." > To see a detailed map of the Trail, which ran through North Little > Rock, > Conway, Maumelle and up the Arkansas river, visit the National Park > Service site > here _http://imgis.nps.gov/national_historic_trails.html_ > (http://imgis.nps.gov/national_historic_trails.html) > I was one of 20 cosponsors representing all eight states along the > historic > trail of the bill. Congressman Marion Berry (AR-01) and Congressman > Zach Wamp > (TN-03) were original cosponsors. > > ____________________________________ > > ____________________________________ > Let's hope this expansion of the TOT happens in our lifetime! > I thought I would mention one more resource in Little Rock for > research on > Cherokee Genealogy. The Arkansas History Commission has a lot of > info on this > and they are very helpful, as well. The AHC is located on the > grounds of the > state capital. Here is a link to their web page: > _http://www.ark-ives.com/_ > (http://www.ark-ives.com/) The "Selected Materials" page has a list > of > available materials related to Native American research. > I hope this info will be helpful to you and others on this list. > Have a great > day. > Jan > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > INDIAN-TERRITORY-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the > message > >