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Trail Of Tears THE TRAIL OF TEARS
ngeorgia.com
is the pathway through the mountains the Cherokee Indians were forced to trek during their removal from the Southeastern United States into Oklahoma in the late 1830's. Approximately 15,000 Cherokee Indians were removed via the trail, now a national historic route, with access paved throughout the area. The trail runs through Cherokee County, into Graham County along Tatham Gap Road, north of Andrews. Located near the Trail of Tears in Graham County is the grave of Junaluska, Chief of the Cherokees at the time of the Indian removal.
It has been recorded that more than 4,000 American natives died on that march to the west. The move has been described as the greatest blot on America's history.
Following the Indian's removal, in 1839, Cherokee County was formed from a portion of Macon County, which had been created in 1828. According to the records, in the 1838/39 North Carolina General Assembly, a delegation from this area attended with a resolution requesting the formation of a new county. Headed by James Whitaker of Old Valley Town (now Andrews), the bill was introduced and enacted into law on January 8, 1839. At the beginning of 1840, the county's population was listed at 3,472.
While the area abounded in rich resources, perhaps the single most important was the abundance of fresh water rippling through the mountainside. Cherokee County alone has an estimated 8,700 acres of clear lake water available for rafting, fishing, water skiing, boating, and of course, swimming.
The history of the county can not be told without the mention of the importance of the logging industry to the area. Logging was the area's first industry, and the primary means of making a living. Logs flowed to nearby sawmills down the rivers and streams. Rafts, flatboats, and canoes brought in supplies.
Following the Civil War, in 1888, the way of life changed for the better with the introduction of the railroad. Georgia and North Carolina Railroad reached Murphy from Marietta, GA. Wagon travel was nearly a thing of the past.
Between then and 1911, the railroad was a way of life and prosperity in the area. Southern Railroad was the next to connect with the area, spanning from Asheville to Murphy in 1891. Ten years later, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad station was dedicated at Murphy. The old L&N Depot, recently refurbished, stands as a historical testimonial to those days gone by.
In 1922, the first paged highway opened from Murphy to the Georgia line. Five years earlier, the town of Murphy began getting its first paved streets.
It was in 1935 that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors authorized the construction of the Hiwassee Dam. The dam would impound a shoreline of 163 miles, cover approximately 6,090 acres, and would be the highest overspill type dam in the world. Construction on the project began later that year, with the completion of the project in 1940.
The entire existence of the mountain folk would change with the introduction of electricity. Progress had caught up with the quiet, simple and proud, yet harsh mountain way of life.
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