Trail of Tears group sets up chapter By Dave Flessner The Chattanooga Times As a historical site, Chattanooga is best known for its place in the Civil War in 1863. But 25 years earlier, Chattanooga was also a part of another historic battle of sorts that an area group is anxious to focus more attention upon. At Ross's Landing in 1838, Cherokee Indians were ordered by the U.S. Army to get into boats and relocate to Arkansas and Oklahoma, hundreds of miles away from their original homes. As one of the points along the Trail of Tears that removed 15,000 Cherokee Indians from the area, Chattanooga has been selected as the state headquarters for a new chapter of the national Trail of Tears Association. "We want to enlighten the people of Tennessee about this tragedy," said Harley Grant, owner of Applied Thermal Coatings in Chattanooga and a member of both the Trail of Tears Association and the Tennessee Commission on Indian Affairs. "We believe it is time that Chattanooga and Hamilton County open up a bit more about our diverse culture, especially our original culture. We're really anxious to work with the city's fathers to bring this about." Tammera Hicks, the newly elected president of the Tennessee Trail of Tears chapter, said the group would like to establish a cultural center, exhibit hall or gallery downtown to capitalize on Chattanooga's tourism appeal near Ross's Landing. Across Tennessee, the group will also work to put up more signs along both the land and water routes of the Trail of Tears. "Primarily, we want more people to become aware about the Trail of Tears and to preserve it so we can pass it down to our children and know that it will always be protected," she said. "You can learn a lot by history -- the good and the bad." Tennessee is the third state to establish a chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, which was created about six years ago to remember the deaths of some 4,000 Indians during the 1,000-mile relocation. Several detachments of Cherokees went out from Ross's Landing in 1838 in their forced exodus to the West. Others traveled by land across Moccasin Bend. Moccasin Bend has also been targeted for a center or museum on the Trail of Tears. A separate group created by the Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park has proposed that a Trail of Tears center be established in the vicinity of Manufacturers Road. Jay Mills, vice president of the Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park, said the museum would be operated by a nonprofit group independent of the National Park Service. The Cherokee Indians have asked that part of the bend be returned to them to help recreate a village and museum that would highlight the Trail of Tears, among other American Indian history. Although the plans to promote the Trail of Tears are still speculative and could in some cases be in conflict with one another, officials agree on one thing: The increased local attention to the Trail of Tears should help attract more national attention -- and visitors -- to the area. "Anything done with quality, sensitivity and magnitude of importance clearly has the opportunity to add to the attraction of our city," said Jim Kennedy, president of the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. "There is certainly a potential there. The question is: Do all of those things happen? YES THEY HAPPENED AND WHITE MAN SHOULD BE A SHAMED I KNOW I"AM. THATS WHY I DOING THIS WEBPAGE FOR THE CHEROKEE INDIAN"S.WHITE MEN AND WOMEN SHOULD REALLY STOP AND THINK WHY DID THEY DO THIS TO THE CHEROKEE INDIANS IN CHATTANOOGA,TENNESSEE.