Existing comment:
Cherokee Trail of Tears
Of the various detachments that removed the Cherokee People from their home lands in the Southeastern United States, three of them landed in Decatur at what is now Rhodes Ferry Park. Due to the difficulty of navigating the Muscle Shoals portion of the Tennessee River, it was necessary to transport the Cherokee from Decatur Landing to Tuscumbia Landing using the newly built Tuscumbia, Courtland, and Decatur Railroad. On March 7, 1837, the Major Ridge Party docked at Decatur with 471 Cherokee. The Lt. Edward Deas Detachment landed here on June 9, 1838 with 800 Cherokee, and on June 21, 1838, the Lt. Robert H. K. Whiteley Detachment landed with 1000 Cherokee. Out of the three detachments, there was one documented fatality in Decatur, that of an elderly Cherokee woman. The second documented fatality happened en route between Decatur and Tuscumbia involving a Cherokee man being crushed by the train. |