Red Clay State Park

Towards the end of my first day of cycling, I arrived at Red Clay State Park, just over the border into Tennessee. I was struck by the beauty of the trees and undulating landscape of the park.

Back in the 1800s, the Georgia state government became more and more intent on seizing the Cherokee lands. Their motivations were two fold. Their constituents wanted to harvest the gold that had recently been discovered there, and they were interested in racist ethnic cleansing. In order to further their efforts, they enacted a series of laws that made it more and more challenging for the Cherokee to live and function as individuals and as a society. One such law prevented the Cherokee from holding public meetings. That made it clear that the Cherokee could no longer operate at New Echota in Georgia. So, in 1832, they moved their capital and governmental operations to Red Clay, just over the border in Tennessee.

The park Ranger was very helpful. She was the acting vice president of the Tennessee chapter of the Trail of Tears Association and was very knowledgeable. I asked her what had been done to atone the removal and she chuckled and said “Well, the federal government apologized a few years back, whatever that means.” I asked her what she thought could or should be done to atone the removal. She responded by saying that the Tennessee Association wants people to know what happened so that nothing like it ever happens again. Their commitment is to preservation and education.

I discovered the first spiritually charged spot on the journey, the Blue Hole Spring. I opened my first circle on its banks and offered my prayer to Spirit for the first time on the journey. As part of ceremony, I offered 7 Hawthorne berries to the water, one berry for each clan. I anticipate that this action will be habit for this journey. I hope to return to this spot again in the future.