In 1838, Eagle Hunter faces a terrible future. The armed militia is forcing all Cherokee men, women and children to leave their traditional eastern homes and travel west. The brutal 900-mile journey to the Oklahoma Territory came to be known as the TRAIL OF TEARS because so many died along the way. Eagle Hunter considers joining the Cherokee families who escape from the soldiers and flee to the hills, to the Smoky Mountains of Carolina.
Of course Eagle Hunter is my fictional character, THE CHEROKEE, but the Cherokee escapees' story is part of history. General Winfield Scott's militiamen were never able to round up all of the Cherokee families who hid away in the mountains. Today, descendants of those refugee families still live in and around those Carolina mountains.
Every summer, in that location, Cherokee, North Carolina the famous outdoor drama, UNTO THESE HILLS tells the amazing story of that escape. Every night the production's actors recount this exciting, true adventure story. The sounds of gunfire, dramatic language and music echo across the wide expanse of the impressive amphitheater.
The historical significance of the production caught my attention when I first saw it several years ago. Later on, as part of my research for THE CHEROKEE AND THE SLAVE I visited a number of historical sites in the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma.
If possible, I...
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Tags:
1838 indian removal, cherokee history, cherokee north carolina, cherokees escape from armed militia, trail of tears, unto these hills outdoor drama
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