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Old Trace
Mile Post 397.4
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Old Trace


Distance to Nearest Parkway Restroom
10.3 Miles North to Gordon House
11.5 Miles South to Meriwether Lewis


Distance to Nearest Gas Stations
12.7 Miles North to TN Hwy 80 Then 2.0 Miles West
11.5 Miles South to TN Hwy 20 Then 1.2 Miles South



NPS Photo
Old Trace
Before 1805 the Chickasaw owned all the land in this vicinity. Only the Natchez Trace,
part of which remains here, made inroads into tribal territory.

When the Chickasaw ceded the land to the United States in the early 1800s the Natchez Trace
became a boundary. The land behind you became government property under the 1805 treaty.
In 1816 the tribe ceded a much larger tract including the land in front of you.

In 1837 the Chickasaw were removed from their homeland. Chickasaw Removal is the most traumatic
chapter in Chickasaw history. As a result of Congress’ Indian Removal Act, the Chickasaw people were
forced to remove to Indian Territory. The foresight and skilled negotiating practices of Chickasaw
leaders led to favorable sales of Chickasaw lands in Mississippi. This allowed the Chickasaw Nation,
unlike other tribes, to pay for our own removal.

Chickasaw families were met with hardship and death along the Removal, traveling hundreds of miles
in extreme cold and heat; however, Chickasaws suffered less than other tribes because they
controlled their departures and chose favorable seasons to travel. This undoubtedly saved
many lives that otherwise could have been lost.


Other tribes removed to Indian Territory were the Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and
Seminole. The Chickasaws were one of the last to remove. In 1837, They signed the Treaty of
Doaksville with the Choctaw Nation and purchased the right for the settlement of the Chickasaw
people in their own district within Choctaw Territory. Most Chickasaws removed to Indian Territory
from 1837-1851. However, Chickasaw families continued to arrive in Indian Territory up
to the 1890s, as evidenced by Chickasaw tribal enrollment in the Dawes Rolls.

As the Chickasaw began to move into their district, they discovered Plains Indian tribes roaming
freely across the lands. These tribes still lived a migratory lifestyle and made frequent raids on
Chickasaw homesteads. The Plains Indian tribes did not understand the United States removing other
tribes onto their historic homeland. To fulfill the treaty promise to protect the removed Southeastern
tribes, the federal government built Fort Washita and Fort Arbuckle to maintain peace between the
various tribes. Chickasaws still desired their own separate territory to restore governmental
authority for their people and separate affairs from the Choctaws. In 1856, the Chickasaws separated
from the Choctaws and created their own constitution for their own separate lands.
(National Park Service)
Previous

Click 'Arrow' Above
To Go To Next South Bound Stop
Old Trace
Mile Post 397.4
Previous

Click 'Arrow' Above
To Go To Next North Bound Stop
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2024-11-28T 12:30:52-05:00