Northeastern Oklahoma is today the home of a thriving Cherokee Nation. But to reach this point this proud people were obliged to endure one of the saddest

episodes in American history. Known as the Trail of Tears, their journey from North Carolina to Indian Territory was nothing less than a forced march. Learn how they overcame adversity – time after time – in their efforts to comply with the wishes of the federal government and become good citizens. Explore their tribal history, their role in the Civil War, and meet luminaries of the tribe such as Sequoyah, who invented a unique syllabary for their own language and Will Rogers, one of the most popular American entertainers of all time, who never met a man he didn’t like! Begins and ends in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Highlights:

• unpack once!
• Cherokee Heritage Center
• traditional meals
• living history
• Sequoyah’s Cabin
• Historic Cherokee Capitol Square
• Fort Gibson
• Will Rogers Memorial
• Will Rogers birthplace (Dog Iron Ranch)
• Honey Springs Battlefield

Day # 1 – Arrivals

Airport transfers are provided.  Enjoy a Welcome Dinner in Tulsa with fellow sojourners as we begin our journey to the past.  (D)

Day # 2 – Cherokee History Tour

As we begin our exploration of the proud Cherokee people, we will visit important sites built by newcomers seeking to re-establish the civilization they had been forced to leave in North Carolina.  We’ll tour Tahlequah’s National Capitol Builidng, Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum and the former Cherokee Female Seminary.  After a traditional lunch, we’ll spend the afternoon at the highlight:  the Cherokee Heritage Center, composed of the Ancient Village, Adam’s Corner and Trail of Tears Museum.  Living history and hands-on activities bring to life Cherokee folkways and lifestyle.  (B,L)

Day # 3 – Will Rogers / Cherokee Old Settlers Tour

One of America’s most beloved entertainers was proud of his Cherokee heritage.  We’ll tour the ranch house where he was born and visit the excellent Will Rogers Memorial Museum & Gravesite before moving on to learn about what the Cherokee call “Old Settlers” – those who relocated to Indian Territory before the Cherokee Removal, some arriving as early as 1808.  We’ll tour Sequoyah’s 1829 cabin, which has been preserved on its original site, and Dwight Mission, the site of an early printing press and a stopover point for many Indian missionaries.  (B, L, D)

Day # 4 – Cherokee Civil War Tour

Not only did the Cherokee participate in the American Civil War (commemorating it’s 150th anniversary 2011-2015), but some even lived in antebellum plantation homes!  This morning we’ll visit one such home, the Murrell Home in Park Hill, the only one to survive the fires of the Civil War, as well as the adjacent Daniel cabin.  After lunch we’ll tour Fort Gibson, which changed hands several times during the war, and Honey Springs Battle site where the largest battle in Indian Territory took place.  The Union beat the Confederacy in what turned out to be the turning point of the Civil War in Indian Territory.  (B,L.D)

Day # 5 – Departures

Airport transfers are provided.  (B)