Pickwick Lake HistoryPickwick Lake History Information

1838 - July 10

Trail of Tears
Thousands of Cherokee Indians passed through Waterloo in the 1830s when they were forced by the U.S. Government to move West on the "Trail of Tears". Most came by boat from Tuscambia and camped here to await transfer to larger steamboats. During the encampment, several births, deaths and escapes occurred.

One party of 1,070 Cherokees traveled overland from Ross' Landing in Tennessee due to low water in the upper river. Following the general route of U.S. Hwy. 72 to Florence, they arrived here July 10, 1838 in miserable condition after a 23-day journey.

About 17,000 Cherokees were driven from their homeland in the southern Appalachain Mountains. Most traveled by land through Tennessee and on to Oklahoma. Great suffering and about 4,000 deaths occurred along the Trail, especially during the winter of 1838-1839.

City: Geneva

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