SEMORPC Tourism
into
Madison and St. Francis
Counties, Missouri
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From Jackson the Automobile Tour Route follows the winding path of Highway 72 through the wooded Ozark foothills to Fredericktown, a distance of 33 miles, and then turns north on U. S. Highway 67. In Fredericktown, the tour route passes the handsome 1899 Madison County Courthouse designed by Theodore Link. Just south on Main Street, Cordelia's Bed and Breakfast occupies a two-story brick home built in 1835. The building served as Union headquarters during the Civil War Battle of Fredericktown.
While the Northern Route veers northwest from Jackson through the village of Yount in Perry County, across the extreme northeast corner of Madison County and on into St. Francois County, one detachment of Cherokee, possibly led by Peter Hildebrand, did continue on into Fredericktown and then to Ironton to avoid the muddy, nearly impassable Northern Route to Farmington.
Theodore Pease Russell, whose family had settled in Iron County in 1838, recalled,

"There were about 2,000 Indians in this division. All the others had gone by way of Farmington, but the roads were so bad that this last division had to come this way along the Fredericktown Road and such a road at that time!"

Russell, who was 18 at the time, visited the Cherokee camp at the north end of the Arcadia Valley and later reminisced,

"I saw a group of girls playing at a sort of battledore. When I heard the laughter of the boys and girls, I could hardly realize I was in an Indian camp, among people who had been called savages.

From Fredericktown, the Automobile Tour Route travels north to Farmington through low rolling hills, where it again meets the Northern Route. In his Journal of Occurrences With a Party of Cherokee Emigrants, B. B. Cannon, who led the party of Cherokee which first took the Northern Route, recorded on November 19th, 1837,
"Marched at 8 o'clock A. M., halted and encamped 1/2 past 4 o'clock at Wolf Creek, issued corn & fodder, 14 miles today."

The detachments which followed in the early months of 1839 also passed through the town. Rev. Daniel S. Buttrick, writing in his diary on February 21, 1839 noted,

"This morning we passed through Farmington, a pleasant village."

In Farmington, visitors on the Automobile Tour Route will find the Long House, the oldest remaining house in the community and possibly the only remaining structure in Farmington to have witnessed the passing of the thousands of suffering Cherokee through the town. The house was started as a one-room log cabin in 1833 and was expanded as the Long family grew. It is open to the public during the Country Days festival and by appointment.
The Annual Farmington Pow Wow, held the third weekend of each September, brings together American Indian dancers from the Cherokee tribe and many other tribes from throughout the United States. The Pow Wow features storytellers, gourd dancers, inter-tribal dancing and contest dancing, as well as vendor booths where handcrafted and other items are sold. For visitors traveling the Automobile Tour Route during the Fall, the Pow Wow is an event not to be missed. For additional information, contact the Farmington Chamber of Commerce.
Charity Along the Trail of Tears
In Missouri, as elsewhere along the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee endured sickness, cold, hunger, and the curious and sometimes hostile reaction of settlers along the way. Sometimes greeted with kindness and gifts of clothing or blankets, they were often taken advantage of by landowners charging tolls or merchants ready to sell goods or whiskey. On November 21, 1837, Cannon recorded in his journal,

"A considerable number drunk last night, obtained liquor at Farmington yesterday; had to get out of bed about midnight to quell the disorder; a refusal by several to march this morning."

While the Northern Route continued southwest from Farmington through Delassus and Doe Run, and then on west, the Automobile Tour Route turns north at Farmington and continues north on U. S. Highway 67 six miles to Park Hills. At the northern edge of St. Joe State Park just south of Park Hills, visitors can explore the mining museum at the Missouri Mines State Historic Site. The old milling complex was used by St. Joe Minerals Corporation in the days when Missouri's "Lead Belt" produced nearly 80% of the nation's mined lead. From Park Hills, the Automobile Tour Route turns southwest and travels over Missouri Highway 32 to Bismarck, a distance of seven miles, and continues on west out of the Region.
That the passage of the Trail of Tears through the Southeast Missouri Region left a lasting mark is undeniable. There are residents in every county of the Region who pride themselves on having Cherokee blood. Although some are descendants of the Cherokee who migrated to Southeast Missouri before the forced removal, others can trace their ancestry to marriages or adoptions directly related to the Cherokee passage. It should be remembered that, while death was a constant companion during the forced march, there was also new life. Some 71 children were born alongside the trail.
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Into Madison and St. Francois Counties | Surviving the "Trail of Tears" | Trail Map
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Charity Along the Trail of Tears a painting by Brother Mark Elder, C.M., Courtesy: Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
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