A dedication ceremony was held in Cedartown around noon Saturday to mark the 17oth anniversary of the Trail of Tears, the forced, armed removal of the Cherokee people from Georgia.

In 1838, the U.S. government built 10 fortified posts and four unfortified posts in Georgia as part of the process of moving the Cherokee from their lands to reservations west of the Mississippi River.

The order for the forced removal was given by General Winfield Scott on May 26, 1838. All Cherokees were ordered to be rounded up and brought to the nearest fortified post. From there, they were taken to departure points in Tennessee and Alabama.

Of the 17,000 Cherokees removed from the southeast, between 2,000 and 4,000 perished during or as a result of the removal.

The Georgia Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association chose to observe the 170th anniversary of this historic and tragic event in Cedartown for several reasons. Speaking at the dedication ceremony, Association spokesman Jeff Bishiop said that Cedartown is the southernmost portion of the Trail of Tears; in addition, a city park is situated on an section of land that has been positively identified as a campsite utilized by the Cherokee during their long walk.

The dedication was held next to ball fields in a city park adjacent to the Big Spring, located near Cave Spring Road and Wissahickon Avenue.

Bishop said the Association is working with the city and Polk County governments to install additional exhibits and plaques marking the spot, to make the area into a wayside park that memorializes the Trail of Tears.

Others on hand for the dedication were Association member Tommy Cox, Cedartown City Commission members Scott Tillery, John Barrett and Dale Tuck, Cedartown City Commissioner Gary Martin, and county commissioners Sandra Galloway (chairperson) and Billy Croker, along with a crowd of local citizens and visitors.