Pine Bluff unveils historical marker for Trail of Tears route

A new historical marker was unveiled in downtown Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to commemorate the forced removal of Indigenous peoples along the Arkansas River. The ceremony, held on National Trail of Tears Remembrance Day, was hosted by the City of Pine Bluff, the Arkansas Trail of Tears Association, and the National Park Service.

The marker recognizes Pine Bluff as a waypoint on the water route of the Trail of Tears, where Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole tribes were relocated to Indian Territory between 1830 and 1850. Specifically, it honors the journeys of Cherokee Principal Chief John Ross, who traveled the river in the winter of 1838-1839, and Black Seminole leader John Horse, whose group traveled the same route in the summer of 1838.

City officials noted the importance of the marker in providing an honest account of the city's history, acknowledging the difficult and unflattering truths of the forced marches that passed through the region.