Motorcyclists from all across the Southeast will unite this fall to pay tribute to Native American tribes who endured forcible removal from their ancestral lands.

From September 19-21, the 32nd annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride will follow a historic route through north Alabama, riding from the town of Bridgeport northwest to Waterloo. Expected to attract thousands of participants and spectators, this year’s ride also will feature a kickoff rally plus a three-day Indian Festival that welcomes the public.

Beginning at the Alabama-Tennessee state line on U. S. Highway 72 in downtown Bridgeport, the Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride will set riders off for an 8 a.m. departure on Saturday, September 20. Along a route that travels Highway 72 West to Interstate 565 West, riders will stop at the Redstone Harley-Davidson (15155 Highway 20 West in Madison) at approximately 10:30 a.m. for an official ride rest and lunch. At noon, the riders will again set off and head west, arriving in Waterloo at approximately 2:30 p.m.

A kickoff rally featuring kids’ activities, live music, a fireworks show and more family-friendly activities, will be held in downtown Bridgeport on Friday, September 19. Riders from from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian Reservation will arrive at 3 p.m. ahead of the official opening ceremony, which will begin at 5 p.m. followed by live music at 6 p.m. Nashville-based artists John Stone & The Trailer Park Allstars will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. and again at 9:30 p.m. following the evening’s fireworks show.

The town of Waterloo, along with the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission and United Cherokee AniYunWiYa Nation, will host a free Indian Festival from September 19-21 in remembrance of all who walked the Trail of Tears. A memorial walk honoring those who endured the forced journey will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 20, following a route from the Waterloo Bridge to Waterloo Landing — an official Trail of Tears National Historic site designated by the U.S. National Park Service.

Additional scheduled activities include a living history soldier encampment representing the Drane Company on Friday and Saturday, along with Indian exhibit booths, a kids’ corner, and the Pow Wow with music and dancing in the Grand Arena. For more information, visit www.al-tn-trailoftears.net/the-ride/pow-wow.

The ride is a rain-or-shine event. Visit www.al-tn-trailoftears.net/ or https://www.facebook.com/Trailoftearsmotorcycle for more information about this year’s Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride, including a full schedule of events.

Historical background — Provided by the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 called for the voluntary or forcible removal of all Indians from the eastern United States to the state of Oklahoma. May of 1838 marked the deadline for voluntary native removal, and so began the Cherokee “Trail of Tears,” one of the darkest episodes in relations between the United States and Native Americans.

In 1838, the U.S. government hired wagon master J.C.S. Hood to transport Native Americans by foot and wagon from Ross’s Landing in Chattanooga, Tennessee to what is now Waterloo, Alabama. Much of the journey followed what is now U.S. Highway 72. Many Native Americans died in Waterloo and others escaped into the hills and today, area residents can trace their Native American ancestry to those who fled.

As many as 4,000 deaths occurred because of this forced removal of civilized Native Americans from their rightful homes. In recognition of this removal process, the first Trail of Tears Motorcycle Ride was organized in 1994 with approximately 100 riders participating.