You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
away and this line was the first railroad west of<br />
the Appalachian Mountains. In 1888 the<br />
depot was built by the Memphis and<br />
Charleston Railroad due to the success of the<br />
rail line. Today, the museum has an original<br />
carriage which belonged to Helen Keller’s<br />
family and a vast collection of rail memorabilia.<br />
Trail Of Tears<br />
The railway line would also play an<br />
integral part in one of America’s<br />
monumental events: The Trail of Tears.<br />
The Trail of Tears was a series of forced<br />
removals of Native American nations from<br />
their ancestral homelands in the<br />
Southeastern United States to new Native<br />
Territory west of the Mississippi River.<br />
Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek<br />
and Seminole people were removed from<br />
their lands and relocated to the west.<br />
For many the journey along the Tennessee<br />
River from Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia<br />
and Alabama would bring them to the<br />
Shoals area and then by train to<br />
Tuscumbia Landing where they would be<br />
transported by barges on the river to begin<br />
the long trek to Oklahoma.<br />
In scenic Spring Park in downtown<br />
Tuscumbia be sure to find the Sacred Tears<br />
bronze statue that memorialises the Trail<br />
of Tears and the friendship that the<br />
residents of Tuscumbia displayed to the<br />
Native Americans during the time.<br />
Natchez Trace - Tupelo, Mississippi<br />
From the Muscle Shoals region you can pick up<br />
the Natchez Trace Parkway on Highway 72 at<br />
Cherokee, 20 miles west of Tuscumbia and<br />
follow it to the Parkway visitor’s centre and the<br />
birthplace of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi -<br />
an easy 65 mile drive.<br />
The Natchez Trace Parkway, one of America’s<br />
Top 10 National Parks, is headquartered in<br />
Tupelo where the power of possibility helped<br />
turn a primitive trail into a national scenic<br />
treasure.<br />
Native Americans travelled the 444 miles<br />
between Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville,<br />
Tennessee over 8,000 years ago.<br />
At the visitor centre you can discover the<br />
parkway’s history and inhabitants.<br />
STEAKS, SEAFOOD & MORE<br />
Location<br />
105 N Court St,<br />
Florence,<br />
<strong>AL</strong> 35630, USA<br />
Phone<br />
256-275-3666<br />
Hours<br />
Sun-Thus 11-10<br />
Fri &Sat 11-11<br />
25
Change language