UGA Alumni Attend DAR Marker Dedication

On November 8, 2007, an historic marker was dedicated by Xavier Chapter, NSDAR, Rome, GA, recognizing a newly verified section of the National Trail of Tears. Chief Chadwick Corntassel Smith (BSEd ’73), Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, spoke at the ceremony. The dedication coincided with the 12th Annual Trail of Tears Association Conference, Rome, GA, and was in conjunction with National American Indian Heritage Month. The marker stands on the Ross to Ridge Road, the geo-verified path of an 1832 road which connected the homes and ferries of Cherokee leaders Major Ridge and Chief John Ross. The road is a tangible link between members of the Cherokee Nation leadership, showing the nexus of power that existed, with only a short distance and direct link between the two men’s houses. The road facilitated communication, as Ridge and Ross discussed the impending crisis of removal and dispossession. UGA Alumni gathered around the Marker are pictured, left to right: Barbara Massey, Marsha Welch, Therry Deal, Chief Chad Smith, Ansley Saville, and Catherine Dollar.