Beginning in 1838, 16,000 Native Americans were marched over 1,200 miles of rugged land and varying weather conditions. Over 4,000 died of illness, starvation, and war.
Deemed the Trail of Tears, the historic trail passes through present-day states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Four riders passed through Salem Thursday following the Hildebrand route of the trail. The 1,100-mile journey began Sept. 10 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
Lee Standingready, Tina Mae Weber, Bennie Halwood, and Len Crow, rode into the Scoops parking lot for an interview Thursday around lunchtime. The group doesn’t normally stop for lunch, but made an exception for ice cream and an interview about the reason for their journey.
“This is probably the first time a Navajo, Lakota, and Cherokee rode together on a trail. But tribes work together to help each other,” said Standingready.
Crow, has been the pastor of North Country Baptist in Ontario, Canada, since 1999, and founded the Ride for Missions in 1996.
This is the eighth ride for Crow, as he has embarked on several trails for mission work. His longest was the 7,000-mile trip from the Arctic Ocean to Southern Mexico, spanning one year and four days.
The goal of this ride is to assist the struggling tribes of the White Mountains Apache in Arizona and the Crow nation in Montana. A total of $60,000 split between the two tribes over the two-month ride is the goal. The money will be used to teach a trade to the youth of the tribes.
Poverty and suicide in Native American reservations and tribes is a widespread issue as statistics show it is more prevalent than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Boil orders are standing at almost all times on some reservations. Native women go missing and nothing is done, and there is no awareness for life on the reserve, said the group. It is like time stands still sometimes.
As they travel in reverse on the trail, they hope to bring recognition that the suffering of Native Americans is still happening 180 years later.
A base camp is set up along the trail as the riders travel about 20 miles per day, which takes about six hours. Riders travel six days per week, resting on Sunday. For most of the trail preplanned destinations are set for camps mostly near churches, fairgrounds, or parks. Horses get a rest period and people donate additional horses for different portions of the trail.
Meet the Riders
Joining Len Crow on the 1,100-mile journey are:
Bennie Halwood
Halwood is Navajo from near the Four Corners area of the Arizona. He was born and raised on the reservation and still visits there often. He is a pastor and missionary to his own people, traveling near and far to share his message.
Halwood and his family reside in Tennessee, including wife, Joann, and two of his children, a 16 and 12 year old. Two daughters have moved on, one resides in Denver and attends medical school, while the other serves as a missionary doctor in Uganda, Africa.
Raised traditional Navajo, the pastor attended public school. While attending college, his mother had an illness, and he left to tend to her needs. Soon after, he was hitchhiking, looking for jobs, and met his wife, ultimately attending church along with her.
Fast forward a few years, and Halwood has started three churches on his home reservation, an area home to 350,000 people.
Tina Mae Weber
Weber resides near Cuba and joined the group as they rode into Missouri Sept. 25.
With Cherokee in her background, she was honored to a part of this memorable and worthwhile journey. Weber is no stranger to long trail rides, as she returned from a month-long ride, only to begin this trail a few days later. She assisted in finding horses and base camps across Missouri.
Lee Standingready
Standingready is a Lakota Sioux Indian and was born on a reservation near Saskatchewan. Around the time he was three years old, his dad moved the family to Ontario, Canada.
Lee sold his landscaping business to ride on the trail for this mission trip. Joining Lee is his wife, Kim, and son, Joshua, 11.
A support crew takes care of base camp on the journey including Richard Howell and wife, Debbie Howell. Len’s wife, Nancy, of 43 years also assists on the rides.
The journey is set to end Nov. 10 in Cherokee, North Carolina.
Crow shared that the most memorable parts of the journey thus far were in Arkansas. It was a Cherokee campsite.
“It was a quiet, sobering place for reflection… away from trucks, cars and all other noise,” shared Crow.
Starting each day with a prayer, the quartet continues on the journey of those before them, with hope for the future of those living on reservations.
Find Ride for Missions on Facebook and follow the journey or support the cause.
