The National Trails Day at the historically significant Marcoot Lookout Fire Tower concluded with a dramatic twist - rain. The ground saturated with water was transformed into treacherous, muddy terrain on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Parking was limited because the grassy areas were no longer solid. There were a few gravel areas at the walk-in entrance into Mark Twain National Forest (formerly named Clark National Forest).
Imagine - it could have been like that day in 1839 when Peter Hildebrand leading a detachment of 1,677 Cherokee, 801 horses, and 88 wagons crossed this area between what became Salem and Bunker.
The Hildebrand Detachment was the only detachment that crossed this part of Missouri on the Ozark Plateau. It crossed the head of the Meramec River and crossed the head of the Current River where A. W. Hollerman had built a grist mill in 1835 in Dent County.
Defiantly standing tall amidst the relentless rain, the NPS Trail of Tears Original Route sign on Reynolds County Road 903 served as a beacon of unwavering resilience. This sign, a significant historical marker, not only marks the original route taken by one detachment of the Cherokee Nation during their forced relocation, but also symbolizes the enduring spirit of the Cherokee people during this tragic journey known as the Trail of Tears.
Unfazed by the muddy terrain, the goal was clear: to traverse from the sign across Missouri State Highway 72, following the unofficial path of the Hildebrand Route into Dent County historically known as the Old Centerville Road. The path continues on the old road west to an old post office of Max.
Chief John Ross’ brother, Lewis, said there was not enough food for the Hildebrand Detachment to follow the other detachments on what became the Northern Route. The Richard Taylor Detachment was the last to come across the Northern Route.
The National Geographic magazine wrote a story about a campsite on the Gasconade River where the Hildebrand Detachment camped for a month and 55 Cherokees died in Wright County.
In the Journal of Rev. Daniel S. Butrick (who traveled with the Taylor Detachment), the Hildebrand Detachment is referenced on March 18, 1839 as they neared the Arkansas border. ‘The wagon master brought intelligence that Mr. Hilderbrand’s detachment, on another road, intended to get into our road, five miles ahead, before us tomorrow morning and thus go on before us. On this account, Mr. Taylor requested his wagons to start before day’. The race was on to beat Hildebrand to Indian Territory.
Missouri has over 600 miles of land route and a portion of the Water Route from the confluence of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River down to the Arkansas State Line on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
Contributors to this article were Deloris Gray Wood and Denise Dowling.
