Trail of Tears Association, Georgia Chapter
What is the TOTAbase developed by the Georgia Chapter of TOTA?
The Trail of Tears Association’s TOTAbase was developed by its Georgia chapter in 2007 / 2008 to:
- facilitate the sharing of Trail of Tears-related and Native American-related research;
- identify, inventory, and preserve historic resources along the Trail of Tears; and
- to aid in the cooperative strategic planning and in the implementation of interpretative strategies for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
The TOTAbase uses primary source documents, historic maps, photographic inventories of historic sites, and on-the-ground GPS coordinates to reconstruct the landscape of the old Cherokee Nation in Google Earth. Significant structures, ferry crossings, existing road beds, and other resources that may be useful in interpreting Indian Removal are noted and located in the database, which is freely available to all Georgia chapter members. Interpretation of the Trail of Tears is now being developed by TOTA and the NPS in the form of wayside exhibits, driving tours, books and brochures, podcasts, websites, recreational opportunities, and other means, and the TOTAbase has the capacity to inform all of these endeavors.
The mission of the Trail of Tears Association is to protect and preserve the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, in partnership with the National Park Service, to promote awareness of the historic legacy associated with the Trail, including the effects of the U.S. government’s Indian Removal policy on the Cherokees, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, and other tribes that were removed to Indian Territory in Oklahoma in the early-to-mid 19th century. The TOTAbase is quickly becoming an essential tool in accomplishing this mission, most especially in Georgia, where the majority of the Cherokee Nation’s population was living at the time of Removal, and where many opportunities still exist for interpretation of this tragic event in our nation’s history.