Trail of Tears

It was the removal of thousands of Cherokees to Oklahoma in 1838.

But until now, it wasn’t easy to trace the exact route in the Tennessee Valley.

That changed Thursday afternoon when the National Park Service and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke unveiled 92 new Trail of Tears National Historic Trail signs.

Trail of Tears Historian Carlos Wilson says, "I’m kind of like a project manager. I had to coordinate with all the governmental bodies to get the approval; authorization and work with the crews to get the signs in place and be sure they are in the right place, pointed in the right direction and this sort of thing."

Wilson says he hopes the signs will help all Americans understand and appreciate the important but painful episode in Chattanooga’s history.