In 1838, President Andrew Jackson ordered the removal of the Cherokee Nation to new territory in the west. By fall, 14,000 Cherokee were forcibly removed from their homes in the south. With guns and bayonets, the US Army placed them into stockades where hunger, disease and exposure ran rampant. Many died before they left the stockades and more died on the trail to the west, or "The Trail of Tears." By the time they reached their destination, 1/3 of their population had died along the trail. Those who survived established the Western Band of Cherokee Nation. Back in North Carolina, those who managed to evade the army fled into the mountains. Today their descendants make up the Eastern Band of Cherokee. But the story does not end there, for some fled north into the mountains, away from the threat of danger with a desire to remain free.
Solomon and Seaberry Arms Osborne fled Cherokee, NC, with a hunting party in the fall of 1837 to avoid the dreaded march west. They journeyed over three states. Along the way they left a few birth and death records and footprints that span 150 years. After settling in Ashe County, NC, Tazewell, VA, and Wyoming County, VA, they finally settled in what is today Nicholas and Clay Counties, WV. Today, we, their descendants, tell the story of their flight to this land they call "The Wilderness" and of their struggle to remain free.
Witness an authentic portrayal of a Cherokee wedding, a scene from the Trail of Tears, fight scenes, dancing, original music, live horses and a cast of all ages.