But the federally recognized segment of the trail begins in
eastern Tennessee, where assembly camps for the Cherokee were
established to prepare for the trek west. A bill is pending in
Congress to include other sections of the trail in the national
system. If approved, the legislation would also provide money to
mark sections of the trail and erect displays to tell the story.
Some National Park Service officials think the UNC excavation
will help justify adding about 130 miles (210 kilometers) of
trails through the North Carolina mountains to the National
Trails System. "In reality, the Trail of Tears started at the
doorstep of every Cherokee who was forced out of their house,"
said John Conoboy, an administrator with the National Trails
System in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The decision to move eastern
Indians is rooted in the U.S. purchase of the Louisiana
Territory from France in 1803. When white settlers moved into
the newly acquired land, they began pressing the federal
government to remove Native Americans ea