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\u201cWe do have to acknowledge our past so that we don\u2019t repeat things like this, and so that we can try to reconcile the best we can. We walk in the footsteps of those who walked through Winchester in October of 1838 to honor them and their resilience and dedication to survive and thrive despite the cruelty and hardships endured on the Trail of Tears,\u201d Pack said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, Pack\u2019s own great-great-grand-mother was Cherokee, and this personal connection strengthens her compassion for those affected by the Trail of Tears. Pack said one of the most impactful quotes from this tragedy was from a Confederate soldier who accompanied the Cherokee on the trail, who said, \u201cI had been through the Civil War and saw men shot to pieces and slaughtered by the thousands, but the Cherokee removal was the cruelest work I ever saw.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is why walkers solemnly traverse this local stretch of the Trail of Tears each year. Historical documentation confirms that the Cherokee people passed through Winchester on Oct. 29, 1838, so the event is always held in October. The walk ends at the library, where walkers find food offerings, including Indian tacos, displays from local state parks with artifacts and Atlatl (spear weapon) throwing demonstrations. It is an incredible opportunity to learn about and honor extraordinary people, an event that Pack hopes will continue to grow each year. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WALKERS OF all ages stand in the chilled breeze of an October morning in Franklin County as raindrops drizzle from the gray clouds above. The crowd waits in reverence at the Old Cowan Road Park pavilion as a guest speaker stands to recite a Cherokee blessing. Some dress in authentic clothing from the 1800s, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":23931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n