Washington County Enterprise-Leader
VanSandt Completes Ride
Cherokee Nation’s Remember the Removal Riders, including Glendon VanSandt of Siloam Springs, completed a 950 mile bicycle ride tracing the Trail of Tears in late June.
VanSandt’s grandparents, Annette and Earl Rowe, live in Lincoln and have been keeping track of the ride. They were able to meet up with him at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park as the group neared the end of their trek.
VanSandt was one of eight Cherokee Nation cyclists who have been training for the ride since February. They were joined by seven Riders from the Eastern Band of Cherokee, and started their journey in New Echota, Ga., on June 5. The riders traveled through seven states to honor their ancestors who were forced to make the trek on foot more than 175 years ago, according to a press release from the Cherokee Nation.
During the last leg of their journey on June 22, the riders rode up the Razorback Greenway before making stops at the University of Arkansas and then traveling to Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park for a history lesson on Cherokees and the Civil War.
Their journey ended June 23 when they rolled onto the lawn of the Cherokee Nation Courthouse, according to the press release. The riders were welcomed by Cherokee leaders, family members and friends, and received medals from Principal Chief Bill John Baker and Deputy Chief Joe Crittenden.
VanSandt said completing the ride was bittersweet. The 16-year-old was proud to have completed the long ride and excited to be reunited with his family, yet sad the journey was over, which meant he would be parting from his fellow riders.
The best part of the trip for VanSandt was the friends he made along the way and the bond he made with both the Cherokee Nation riders and the riders from the Eastern Band.
The most difficult part of the journey for VanSandt was knowing other people suffered on the same path he was on.
The cyclists visited various gravesites and historic landmarks along the trail. Mantle Rock in Kentucky was the most meaningful to VanSandt. The weather was so cold when the Cherokee people were forced to be removed that the Ohio River froze over and the ferry that was supposed to carry them across the river couldn’t operate.
The people took shelter underneath the overhang of the rock, VanSandt said. They had the children crawl back as far as they could into the little space under the rock, then the parents lined up in front to shield them from the weather and keep them warm.
Other stops along the way included Blythe Ferry in Tennessee, which was the last piece of Cherokee homeland the ancestors stood on before beginning the trek to Indian Territory, and Shells-ford Cemetery in Tennessee, where Cherokee who died on the route are buried in unmarked graves, the release stated.
Many of the riders have used the experience to change the way they view daily life, VanSandt said. Completing a 950 mile bicycle ride has given them a whole new level of confidence and made other challenges in life seem less daunting in comparison, he said.
“It will be cool to see how this changes my life,” VanSandt said.
VanSandt plans to pass on his experience and newly gained knowledge about the Trail of Tears and Cherokee history.
“It’s something that should be shared, not only with my kids, but with everyone,” he said. “Everyone should get the chance to at least hear about it.”