Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jan 9, 2009
Trail of Tears Documentation Act - Amends the National Trails System Act to add as components of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, as generally described in the environmentally preferred alternative of the November 2007 Feasibility Study Amendment and Environmental Assessment for Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, the following routes and land components by which the Cherokee Nation was removed to Oklahoma: (1) the Benge and Bell routes; (2) the land components of the designated water routes in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee; (3) the routes from the collection forts in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee to the emigration depots; and (4) the related campgrounds located along such routes and land components.
Prohibits acquisition of lands or interests in lands outside the exterior boundaries of any federally administered area by the federal government for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail except with the consent of the owner.
Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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