Location notes for "The Trail of Hope"

These are the location notes for "The Trail of Hope."

Here is a population map for members of the Cherokee Nation, clustered in their Oklahoma jurisdiction but spilling far beyond it.

This map shows the population density of Oklahoma.  Tulsa and Oklahoma City were effectively obliterated.  Some of the county seats were hit, but not as heavily: Bartlesville in Washington, Miami in Ottawa, Claremore in Rogers, and Talequah in Cherokee.  In the Cherokee region of northeast Oklahoma, population was high only in cities, moderate in most areas, and low in the counties of Craig and Nowata which did not get hit at all.  Pryor in Mayes, Jay in Delaware, Stilwell in Adair, and Sallisaw in Sequoyah were too small to be worth hitting.

This map shows the Trail of Tears.  In this context, the Trail of Hope is a shorter route from Oklahoma through northern Arkansas into central Tennessee.

A Tennessee population map shows sparse places to settle.  The tribe winds up in eastern Van Buren County, visible on this map of counties.  Here is a map of Van Buren County.

The tribe encounters several abandoned farms and this burned farmhouse.

Ninovan (Cherokee: Our Home)
https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-indian-names/cherokee-names.htm

This farm includes 469 acres in Van Buren County.  It features rolling hills with fields and forests holding turkeys, deer, and other wildlife.  A year-round creek forms one boundary.