Many who heard the thunder thought it was an omen of more trouble to come.¹ The thunder died away and the wagons continued their long journey westward toward the setting sun. Although the day was bright, there was a black thundercloud in the west. Just as the wagons moved off along the narrow roadway, they heard a sound. There was no going back.Ī white-haired old man, Chief Going Snake, led the way on his pony, followed by a group of young men on horseback. One who was there reported that 'there was a silence and stillness of the voice that betrayed the sadness of the heart.' Behind them the makeshift camp where some had spent three months of a Tennessee summer was already ablaze. This lesson is part of the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) program.
