Trail of Tears State Forest
Location:Southern Illinois, 5 miles northwest of Jonesboro and 20 miles south of Murphysboro.
Facilities:Class C tent camping and Class D backpack campsites, group camping
areas, picnic areas, shelters, privies, ball diamond, trails (40 miles).
Activities:Camping, hiking, horseback riding, hunting.
Special Features:In the winter of 1838-1839, the Cherokee, Creek, and Chickasaw nations
were forced by the US Army to move from the Southeast to reservations
in Oklahoma Territory. They had to stop for the winter in southern
Illinois, just south of the present-day state forest, because of
floating ice in the Mississippi River. Hundreds died of cold and
starvation during this cruel trek, which came to be known as the Trail
of Tears (see separate entry on Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
in national trails section). Today, Trail of Tears Forest in Illinois
is a multiple-use site managed for timber, wildlife, ecosystem
preservation, watershed protection, and recreation.
Address:3240 State Forest Rd
Jonesboro, IL 62952
Phone:618-833-4910
Web: dnr.state.il.us/Lands/Landmgt/PARKS/R5/TRLTEARS.HTM
Size: 5,114 acres.
See other parks in
Illinois.