Here are historic sites and interpretive facilities on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in Oklahoma for you to visit:

Cherokee National Museum, Tahlequah

Location: The Cherokee National Museum is 3 miles south of Tahlequah in the old Cherokee community of Park Hill. To reach the museum from Tahlequah, take Muskogee Avenue (also called Main Street, Highway 62, and Highway 10) south 3 miles to Willis Road. Turn left and go 1 mile. The Cherokee National Museum is a long natural-stone building in the center of the Cherokee Heritage Center complex.

Phone: (918) 456-6007 or (888) 999-6007

Hours: The museum is open year-round except January; hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Available Facilities: The museum is part of the Cherokee Heritage Center complex. The museum contains exhibits, a gift shop, archives, and library. On the grounds are a reconstructed 17th-century village community, a reconstructed late-19th-century Cherokee crossroads community, a prayer chapel, and a theater. Facilities meet federal accessibility standards for people with disabilities. The Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. operates the heritage center.

Exhibits: Permanent exhibits interpret the Trail of Tears, depicting events leading to, through, and beyond removal. These exhibits are physically and programmatically accessible for all visitors. Temporary exhibits are directly related to American Indian history, culture, and art. The museum's collection includes artifacts and archival material related directly to the trail, and to subsequent events.

To learn more: www.cherokeeheritage.org/

Fort Gibson Military Site, Fort Gibson

Location: 907 N. Garrison, on Oklahoma Highway 80 at the north edge of Fort Gibson.

Telephone: (918) 478-4088

Hours: Summer=Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Winter=Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Historical Significance: Fort Gibson was active from 1824 through 1890. In its first years, it was the westernmost U.S. military fort, and for awhile it was a key to U.S. military strategy, inasmuch as the fort held more soldiers than any other fort located west of the Mississippi River. In 1832, a commission was created by Congress for the purpose of locating in the Indian Territory the Indians about to be removed from the East. The commission made its headquarters at Fort Gibson, and for the remainder of the decade it negotiated treaties with the local native tribes in order to prepare them for the impending changes in their neighbors. The site was a dispersal site for the Seminole and Creek Indians after their long journey from their homes in the southeastern United States.

Available Facilities: Fort Gibson Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark, is managed by the Oklahoma Historical Society. The site includes the fort as well as a museum, gift shop and walking trail. The log stockade is a reconstruction, but four stone buildings at the fort are original and have been restored.

Exhibits: The museum contains interpretive exhibits relating to the fort’s role as a dispersal site.

To learn more: www.fortgibson.com/historical-sites.php or www.okhistory.org/outreach/military/fortgibson.html

George M. Murrell House, near Tahlequah 

Location: The George M. Murrell House is at 19479 E. Murrell Home Road, in Park Hill, 1 mile southeast of the junction of State highways 62 and 82, and 4 miles southwest of Tahlequah.

Phone: (918) 456-2751

Hours: Between March and October, hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Off-season hours are shorter.

Historical Significance: George Murrell built this two-story, antebellum, Greek Revival plantation home about 1845. Murrell was married to Minerva Ross, the niece of Cherokee Principal Chief John Ross, and the daughter of Lewis Ross. Both of these men played pivotal roles during the Cherokee removal.

Available Facilities: The home represents the re-establishment of the Cherokee Nation after removal, and the lifestyle of some people in the Cherokee Nation prior to the Civil War. The plantation home sits on 40 acres of ground, and includes the original spring house, smoke house, picnic area, playground, creek, and nature trail. The site is owned by the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Exhibits: The home, which is being restored, contains original and period artifacts and furnishings.

Special Programs: Group tours can be arranged by appointment. The site hosts an 1850s lawn social during the first weekend in June, and ghost stories on the last Friday and Saturday in October.

To learn more: www.okhistory.org/outreach/homes/geomurrell.html