Chattanooga Choo Choo, Moon Pies and the Trail of Tears

Besides visiting Civil War battlefields, we did find a few other things to see in Chattanooga. We set off to find the train that was made famous in the 1940's song. Our first sighting was atop this impressive building in an old downtown section of the city. We pulled on past the building and found an almost deserted parking area and explored on foot. We found an extensive collection of train cars and engines - and there it was - THE Chattanooga Choo Choo.

Everything was shut down in the area, but there were interesting shops and a restaurant housed in the train's dining car. We are hopeful that there is a busier season as these things were worth doing for the experience of a bygone era when travel by train was much more common and needful.

Exploring further, we found a much newer section of downtown with grand landscapes and spectacular buildings near the river.And, much to our delight, we found the Moon Pie General Store and yes....they have Moon Pies, double Moon Pies and Moon Pie t-shirts, Moon Pie clocks, Moon Pie posters...you get the idea. Also, the shop is a bookstore - what a terrific combination! The only thing missing was RC Cola (you probably need to be at least 50 years old and from the south to appreciate why). The kids agreed wholeheartedly that a Moon Pie was a wonderful invention

OK - we did go to one other civil war battlefield before leaving the vicinity. The entire area within and surrounding Chattanooga was a multi-faceted campaign over several months. Having already taken in the battle at Chickamauga, just south of Chattanooga, we pursued Lookout Mountain. The mountain itself can't be missed, the road to the top is a twisting series of switchbacks through woods and residential homes. We strongly advise against taking anything larger than our crew cub truck up this trail! Once at the crest of the mountain, a very lovely residential area filled with gorgeous old multistory houses looks down on the city from very precarious perches. We picked our way through the neighborhood, found a detour around a road repair project and finally arrived at the national park. Parking is very limited and we had to circle the neighborhood a couple of times to find the designated parking lot for the park.

The weather was overcast and very cold. We had only selected light jackets based on the temperature at the campground and the cold wind at the top of the mountain took our breath away. We quickly ran into the visitor's center to warm up and take in the exhibits that described the battle on the mountain.

This spectacular mural (measuring 13' x 33') was painted by an eyewitness of the battle, James Walker. The intricacy and detail is quite remarkable - the boys were spellbound, studying the details of fighting captured on the face of the mountain as well as surrounding the base of it.

We gathered our jackets around us and ventured into the park itself, with the very grand entrance created by the Corps of Engineers. If you've visited Corps of Engineers facilities, you've seen their logo that copies this grand structure (the tiny people in the arch are the Clark men).Beyond the boys is the valley, the city of Chattanooga and the Chattanooga River. Do not step off any of the trails on this mountain top - it's a loooong way down!The other side of the mountain offers the vantage of more of the valley and river.Atop this spectacular monument are two soldiers from the opposing armies, shaking hands...a tribute to the war's end and reconciliation.Had we been dressed more appropriately, we could have spent several hours on the trails on the mountain. Cold and thirsty, we took off to find coffee and hot chocolate.

When in Oklahoma, we had taken note that we were going to trace the route of the Trail of Tears toward it's origin. The Cherokee nation had been headquartered in northern Georgia and the chief of the Cherokees was born just south of what is now known as Chattanooga, TN. Rossville, GA is immediately adjacent and retains the name of the community as it was founded by this chief's family. John Ross was dedicated to preserve the Cherokee nation and their individual rights, but did not choose to do so in physical battle. In as admirable an approach as Martin Luther King, he faithfully persued the rights of the Indian nation through the courts. Sadly, although he won in court, the authorities refused to enforce the legal rights of the Cherokees and eventually, the nation was forced to relocate. A very shameful mark on our nation's history, we were pleased to share the forthright accounting with our kids so that they recognize that even the leaders of the land make terrible mistakes at times. We had terrific discussions as we toured the original childhood home of John Ross.

We continued in our quest to find this marker that acknowledges the name of the community before it was changed to Chattanooga.And finally, the marker for the beginning of the sad journey for the Cherokee nation is noted by this historical marker. Human greed is very ugly and it's tragic for our nation's leaders to have been so hard-headed and heartless at this point in history. Beyond the relocation of the people is the horrible timing of forcing the men, women and children to make the journey in winter, resulting in hypothermia and illness that killed so many. We're pleased to introduce our kids to unsung heroes along our journey. Chief John Ross was certainly a valiant warrior in a non-violent way for the civil rights of the Cherokee people, but is not recognized with national holidays, street names or multiple museums for civil rights in the manner of Martin Luther King. Even within the community of Chattanooga, where this hero was born, his birth home is tucked away in a run-down neighborhood with only a single sign pointing the way from the main road to the Chickamauga battlefield. Knowing these significant tidbits of history are off the beaten path inspires us to keep seeking them out. The full story of our country's history and heritage just cannot and is not captured in typical textbooks! OK, thanks for reading as I step off my soap box - now you can relate to our kids' perspective of history lessons in our house! Class dismissed...;)