Читать книгу Her Cherokee Groom - Valerie Hansen - Страница 4

Dear Reader,

This story takes place before the disastrous Trail of Tears, as the forced removal has come to be known. Instead of being a single event, however, it took place over time, ending with a final push in 1838 to oust those individuals and tribes who had refused to migrate west.

To make matters worse, there were warring factions among the Cherokee that each claimed authority to legally sign treaties and make promises on behalf of all. Both sides resorted to violence. The result was a painful split in the tribe and a loss of credibility in Washington.

I now live in the part of Arkansas that one of the routes, Benge’s Trail, passed through. That’s what caused me to begin this book and travel to visit the Cherokee Museum in North Carolina. I highly recommend it (Cherokeemuseum.org).

Almost all the characters in this story are actual historical figures, including the boy Johnny and the way he arrived in Washington. I have fictionalized his life, and those of others, while keeping the basic facts as true to the written record as possible.

Blessings from the Ozarks,