Red Clay State Park and the Friends of Red Clay will host A Historic Tour Through Cherokee Lands, a workshop for K-12 public, private and homeschool teachers, on Tuesday, June 17, and Tuesday, July 15, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The workshop is designed to assist teachers in interpreting the history and culture of the Native Cherokee who once inhabited the southeastern region of the U.S.
Morning sessions will include lectures from Dr. Mike Toomey, chairman of the History Department of Lincoln Memorial University and Genealogist and Researcher for the Cherokee Genealogy Services Anita Finger-Smith.
Afternoon sessions will include exhibits, demonstrations and an interpretive tour of the park led by Park Manager Erin Medley. The afternoon session will conclude with Cherokee myths and legends led by storytellers Kathi Littlejohn and Freeman Owle.
There is a $30 fee for the workshop, which includes lunch and activities. For additional information, visit www.FriendsofRedClay.org.
Red Clay State Historic Park is located in the extreme southwest corner of Bradley County, just above the Tennessee-Georgia state line, and is the site of 11 of the last 12 Cherokee Council meetings before the infamous Trail of Tears. The park encompasses 263 acres of narrow valley and forested ridges and features picnic facilities, a loop trail and amphitheater. The park also contains a natural landmark, the Blue Hole Spring, which arises from beneath a limestone ledge to form a deep pool that flows into Mill Creek. The Cherokee used the Blue Hole Spring as their water supply during council meetings. For more information about the park, please visit
http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/red-clay.