Happy Tuesday, dear readers! I hope that your week is off to a great start and that you are enjoying cooler temperatures. Can you believe that our mornings have been starting out in the upper 50s? It is becoming apparent that summer is winding down, and autumn will soon grace us with her presence. These last days of summer have me reflecting on my summer and my many blessings.
My summer was a good one filled with making lots of wonderful memories, discoveries along the way, and thanksgiving. We celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, tackled a few home projects, and made a couple of trips along the way. Today, as I reflect back on my summer, I want to share a special trip that I took with my beloved Mr. Bleu.
June 24, 2024, marked Mr. Bleu and my 30th anniversary. Mr. Bleu insisted that we take a special trip to mark this milestone. So we settled on our most favorite place to visit…Highlands, North Carolina. For our stay, we chose Old Edwards Inn. It is nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and is a wonderful place to relax and unwind. We always enjoy our stay.
This is a street view of the inn. Old Edwards is a gorgeous resort with an inn, several cottages, spa, beautiful grounds, a heated pool, and delicious restaurants.
Mr. Bleu and I always choose to stay in the cottages. They each come with their own screened porch where we enjoy having our morning coffee.
I love spending time at one of their beautiful pool areas. It is the perfect spot to enjoy a glass of iced tea and a good book.
We took a few short day trips around the local area. The drive is truly stunning!
One of our visits was to the Nantahala National Forest. Nantahala is the Cherokee word for “land of the noon day sun.” This forest includes nearly 250,000 acres and is truly breathtaking.
This waterfall was truly impressive.
On this trip, Mr. Bleu and I decided to drive instead of fly. Our plans were to take our time driving home and visit Cherokee, North Carolina where we both have ancestorial ties. However, the morning we were to start back home I received a call from my mom that my dad had been admitted to ICU. That morning was somewhat of a blur to me as I was so worried and wanted to get home as soon as I could. I quickly contacted my oldest son. If I couldn’t be there, he was the next best thing. When a crisis arises, he is definitely someone you want to have around. He quickly jumped into action, and I am so proud of him. He took such good care of his grandparents and that was such a comfort.
As I was making arrangements, Mr. Bleu was busy packing and plotting the quickest route home. The fastest route was 13 hours without any stops. This seemed so overwhelming to me, and I could not get home fast enough.
You may have noticed the words “divine intervention” in the title of this post. It was on our way home that I truly believe this came into play.
We had been on the road for a few hours, and I had been checking in back home. It was soon determined that my dad had a bad reaction to some medication. He was doing somewhat better, but I still couldn’t get home fast enough. As we were driving down the road and my thoughts were with my dad and mom, I looked over and noticed the road sign said Cleveland, Tennessee. I couldn’t believe it! This is where my family on my dad’s side originated from. I had seen pictures and always wanted to visit. This place not only was where my paternal grandmother’s family originated from, but it also played a significant role in American History.
Wanting to get home as quickly as I could, I didn’t want to stop. However, Mr. Bleu knew how much I had always wanted to visit and insisted that it would be a good stop to stretch our legs. I am so thankful that he did. It would turn out to be a visit that would leave an everlasting impression on me.
Both Mr. Bleu and I are members of the Cherokee Nation, and our families came to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. My family came from this very spot, and their story like so many others is a heartbreaking one.
The Cherokee called the removal “oosta ganuhnuh dunaclohiluh” (the trail where they cried) which has come to be known as “The Trail of Tears.” The Trail of Tears was one of the most horrific acts of man’s inhumanity toward his fellow man. In 1838, an entire race of peoples were driven from their homeland. They were forced to stay in stockades in the hot summer under deplorable conditions. Cholera, measles, and dysentery broke out in these crowded stockades. As many as 25 people died each day. During the entire removal, it is estimated that 8,000 of the 18,000 Cherokees perished.
My Grandfather was William Blythe, a mixed-ancestry Native American with both European and Cherokee antecedents. He married my grandmother, Nancy Fields, the daughter of Cherokee Chief Richard Fields. In 1819, William signed a treaty giving up his Cherokee citizenship and in return was given 640 acres of land. He worked diligently and amassed holdings that were valued in 1836 at fourteen thousand dollars. His holdings included two ferries, a mill, a cotton gin, two thousand peach and apple trees, a threshing machine, several barns, a blacksmith shop, a hen house, and other outbuildings.
Blythe Ferry played a vital role in the Trail of Tears. Some 9,839 Cherokees along with 3,868 horses, and 490 wagons were transported on this ferry during the removal.
This historical marker shows the actual Trail of Tears path leading to the Blythe property and ferry.
Around 1839, the government took my grandparent’s business and landholdings and forced them on the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory which is present day Oklahoma. Their story is one of many who faced heartbreak. I can’t even begin to imagine working so hard to build a life and having it all taken away. Something important to note, that these individuals were not savages. They were a civilized people who had homes, farms, and businesses.
The Blythe property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The photo above is of the museum that is located on the property.
The photo above is a memorial inscribed with the names of those who were on the Trail of Tears. Both Mr. Bleu and I found our ancestors names on this memorial.
This is a view of the Tennessee River from a lookout on the Blythe property.
Above is a path along the river that many must have taken to board the ferry.
I don’t really enjoy having my picture taken, but Mr. Bleu insisted that I stand where my ancestors walked and have my photo taken. I’m glad that he did. This discovery has left a lasting impression on me. I think of my ancestors who came before me, and their tremendous strength. This trip wasn’t planned. It just turned up on the path home. Oh, how I wish, I could tell my Me-Me (my paternal grandmother) of all that I discovered. Something tells me, she knows.
Like his ancestors before him, my dad is a strong man and back to doing what he loves…working on his ranch. I am so grateful for that! He enjoyed hearing all about my trip and seeing all of the photographs that I took. My family is my everything, and I am so thankful for them all.
Sweet friends, thanks for letting me share my trip with you. Your visits bring me so much joy! I hope you have a most blessed and wonderful day!
Shannon, Thank you for sharing this post. You have moved me to tears.
Happy Anniversary! What a story that you will remember always of your trip.
I am glad your Dad is ok and everything turned out as it did.
I did not know all the information you shared. You have a wonderful heritage. It is a story that should be told.
I am so glad you shared your pictures. I love seeing pictures of you and your husband.
I look forward to seeing your posts. You haave such a beautiful and well kept home. Thank you for sharing your home and life . The pictures of all the nature are truly a testament to God's work and beauty.
ohmygosh…chills, tears, and a sense of awe that your family history was so such a part of this tragic story. I will need to go back and read it more in depth; I was reading it at breakneck speed to see what was next. Thank you for sharing this history, and also for sharing this incredibly beautiful spot in North Carolina. I will explore this further for a future visit. Finally…I loved the pictures of you and Mr. Bleu. You are beautiful, and the pictures strengthen the connection between you and us, your readers. Thank you for this.
Thank you for sharing your anniversary trip. A friend and I visited Highlands and Cashiers last fall. It is a beautiful area. Your family story is a beautiful history to treasure and I know you and your family are so glad you stopped and stepped where they tragically once walked. I am glad there are as a “happy ending” to your father’s medical reaction!
I’ve read a book about what our government did to the Cherokee nation. It’s a shameful time in our history. We are to obey God in all things snd all ways. We must stay alert and elect people that will not stray away from the principles established in our constitution. Thank you for telling us of your ancestors trial. We must not forget.
Oh, Shannon, what a beautiful post filled with much of your beloved family’s history. Your ancestors had to bear such hardship, and they persevered! Thank God for that!
Happy Anniversary to you both, and I am so glad your father is doing so much better. Thank God for your son as well.
It's lovely to see beautiful you!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Shannon, you know how much we love Highlands and Old Edwards. Happy belated 30th anniversary! I love the photo of you and Mr. Bleu!
I am so glad you shared the story of your family’s history as heartbreaking as it was. I cried just reading your history. The Trail of Tears marker is about a mile from our house! We have a lot of Native American history in our area. Our little area in the country where we live is called Turkeytown named for Chief Turkey. We have a local historian that has done much research about the Native Americans that inhabited the hills and valleys where we live. Your children must know about their ancestral history. Again, I weep as I type.
I am so happy your Dad is doing well, my sweet friend!
I learned so much from this post today. So tragic and heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing. Glad your father is doing well now!
Shannon, you are so beautiful inside and out. Thank you for sharing your story and I am so happy your father is doing ok.
I can understand your joy and sadness on the trail of tears. Don't know if I told you but my late husband was a card carrying Seminole Indian and had an actual certificate for the percentage of Indian blood. (CDIF). My twins are 1/4 Seminole Indian…and carry cards also.
The reason I tell you this is their ancestors walked the Trail of Tears as it was not only Cherokee but many tribes…5 tribes.
"The Indian Removal Act of 1830, the impetus for the Trail of Tears, targeted particularly the Five Civilized Tribes in the Southeast. As authorized by the Indian Removal Act, the Federal Government negotiated treaties aimed at clearing Indian-occupied land for white settlers."
Between 1816 and 1840, tribes located between the original states and the Mississippi River, including Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles, signed more than 40 treaties ceding their lands to the U.S. In his 1829 inaugural address, President Andrew Jackson set a policy to relocate eastern Indians.
Among the relocated tribes were the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole. The Choctaw relocation began in 1830; the Chickasaw relocation was in 1837; the Creek were removed by force in 1836 following negotiations that started in 1832; and the Seminole removal triggered a 7-year war that ended in 1843.
Most Seminoles refused to leave voluntarily and the US military invaded to enforce removal. Thousands of Seminoles surrendered or were captured or killed in the fighting. The United States forced those that they captured or who surrendered to Indian Territory as part of the larger Trail of Tears.
To this day, the Seminole tribe are the only tribe to have never surrendered. In 1842, a nominal end to the hostilities arrived, though no peace treaty was ever signed. By this time most Seminoles had been moved from Florida, relocated to Indian Territory today's Oklahoma.
Believe me, I understand and cry with you regarding the Trail of Tears. I love this country but What an awful time in this Nation's history.
Great Congratulations on 30yrs of marriage. Mr Bleu and you look like love! It is sad reading about your ancestors. Worldly people can be greedy. But the strong survive like your family thru God. Thanks for sharing.
Shannon,
What a beautiful story and tear's were shed for sure here to, so glad you were able to be there and feel all the emotion's, you and your hubby did have a nice time before you left and fate does have a way with us, so glad your Dad is well and I alway's enjoy your stories and your pretty home, you have a great family the love show's all the time you write, Bless you and your family, stay well~~~~~~Alway's Jean Van Buskirk, Ca
Happy Anniversary Shannon! How very special your trip turned out to be~ North Carolina is a wonderful getaway place with the beautiful scenery, waterfalls and special places to stay. I'm sorry you had to leave in a hurry, worried about your father, but your divine intervention of traveling through Cleveland Tennessee, where your ancestors were from is what I would call a "God wink." A God wink is when a unlikely coincidence is God’s way of letting you know He's thinking of you. Your family history is truly heart wrenching. I know from reading your blog how important your family is to you and am always impressed by how many of your things belonged to your mother or grandmother and you lovingly enjoy each thing. Family is very important to me too, and life's biggest blessing! Thank you so much for sharing your incredible story…
Good morning Shannon! Congratulations on 30 years of marriage, love seeing the photo of you and Mr. Bleu! You know I love the visiting North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains as we’re fortunate to live just 2 hours away and to have friends that share their mountain house with us. I’m relieved to hear that your dad is ok and back working on his ranch. I know it must have been so distressing being so far away when he was admitted to ICU. So glad you were able to stop on your way home and walk in the footsteps of your grandparents and Native Americans forced to leave their homeland and belongings. What a travesty and dark time in our country’s history. Thank you for sharing your moving story and family’s journey. ♥