A reunion brought together through tragedy

Katie Hightower

On Oct. 21, the roar of thousands of motorcycles were heard throughout North Alabama as the 31st Annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Bike Ride rumbled across the state. The ride began in Bridgeport at 8 a.m. and ended in Waterloo at 2:30 p.m.

The ride was established to remember the thousands of Native Americans who died as a result of Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 which forced thousands of Native Americans from the eastern United States to the state of Oklahoma. 

To kick off the event, there was an opening ceremony the evening of Oct. 20 in Bridgeport. To begin the ceremony, local veterans presented the nation’s colors for the National Anthem. After a presentation about the nation’s flag, a veteran played Taps.

Maria Daws spoke about the history of the Indian Removal Act. She said that more than 20% of those forced out of their lands died. Most of the Native Americans who lost their lives were elderly and also young and this caused the history and the future of the Cherokee people to become erased. Daws told the crowd how it had become illegal to be Native American east of the Mississippi River. She said people stopped talking about their heritage because of the danger of being removed and how the last forcible removal happened as recent as 1952. 

When asked what he thought of the event, Fred Salazar said, “It stands for something and it’s bringing a lot of the Cherokee people out now. Now, they’re not afraid to admit they’re Indian.”

Salazar’s image was painted on a mural at Bridgeport’s town stage. Salazar said the artist painted the picture of him on a bike when he was recovering from a heart attack. The Trail of Tears meant a lot to Salazar as his brother was one of the founding members of the commemorative ride. 

“I think if it hadn’t been for the original bikes and people who started it, it would have never gotten this big,” he said.

Salazar’s brother, Rudy Rainwater, helped start the Trail of Tears Commemorative Bike Ride in 1994. He said on the first ride, they left Chattanooga with eight motorcycles. By the time they got to Waterloo, they had 100 with 54 from Jackson County. He said when they got to Waterloo, people came out and asked what was going on and why so many bikes were in their town.

By 1999, the number of motorcycles had grown over 100,000. Rainwater said the Trail of Tears was the largest motorcycle event in the world and held that title for several years. 

“It’s like a family reunion,” Rainwater said.

In the crowd at the kickoff event, people were hugging. There were smiles and laughter. There were people catching up with each other. The town of Bridgeport went above and beyond in making the Trail of Tears kickoff special. 

Not all towns were accepting of the motorcycle event. In 1994, the city of Scottsboro didn’t want a bunch of bikers coming into town. 

“They told us, ‘we don’t want you in our town. Take your motorcycles and drive straight through. If you stop, we will get you for unlawful assembly,’” Rainwater said. “People ask why we don’t stop in Scottsboro. Well, they told us not to and we’re sticking to it.”

“All in all, it’s really great this happens every year. I’m glad Bridgeport sponsors this now and they get all this,” Salazar said.

Bridgeport’s kickoff event included live entertainment from the Bottom Holler Band and Benny and the Looselips from Nashville. Andy Woods, a Barney Fyffe impersonator, was at the event to keep things in order. The evening ended with a fireworks show.

The next morning, bikes began rolling into downtown Bridgeport as early at 6 a.m. to get into the lineup. By 8 a.m., thousands of motorcycles had poured into the small town. 

Michael Hutton, the Trail of Tears webmaster, got involved with the commemorative ride after his brother passed away while taking the journey years ago. Hutton took the time to restore his brother’s bike and rode it in the Trail of Tears every year since. He drove from Texas each year to honor his brother’s memory and his passion to remember the Native American people. 

As the motorcycles left Bridgeport, there was a mixture of emotion from those leaving. There were many warm smiles and there were also many stoic individuals. The mixture seemed fitting as the event was bittersweet — a family reunion brought together through tragedy.