Bill Woodiel

Stone Songs on the Trail of Tears

In March 2002, artist Pat Musick, her husband, Jerry Carr, and historian Bill Woodiel set out to commemorate a portion of the great and tragic Trail of Tears. On the Trail of Tears, the Cherokees, among other American Indian tribes, were forced to migrate westward, leaving their homelands for the unknown. Following the tradition of Christo, and inspired by installation artist Andy Goldsworthy, Musick and crew created an art installation titled Stone Songs on the Trail of Tears. This book chronicles the journey, with photographs, poetry, maps, journal entries, and introductory essays on art and history. It is an eye-catching piece of art featuring five yokes that combines oak, wood, steel, and native Ozark sandstone, designed to represent the struggle of those who took the brutal journey.

Bill Woodiel is a historian and former high-school history teacher from Mountain Home, Arkansas. For the past ten years he has researched and found many sites along the Cherokee Trail of Tears. A past vice-president of the Arkansas chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, he was an invaluable resource and adviser to Musick and her crew.