The White River trail had long been used by Native Americans in Dent County . It later became one of the branches of the Trail of Tears , which saw many Cherokees pass through on their forced trek to Oklahoma . Some stopped in Dent County and many old families take pride in their Cherokee heritage . The " trace " wound from Sligo southwest to the Ephraim Bressie Farm on Spring Creek north of Salem . It left the county about the present town of Maples
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Dent County, Missouri