The Trail of Tears Redbud stands today as it did in 1838 when thousands of Cherokee Indians passed by as they were forced onto reservation land in Oklahoma. About 4,000 Cherokees died along the Trail of Tears. The Cherokees were forced into eastern Oklahoma after a small group of their tribe signed the Treaty of New Echota with the U.S. government. The treaty turned over Cherokee lands in the east to the government in exchange for land in Oklahoma.