Historic Washington State Park will host the 19th Annual Red River Heritage Symposium on Saturday, July 26, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s theme is “Trail of Tears in the Red River Region” and will focus on the removal period of the Choctaw tribe as they traveled from Mississippi into southeastern Oklahoma and the impact that had on the Great Bend Region of the Red River.

Specific topics and speakers will include:

• “Washington, Arkansas, and the Trail of Tears” by Josh Williams and Chris Adams of Historic Washington State Park.
• “Choctaw and Chickasaw Removal Stories through Southwest Arkansas” by Dr. Dan Littlefield of the Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
• “Indigenous Experimental Archeology at Choctaw Nation” by Dr. Ian Thompson of the Choctaw Nation Archeological Survey.
• “Remembering Choctaw Removal Today” by a representative of the Choctaw Nation Cultural Center.

As part of the symposium, an all-day Friday and Saturday workshop for teachers and researchers will take place on July 25 and 26, beginning at 9 a.m. Lunch is included on both days. Teachers can earn a total of 12 credit hours by attending both days of the workshop and symposium. Saturday morning of the workshop will include a bus tour to sites in southwest Arkansas related to the Choctaw removal route, sponsored by the Arkansas State Archives. Workshop presenters will include staff from Historic Washington State Park, Arkansas State Archives, Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkansas Trail of Tears Association, and Fort Towson Historic Site. Sessions will incorporate Washington, Arkansas, and 19th-century-related topics into curriculum standards for the classroom.

The cost of attendance at the symposium and symposium is as follows:

• Friday Teacher Workshop                           $25
• Saturday Bus Tour                                          $15
• Saturday Symposium                                  $20
• All Events                                                          $50

Check-in will begin at 8 a.m. at the 1874 Hempstead County Courthouse Visitor Center. Registration must be made by July 18; contact 870-983-2684 to register.