Skip to main content

Robeson County towns support honoring American Indians on I-74

While construction of a new Interstate freeway progresses in Robeson County, local officials and towns are voicing their support of a petition that would name I-74 within the county as the "American Indian Freeway." Currently, US 74 - which will share the new highway with I-74 - is named the Andrew Jackson Highway.

The petition would lead to a resolution that would keep the "Andrew Jackson Highway" name while the highway within the county would also have the "American Indian Freeway" distinction.

The Lumbee Indian Tribe traces their origins to the Robeson County area.

Story:
Highway is a reminder of Indian history ---Fayetteville Observer

Commentary:
Personally, what I found interesting in this article is how American history comes into play with the current name of US 74 and the proposal for I-74. While President, Jackson's "Indian Removal" policy was and remains one of the most controversial and far-impacting issues of his administration.

The Indian Removal Act signed into law in 1830 allowed the President to negotiate 'treaties' with Eastern Indian tribes. The act allowed the Federal government to enter into treaties where it purchased Indian tribal land in the eastern US in exchange for lands in the west outside of the U.S. borders. One of the results of this act was the infamous Cherokee 'Trail of Tears'. Although the removal of Cherokee Indians was under his successor's (Martin Van Buren) administration, the Indian Removal Act was a Jackson policy.

Over 4,000 Cherokee would die in their journey west.

In it's entirety in North Carolina, US 74 is known as the Andrew Jackson Highway. For years, Cherokee, Lumbee, and Tuscarora descendants have tried to change the name of the highway.

Naming I-74 in Robeson County the "American Indian Freeway" would be an acceptable compromise.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hawaii Route 8930

Hawaii Route 8930 is a 2.5-mile State Highway on the Island of O'hau.  Hawaii Route 8930 is aligned over Kualakai Parkway over the course of its entire alignment south from Interstate H-1 to Kapolei Parkway.  Hawaii Route 8930 is one of the newest Hawaii Routes only having been completed during 2010.   This page is part of the Gribblenation O'ahu Highways page.  All Gribblenation and Roadwaywiz media related to the highway system of O'ahu can be found at the link below: https://www.gribblenation.org/p/gribblenation-oahu-highways-page.html Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 8930 The history of Hawaii Route 8930 is brief given it is a modern facility.  Hawaii Route 8930 and what was known as "North-South Road" were built to facilitate the developing areas of Kapolei on western O'ahu.  According to hawaiihighways.com the first stage of Hawaii Route 8930 was completed from Kapolei Parkway north to Farrington Highway as a four-lane highway during November...

Madera County Road 607 and the Stockton-Los Angeles Road

Madera County Road 607 is an approximately seven-mile rural unsurfaced highway which spans from Road 600 near Raymond west to Road 29.   Road 607 west from Raymond Road Cemetery (established in 1905) is part of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road corridor surveyed in 1853. The corridor lies in the gap between Fresno Crossing at the Fresno River west to Newton's Crossing at the Chowchilla River. The Buchanan Copper Mine would be along what is now Road 607 in the namesake Buchanan Hollow during July 1863. The Buchanan Mine is thought to have once had a population of between 1,000-1,500 residents by the early 1870s. Copper prices would decline in the decade after the Civil War and much of the activity at Buchanan shifted towards cattle ranching. The last businesses in the community would shutter during World War II and it is now a true ghost town. Part 1; the history of Madera County Road 607 and the Stockton-Los Angeles Road What is now Road 607 was a component of the larger Sto...

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...