The Spring River Gem & Mineral Club (SRGMC) will meet Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. at Thunderbird Center, 62 N. Lakeshore Rd, in Cherokee Village, AR.
Dr. Freda Cruse Hardison, from Mountain View, AR, will present The Trail of Tears. She is considered one of the Ozarks most distinguished folk historians.
The Trail of Tears was a series of forced displacements of approximately 60.000 Native Americans, the “Five civilized Tribes” between 1800 and 1850 by the United States government.
Dr. Hardison will focus on the north Arkansas and the Benge Route. Based on detailed historical research and interviews , Dr. Hardison shares the intriguing background of the Benge Route, which led through Baxter County and surrounding counties. The Benge Route was named for Captain John Benge, a Cherokee leader who organized and led the trek.
Dr. Freda Cruse Hardison earned her PhD in Social Psychology. She has appeared on History Channel, Fox, CNN, Jesse Ventura and other programs as an expert in Ozarks history and Genealogy. Dr. Hardison is the author of local history books : Voices of Our People, Places of Our People, Frank and Jesse James, 52 Days with Grandpa, Birth of the Ozarks, and 1794-1839 Trail of Tears.
Perks of membership are Field Trips planned by Dave Thomas, Field Trip Coordinator, and monthly Silent Auction for mineral and fossil specimens, arranged by Barbra Knight, Silent Auction Chair. September field trip was to the Belz Museum, an Asiatic, Judaic and Holocaust Museum in Memphis , TN. The Belz boasts intricate sculptures of jade, ivory, malachite, carnelian, and other minerals. One jade sculpture is a lifesize carriage and horses.. The field trip planned for October 1 is a tour of the Doe Run mines in Virburnum, MO. The Doe Run company operates one of the world’s largest lead mining districts. Thomas also plans a rockhounding dig on October 15, led by Geologist Mike Howard who has access to several mineral deposits in Magnet Cove, AR. The Magnet Cove igneous complex is known for its abundance of odd minerals, including magnetite, as well as many other species such as rutile, anatase, brookite, perovskite and some rare-earth-bearing minerals.
November programs are traditionally presented by a club member. Dave and Mary Thomas, who lived in ST. Croix, one of the main islands of the U.S. islands, will present the November 4 SRGMC program “Lost and Found in Paradise” . Dave lived on the island and 20 yrs, and Mary for 13 yrs. They will share their lifestyle on St. Croix, as well as the culture, music, history, agriculture, reefs and geology, artifacts, and art.
Visitors are welcomed and invited to join us for Dutch treat lunch after the meeting in El Palenque restaurant. For further info call 901-212-0365 or 901-647-1521.