Is it the Trail of Tears?

Looks great, very midwest look to the landscape.

Yup, the Trail of Tears it is, an image I have wanted to do for a long time, and this challenge gave me the impetus to go ahead.

Andrew jackson, figures a Brit would pick that. =P renders an image of the shot heard round the world Looks great, I immediately knew it was the trail of tears as well. And... didn't the train of tears go from jacksonville hence the name to Oklahoma? I believe it did, in which case it would be less deserty. Possibly muddy. Or plainsy (if that is a word...)

The 1830s discovery of gold in Cherokee territory resulted in pressure by whites to obtain their lands. A treaty was extracted from a small part of the tribe, binding the whole people to move beyond the Mississippi River within three years. Although the Cherokee overwhelmingly repudiated this document and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the nation's autonomy, the state of Georgia secured an order for their removal, which was accomplished by military force. President Andrew Jackson refused to intervene, and in 1838 the tribe was deported to the Indian Territory (now in Oklahoma). Thousands died on the march, known as the "Trail of Tears," or from subsequent hardships. Their leader at this time and until 1866 was Chief John Ross. North Carolina, Tennesse, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma

This is really something! Very poignant! Excellent choice from the pages of history.

The horse's tail is gonna need some work....probably in post.......0.02p

Attached Link: http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/permex/archaeol/archaeol.htm

Not to nit pick but... The Cherokee would not be on horses. The trail of tears was a forced march with the Cherokee ripped from there homes in the middle of the night. They were not even allowed to take their own blankets, and those supplied by the Union Army had been infected with small pox. Having a Union officer menacing the tribes people on a horse may be a little more accurate. Also there is no desert between Georgia and Oklahoma. And this march happened during the winter. Just trying to be helpfull, but as a part Cherokee I had to say something.

A thought occurred to me, that as I said this should be winter, so if you just changed the texture of the terrain to resemble snow, you won't have lost that work. The detail of the footprints is fantastic.

Depends on where along the "Trail of Tears" this takes place, at the beginning or at the end? Or somewhere along the way. The landscapes through which they passed were vast... desolation was their destination. I agree with "Enforcer" that they were probably not on horses, they weren't exactly ripped from their beds in the middle of the night. An excellent (if not a bit dry) book on the Cherokee (of which I am part; my grandfather being pure Cherokee) is, of course, "Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation" by John Ehle (pronounced e-lee, like in Robert E. Lee)