The first guardian mural at the outside entrance of the viaduct the Trail of Tears Interpretive Center in Pulaski, Tennessee is of “Wilma Pearl Mankiller,” former chief of the Cherokee Nation and ancestor of the Mankiller family that trekked the trail.
Wilma’s story is one of obstacles and triumphant victory over those difficulties to become a woman Chief of her tribe and a profound civil rights activist. Her heroic story stands for strength and resilience.