The city of Macon is embracing its history as the former home of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, amidst a push to have the nearby Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park gain national park status. Thanks to a $75,000 private donation, the city added Muscogee language translations of English road names to street signs throughout the city, some 60 new signs in all. The move is meant to spark curiosity in visitors and remind locals of the strong connection the land has to the tribe, which was forced to evacuate and march west on the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. “We’re not waiting for Congress. We don’t need their permission to grow a relationship with the tribe,” says Macon Mayor Pro Tem Seth Clark. “These words being on these streets are too important to wait for Congress to get it together and vote on this thing. … We’re doing this because it’s the right thing. This is proper behavior of a national park gateway community. This is what we should be doing, and it shows we have skin in the game.”
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