14 Flags Museum — Attraction in Sallisaw

As we took our time driving across the US, we learned an invaluable lesson. We had many potential stops planned along I-40 as we left CA and drove toward the Carolinas. Unfortunately, none of the major tourist books or blogs had anything listed for winter visits to this area so we had nothing planned.

Getting tired of driving with no planned stops, I pulled out my cell phone and began to research things that happened in the area. Because of this, we discovered the 14 Flags Museum, the Cherokee Indian (Sequoyah's) cabin of the father of the Cherokee Indian's written language, how people on the freeway died because a bridge was knocked out and people were driving off the freeway into the river, and about Fort Smith. We also discovered the little town where my husband's grandparents used to live and farm near when he was 5.

The lesson? If you just look, there are all types of things that one may learn about and savor as you travel if you research a little and get off the freeway. I know we thoroughly enjoyed these...

Glad we stopped by. These are original, restored cabins from nearly 200 years ago. There is a lot of information about the Trail of Tears, and art to go with it.

This is Native American history, and therefore American history. Franklin Faulkner was hired by Chief John Ross of the Cherokee Tribe to protect the rights of the people during the Trail of Tears.

Quite a few more people survived, with the help of this alliance, as compared to the trips and groups before them.

Franklin Faulkner is an American hero, and he used the law to do that.

He decided to stay with the Cherokee Tribe after the Trail of Tears, and he became the first Judge of the...

The whole place is pretty run-down. The priceless buildings aren't being cared for and are at the point of if nothing is done soon, they will fall in. The porch has already fell in on one, a log has warped out of place on another; the depot has a window that has rotted and is now letting in water. We sat at the only picnic table to enjoy a break and there was a big ant hill under it which my little girl got ant bites on her foot. It all was neat but really needs a lot of work and...