Kayak Tour: Jacob Cummings and His Route to Freedom
Fort Oglethorpe, GA: On Saturday, April 9, at 9 am, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military
Park, in partnership with Outdoor Chattanooga, will conduct a FREE, 3- hour, historical kayak tour. In
late July 1839, Jacob Cummings liberated himself from slavery on the banks of Moccasin Bend and
paddled his way to freedom in a small canoe. National Park Partners will sponsor this special kayak
tour of Cummings’ escape from slavery. Participants will paddle the route he followed and learn about
his role as both passenger and agent on the Underground Railroad. The following reservation and
paddler requirements must be met prior to tour participation.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED:
Participants should meet Outdoor Chattanooga staff at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s
Suck Creek boat ramp to be shuttled to the launch site. To make a reservation, please visit Outdoor
Chattanooga’s online catalog at http://bit.ly/outdoorchatt or call 423-643-6888.
PADDLER REQUIREMENTS
Participants must be 15 years of age or older
Participants must know how to swim
Outdoor Chattanooga and the National Park Service reserve the right to cancel a trip at any time at
their discretion, due to weather or water conditions. Participants will be notified as soon as possible if
there is a cancellation. The rain date for this event is Saturday, April 23, at 9 am. If you must cancel
your reservation for any reason, please try to do so with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice. Please call
between the hours of 8 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday to cancel a reservation.
www.nps.gov
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for
America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local
history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.