The total number of Creek people forced to leave the Southeast during their removal to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) was over 23,000. This removal occurred mainly between 1825 and 1838, with the most intense phase happening around 1836-1837. Key details include:
- Over 14,000 Creeks made the arduous journey in 1836-1837 alone, traveling over 800 land miles and 400 miles by water under harsh conditions
- Between 1827 and 1837, more than 23,000 Creeks emigrated from Alabama and Georgia to Indian Territory
- In 1834, about 20,000 Muscogee Creek were forcibly removed from Alabama following the Treaty of Cusseta
- After removal, the Creek population in Oklahoma was about 13,537, down from 21,792 in Georgia and Alabama in 1832, reflecting the significant losses during removal
Thus, the Creek removal was part of the broader forced displacement of the Five Civilized Tribes, which involved tens of thousands of Native Americans being uprooted from the Southeast to lands west of the Mississippi River during the 1830s and 1840s
