Unto These Hills

For other uses, see Unto These Hills (disambiguation).
Unto These Hills
The cast assembles for the drama, July 19, 2012.
Written byKermit Hunter; Hanay Geiogamah; Pat Allee, Ben Hurst and Linda Hurst
Date premieredJuly 1, 1950 (1950-07-01)
Place premieredCherokee, North Carolina
GenreOutdoor historical drama
Singers perform on the left side of the amphitheater before the play begins and the audience gathers.
Another look at the play
Closeup of Unto These Hills performers

Unto These Hills is an outdoor historical drama during summers at the 2,800-seat Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee, North Carolina. It is the third oldest outdoor historical drama in the United States, after The Lost Colony in Manteo in eastern North Carolina and The Ramona Pageant in Southern California.[citation needed] The first version of the play was written by Kermit Hunter and opened on July 1, 1950, to wide acclaim.

The play recounts the history of the Cherokee of the Eastern region up to their removal by United States forces in 1838 via the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. The drama includes notable Cherokee historic figures, including Sequoyah, Junaluska, Chief Yonaguska a.k.a. Drowning Bear, and William Holland Thomas.