Following Daniel Boone out of the Yadkin Valley
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A Special Report to the Yadkin Valley Historical Association—August 2009 Following Daniel Boone out of the Yadkin Valley by Randell Jones, author of In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone ith work continuing Holston Valley; and continuing their were Loyalist—her uncle, the among Yadkin Valley course westwardly, they crossed the valley, infamous Samuel Bryan—and were W communities on passing through Moccasin Gap of Clinch among those harassed by Wilkes establishing a Daniel Boone Mountain, and crossing successively Clinch County Patriot militiaman Colonel heritage trail, interest has arisen River, Powell’s Mountain, and Walden’s Benjamin Cleveland. The Bryans within the Yadkin Valley Historical Ridge, they at length entered Powell’s chose to take their chances against Association concerning Daniel Valley. This lovely vale must have elicited the warring Shawnee in Kentucky Boone’s possible routes through the their admiration, and there too they must rather than face persistent Blue Ridge Mountains from the have fallen in with Joseph Martin’s party, persecution by their Patriot Piedmont. Fortunately, the engaged in making their settlement and neighbors. (At present, this writer historical record gives a definitive improvements. In Powell’s Valley they does not know the relationship and long accepted answer for one doubtless struck the hunter’s trail, which between Daniel Bryan and Rebecca route—his famous 1769 passage led them to the anxiously looked for Bryan, wife of Daniel Boone. Her from today’s Boone, NC to the Cumberland Gap. four brothers—James, William, Cumberland Gap. The account Morgan, and Joseph—had been to comes from Boone’s 19th century Draper’s notes to his manuscript biographer, Lyman C. Draper. attribute this information to Daniel Byran who traveled this same route From page 208 of The Life of Daniel many times, the first only eight Boone (1998), edited by Ted Franklin years after Daniel Boone and John Belue, the Draper manuscripts offer Findlay made their 1769 trek to this record: Cumberland Gap. Another note cites Joseph Martin’s mention of First scaling the lofty Blue Ridge, they “the hunter’s trail” as a trail existing soon reached the Three Forks of the New prior to 1769. It is worth noting River and then passed over the Stone that many of Rebecca’s Bryans Mountain at a place called “The Stairs,” departed North Carolina during the and thence over the Iron Mountain into American Revolution. Her Byrans Moccasin Gap Wolf Hill Powell Valley s Damascus in Cumberland Gap ta n u o M n o Ir The purple line shows the documented route Daniel Boone s and others took from the Blue Ridge plateau in in Trade ta n North Carolina to the Cumberland Gap in 1769 u o and for years afterwards. The trek is about 170 miles. M Boone e n to S Copyright 2009 Randell Jones, www.danielboonefootsteps.com 2 Kentucky many times as early as “three forks of the New River” him just north of today’s Bristol 1776. The four built Bryan’s would have referred to this area. and to the headwaters of Reedy Station, near today’s Lexington, Beginning in the Town of Boone, Creek west of Bristol. He KY, in 1779.) Daniel Boone’s route followed Old descended the river about halfway US 421 west from Boone, NC to to today’s Kingsport, perhaps, Spots along the 1769 route of Trade by way of Sugar Grove, Mast, before heading northwest and Daniel Boone to the Cumberland Mabel, and Zionville. The ascent up crossing through the Clinch Gap were marked by the Daughters Cove Creek and through the gap of Mountains at Moccasin Gap. (On of the American Revolution in Stone Mountain is today fairly occasion, and notably in 1775, 1913-1915. Of course, modern gentle and may at the time have roads, specifically US 421, connect been as easy as “stairs.” However some of these same markers and the feature got its name, it was a provide a commemorative motor well-known passage. Old US 421 route; however, only in limited followed Roaring Creek through places does US421 approximate the Shoun’s Crossroads and into route Boone took in 1769. Mountain City. Boone’s route then followed today’s TN 91 up Furnace Boone’s historical 1769 route can Creek and then down Laurel Creek be followed on a modern map. to Damascus, VA and through the The Daniel Boone Wagon Train during the 1960s followed a route Several forks of the New River Iron Mountains. from North Wilkesboro to Ferguson originate on the Blue Ridge plateau to Darby to Triplett to Boone. where Boone, NC now sits. The This route was shown to Boone in Sometimes the procession included 1760 by Burrell, a enslaved African- 75 wagons. American herder tending cattle on Boone began his trek through the plateau for Benjamin Howard. Moccasin Gap from the Long The route has been traditionally Island of the Holston, which is in regarded as a path made by the heart of Kingsport today.) The migrating buffalo and later followed remaining route through southwest by Cherokee and hunters. Virginia has its own set of candidate Geographical historian Brian routes championed by historians Fannon suggests that the path was looking at Boone’s passage through probably made by deer and other the area at different times. In any animals. He notes that although case, Boone did arrive at the early explorers and naturalists Cumberland Gap, following a route sketched pictures of the bison and in the Powell Valley that was well described them, archeological known and had been traveled by evidence of buffalo living east of others including Thomas Walker the Blue Ridge has yet to surface. and Elisha Wallen. Parts of this route were also the Great Warrior US 58 runs northwest from Path, Athawominee. Damascus across the broad Holston Valley to Abingdon. That town was In the Valley Two of these three markers are originally called Wolf Hills and was Of particular interest to the Yadkin among those erected between 1913 so named by Daniel Boone whose and 1915 by the DAR to Valley Historical Association are the commemorate the route Daniel hunting dogs were attacked there by possible routes Daniel Boone may Boone took to the Cumberland Gap a pack of wolves. From that point, have taken to reach the Blue Ridge in 1769. Zionville (top), Cove Creek Boone descended the broad plateau. Draper simply says, “First (left), Shoun’s Crossroads (right). Holston Valley on a route that took scaling the lofty Blue Ridge . .” Copyright 2009 Randell Jones, www.danielboonefootsteps.com 3 Boone moved to the Upper Yadkin Valley in 1766 and built a cabin at Holman’s Ford, now submerged beneath W. Kerr Scott Reservoir. Later cabins were on Beaver Creek Holman’s Ford near today’s Ferguson. Boone hunted the “lofty Blue Ridge” in 1760 and perhaps earlier and likely Boone’s Gap took several routes up the mountains. The route commemorated by the Daniel Boone Wagon Train in the 1960s followed Elk Creek from Ferguson Fort Dobbs through Darby and Triplett and arrived near Cook’s Gap. Lewis Fork Creek is another route Boone likely took on occasion. Some people have assumed that A possible route for further investigation from Fort Dobbs to the Upper Daniel Boone reached the Upper Yadkin Valley passing through Boone’s Gap. Yadkin Valley simply by traveling Ford. That route west from Fort cash registers await. Such a route up the Yadkin River. That is not Dobbs would be an excellent was proposed in February to the likely because the distance was candidate for others to explore for Department of Commerce as it unnecessarily long and shorter historical evidence of a hunter’s pursued developing a heritage trail. routes were known to him from his path. A wagon road may have (See www.danielboonefootsteps.com) hunting expeditions. From his followed another route. This writer home in the Forks of the Yadkin offers no such evidence. A Daniel Boone historical trail in Valley (today’s Farmington in Davie North Carolina has been pursued County), he most likely traveled Archeological and geographical evi- by previous generations and met west to Fort Dobbs passing by the dence can help enlighten historians with repeated roadblocks from homes of family and friends. He and help bolster, confirm or officials who sanction such things. forted his family at Fort Dobbs counter certain theories. Likewise, One notable effort was the work of during the Cherokee War (1759- historical records can inform those Ivey Moore of Wilkesboro during 1761), so the route there was well interested in wanting to know the 1960s and 1970s. A future known to him and others. From where to look for physical evidence. article will review his efforts. ● there he probably followed a westerly ridge between Third Creek A Daniel Boone References: and Fourth Creek. Today that ridge Heritage Trail in NC Draper, Lyman C. The Life of Daniel is followed by US64 and the Boone, Ted Franklin Belue, editor, 1998, railroad through Stony Point, As interesting to some as is the Mechanicsburg, PA, Stackpole Books Hiddenite, and Taylorsville. From physical route that Daniel Boone took in his sojourns through the Fannon, Brian, interview Aug 15, 2009 there Boone likely ascended the Brushy Mountains along Little Carolina Piedmont, a heritage route Fleenor, Lawrence J., Athawaominee, The River and its tributaries where he supported by tourism dollars would Great Warrior’s Path, 2007, Big Stone crossed the Brushy Mountains at be best served by choosing a route Gap, VA, Big Stone Gap Publishing that moves people from one Boone Gap. Descending the Jones, Randell, In the Footsteps of Daniel documented spot to the next, where western slope along Warrior Creek Boone, 2005, Winston-Salem, NC, John would have taken him to Holman’s there is something to see and where F.