Wilderness Road

The Wilderness Road was the principal route used by settlers to reach Kentucky for more than fifty years. In 1775, Daniel Boone blazed a trail for the Transylvania Company from Fort Chiswell in Virginia through the Cumberland Gap into central Kentucky. It was later lengthened, following Native American trails, to reach the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville. The Wilderness Road was steep and rough, and could only be traversed on foot or horseback. Still, thousands of people used it. In 1792, the new Kentucky legislature provided money to upgrade the road. In 1796, an improved all-weather road was opened for wagon and carriage travel. The road was abandoned around 1840, although modern highways follow much of its route. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 436 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (756 × 1,038 pixels, file size: 176 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: Wilderness Road Source: Library of Congress Uploader: User:Nikater Date: 2 Mar 2007 Other Versions: none License status: File historyClick on a date/time... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 436 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (756 × 1,038 pixels, file size: 176 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: Wilderness Road Source: Library of Congress Uploader: User:Nikater Date: 2 Mar 2007 Other Versions: none License status: File historyClick on a date/time... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... This 1820 oil painting by Chester Harding is the only portrait of Daniel Boone made from life. ... The Transylvania Company was a colonial land company that strived to colonize certain parts of the United States which today lie within Kentucky and Tennessee. ... Fort Chiswell is an unincorporated community in Wythe County, Virginia. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap (George Caleb Bingham, oil on canvas, 1851–52) Cumberland Gap (el. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... The Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area is a national, bi-state area on the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky in the United States, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. ... Louisville redirects here. ...

Early exploration

Course of the Wilderness Road by 1785.

The first European explorers of the southern Appalachian Mountains were Spanish. Hernando de Soto and his troops traversed the region in 1540 and 1541 searching for gold. He was followed by several other Spanish expeditions. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 508 pixelsFull resolution (1254 × 796 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 508 pixelsFull resolution (1254 × 796 pixel, file size: 1. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... The Appalachian Mountains are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. ... For the Peruvian economist, see Hernando de Soto (economist). ... Year 1540 was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Events The first official translation of the entire Bible in Swedish February 12 - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ...

The first recorded English explorations of the mountains were those of Abraham Wood, which began around 1650. Later, Wood sent exploring parties into the mountains. The Batts-Fallam expedition reached the New River Valley in 1671. In 1673, Wood sent Gabriel Arthur and James Needham to the Overhill Cherokee of modern Tennessee. The purpose was to try to make direct contact with the Cherokee for trade, so as to bypass the Ocaneechee "middlemen" traders. The expedition did reach the Overhill Cherokee area, but Needham was killed on the return. Gabriel Arthur was almost killed, but was rescued by being adopted by a Cherokee chief. For his own safety, Arthur was then sent with one of the chief's raiding parties. For about a year, he traveled with the Cherokee, throughout the Appalachians. He was probably the first European to visit modern West Virginia and cross the Cumberland Gap. ^[1] For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Abraham Wood was an English fur trader (specifically the deerskin trade) and explorer of colonial Virginia during the 17th century. ... Year 1650 (MDCL) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... The New River Valley is the name of the region on the east coast of the United states within the vicinity of West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina next to the New River. ... Events May 9 - Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. ... 1673 (MDCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Little Tennessee River, looking south from the Tellico Blockhouse The term Overhill Cherokee refers to the former Cherokee settlements located in what is now Tennessee in the Southeastern United States. ... This article is about the U.S. state of Tennessee. ... For other uses, see Cherokee (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Largest metro area Charleston metro area Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ...

In 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker, an investor in the Loyal Land Company, with five companions, made a famous exploration through the Cumberland Gap and into eastern Kentucky. The Loyal Land Company settled people in southwest Virginia, but not Kentucky. Year 1750 (MDCCL) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Dr. Thomas Walker (January 15, 1715 – November 9, 1794) was an physician and explorer from Virginia who led an expedition to what is now the region beyond the Alleghany Mountains area of British North America in the mid-18th century. ...

In 1774, Richard Henderson, a judge from North Carolina, organized a land speculation company with a number of other prominent North Carolinians called the Transylvania Company. The men hoped to purchase land from the Cherokees on the Kentucky side of the Appalachian Mountains and establish a British proprietary colony. Henderson hired Daniel Boone, an experienced hunter who had explored Kentucky, to blaze a trail through the Cumberland Gap into central Kentucky. Chesma Column in Tsarskoe Selo, commemorating the end of the Russo-Turkish War. ... Richard Henderson (1734-85) was an American pioneer, born in Hanover Co. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ...

Boone, the trailblazer

The Appalachian Mountains form a natural barrier to east-west travel, from Pennsylvania to Georgia. Settlers from Pennsylvania tended to migrate south along the Great Wagon Road through the Great Appalachian Valley and Shenandoah Valley. Daniel Boone was from Pennsylvania and migrated south with his family along this road. From an early age, Boone was one of the "longhunters" who hunted and trapped among the Native American nations along the western frontiers of Virginia, so-called because of the long time they spent away from home on hunts in the wilderness. Boone would sometimes be gone for months and even years before returning home from his hunting expeditions. ^[2] This article is about the U.S. State. ... The Great Wagon Road, which ran from Pennsylvania to Georgia, was one of the most heavily traveled major routes for settlers in all America. ... The Great Valley, also called the Great Appalachian Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. ... Canoeing on the Shenandoah River near Winchester, VA. The Shenandoah Valley region of western Virginia, from Winchester to Staunton, is bounded by the Blue Ridge mountains to the East and the Allegheny mountains to the West. ...

Daniel Boone escorts settlers through Cumberland Gap.

Boone recommended three essentials for a pioneer: “A good gun, a good horse, and a good wife.” He also would need a strong body, a sharp ax and good luck. Another essential was salt. Before 1776, it had to be shipped into the Thirteen Colonies from the West Indies at great expense. It was the only meat preservative available for men on the move and Kentucky had an extra lure with its large salt brine lakes near what is today the community of Boonesborough, Kentucky. ^[3]. The many "salt licks" of Kentucky are today reflected in the many place names in the state that use the words "lick" or "licking". Image File history File links Download high resolution version (826x605, 52 KB) Summary Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap, George Caleb Bingham, oil on canvas, 1851–52 Licensing The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (826x605, 52 KB) Summary Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap, George Caleb Bingham, oil on canvas, 1851–52 Licensing The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and... For other uses, see Salt (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see 1776 (disambiguation). ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Boonesborough, Kentucky is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Kentucky, located in the central part of the state along the Kentucky River. ... A salt lick is a salt deposit that animals regularly lick. ...

Starting on March 10, 1775 Boone, along with 35 axemen, cut a trail through the forests and mountains to Kentucky. It was a rough mud trail, hardly more than a path. Although the Transylvania Company had obtained title to Kentucky from the Cherokee and Iroquois, they had not from the Shawnee, who lived and hunted in Kentucky, claimed it, and viewed Boone and other settlers as invaders. On March 24, 1775 Boone and his party were only 15 miles (24 km) from their final destination of the Kentucky River when they camped for the night. Just before daybreak a group of Shawnee, slinging tomahawks, attacked the sleeping men. Some of Boone's party were killed and a few were wounded but most were able to escape into the woods. Boone regrouped his men and managed to drive off the hostile Shawnee. The party did, however, lose some of their horses. Here Boone built a temporary open barricade with 6 to 7 foot high logs ^[4] March 10 is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Iroquois (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Native American tribe. ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 259 mi (417 km) long, in the U.S. state of Kentucky. ... Native American Afraid of Hawk, holding a tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. ...

Route

The route of the Wilderness Road made a long loop from Virginia southward to Tennessee and then northward to Kentucky, a distance of over 200 miles (320 km).^[5]

From The Long Island of the Holston River (modern Kingsport, Tennessee), the road went north through Moccasin Gap of Clinch Mountain, then crossed the Clinch River and crossed rough land (called the Devils Raceway) to the North Fork Clinch River. Then it crossed Powell Mountain at Kanes Gap. From there it ran southwest through the valley of the Powell River to the Cumberland Gap. The name Tennessee originated from the old Yuchi Indian word, Tana-see, meaning The Meeting Place, which refers to The Long Island of the Holston River. ... Kingsport is a city located primarily in Sullivan County, and also partially in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. ... Clinch Mountain is a ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley Appalachians. ... Powell Mountain (or Powells Mountain) is a mountain ridge of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians of the Appalachian Mountains. ... The Powell River in the United States rises in southwest Virginia and flows into East Tennessee. ...

After passing over the Cumberland Gap the Wilderness Road forked. The southern fork passed over the Cumberland Plateau to Nashville, Tennessee via the Cumberland River. The northern fork split into two parts. The eastern spur went into the Bluegrass region of Kentucky to Boonesborough on the Kentucky River (near Lexington). The western spur ran to the Falls of the Ohio (Louisville).^[6][7] As settlements grew southward, the road stretched all the way to Knoxville, Tennessee, by 1792.^[8] The Cumberland Plateau includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia in the United States. ... “Nashville” redirects here. ... The Cumberland River is an important waterway in the southern United States. ... Bluegrass and rock fence of local limestone in central Kentucky. ... Nickname: Location in the Commonwealth of Kentucky Coordinates: , Country United States State Kentucky Counties Fayette Government  - Mayor Jim Newberry (D) Area  - City  285. ... The Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area is a national, bi-state area on the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky in the United States, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. ... Louisville redirects here. ...

Dangers

Because of the threat of Native American attacks, the road was so dangerous that most pioneers traveled well armed. Robbers and criminals also could be found on the road, ready to pounce on weaker pioneers.^[9] Although the Transylvania Company had purchased the region from the Cherokee, and the Iroquois had ceded it at the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, other tribes, such as the Shawnee, still claimed it and lived there. For other uses, see Iroquois (disambiguation). ... Two different treaties between Native Americans and European-Americans were signed at Fort Stanwix, which was located near present-day Rome, New York. ...

Often entire communities and church congregations would move together over the road to new settlements. Hundreds of pioneers were killed by Indian attacks.^[10]

Defensive log blockhouses built alongside the road had portholes in the walls for firing at Native American attackers. They were often called "stations". No one knew exactly when the next attack would happen. The Shawnee came from the north, while the Chickamauaga (Cherokees who rejected the land sale treaty) came from the south. The tribes were resentful of the settlers taking their ancestral hunting lands, and the French and Indian War had further stirred up their passions against the white man.^[11] Chickamauga, or Chickamauga-Cherokee, was a term used by colonial and early Americans to differentiate between the pro-British Cherokee led by Dragging Canoe, and those abiding by the peace treaties signed in 1777 at DeWitts Corner with Georgia and South Carolina and at Fort Henry with Virginia and... Combatants France First Nations allies: Algonquin Lenape Wyandot Ojibwa Ottawa Shawnee Great Britain American Colonies Iroquois Confederacy Strength 3,900 regulars 7,900 militia 2,200 natives (1759) 50,000 regulars and militia (1759) Casualties 3,000 killed, wounded or captured 10,040 killed, wounded or captured The French and...

The Scots-Irish were great fighters. They had lived in Ulster, an English colony in Northern Ireland, for a hundred years before coming to America. They had taken over land previously owned by the Irish and had much experience as fighters in defending their homeland.^[12] This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ...

There was a great variety of animal life in the wilderness. At night, the pioneers could hear the hoots and screeches of owls, the howls of wolves, and the cries of panthers and wild cats. Sometimes the Native Americans imitated these sounds. Poisonous snakes such as copperheads and rattlesnakes blended into the leaves and undergrowth which were a danger to the pioneers, their horses and cattle.^[13] Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Range map. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1766 Synonyms Boa contortrix - Linnaeus, 1766 Scytale contortrix - Sonnini & Latreille, 1801 Scytale Cupreus - Rafinesque, 1818 Scytale cupreus - Say, 1819 Tisiphone cuprea - Fitzinger, 1826 [Cenchris] marmorata - F. Boie, 1827 Acontias atro-fuscus - Troost, 1836 [Toxicophis atro-fuscus] - Troost, 1836 T[rigonocephalus]. cenchris - Schlegel, 1837 Trigonocephalus Contortrix - Holbrook, 1838... Species 27 species; see list of rattlesnake species and subspecies. ...

Settlement

Judge Richard Henderson had made a treaty with the Cherokee at Sycamore Shoals in 1775, purchasing over 20,000,000 acres (80,000 km²) of land between the Cumberland and Kentucky Rivers. On March 28, 1775, he left Long Island (Kingsport, Tennessee) with about 30 horsemen on grueling trip on the Wilderness Road to Kentucky. At Martin's Station 40 to 50 additional pioneers joined the venture. On their way, they met nearly a hundred refugees fleeing Native American attacks further down the road. Despite the danger, the party kept going toward Kentucky. Since some of the streams were flooded, the pioneers had to swim with their horses. On April 20, they arrived at Boonesborough, a fortified town, named by Judge Henderson in honor of Boone.^[14] Richard Henderson (1734-85) was an American pioneer, born in Hanover Co. ... Sycamore Shoals is a stretch of the Watauga River near present-day Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA, offering a ford crossing of the river. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

After 1770, a surge of over 400,000 Scots-Irish immigrants came to this country to escape the poor harvest, high rents and religious intolerance of Ulster. Since the better lands had already been taken, they constantly pressed onward to the western frontier of the foothills of the Carolinas.^[15] For the village in Queensland, see 1770, Queensland. ...

Yet the flood of Scots-Irish, German, and others immigrants kept coming. Over 200,000 pioneers came over the Wilderness Road, enduring severe hardships. In the winter of 1778-79, the weather was so cold that the Kentucky River froze to a depth of two feet. The frontier settlements alongside the road struggled to survive. Many of the cattle and hogs froze to death. The settlers had to eat frozen cattle and horses to survive.^[16] Year 1778 (MDCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Often the Chickamauga, under the leadership of Dragging Canoe, would hide in ambush for weeks between Cumberland Gap and Crab Orchard, a distance of 100 miles (160 km). They would not attack large groups but wait for weaker ones who were not able to defend themselves. More than 100 men, women and children were killed in the fall of 1784 along the Wilderness Road. Many families, even in ice and snow, crossed the creeks and rivers without shoes or stockings; they often had no money and few clothes. They lived off the land by hunting in the woods and by fishing in the streams.^[17] Dragging Canoe (1730? – 1792) was an American Indian war leader who led a dissident band of young Cherokees against the United States in the American Revolutionary War. ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Since they had hardly any money, entire families sometimes walked hundreds of miles after landing in America. They even used cattle as pack animals to carry their heavy loads. Cabins were built and land was cleared of trees and undergrowth so crops could be planted.^[18] For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ...

Chestnut was the most popular wood since its logs could be used to build cabins and rail fences to protect crops from wild animals. It could easily be split into shingles for roofs to cover cabins and barns. Its bark was used to make medicine and tannic acid for tanning and dyeing. In the fall, its rich nuts were used to fatten razorback hogs for the market and the home. Hemlock was also highly valued for its many uses.^[19] Species Castanea alnifolia - Bush Chinkapin* Castanea crenata - Japanese Chestnut Castanea dentata - American Chestnut Castanea henryi - Henrys Chestnut Castanea mollissima - Chinese Chestnut Castanea ozarkensis - Ozark Chinkapin Castanea pumila - Allegheny Chinkapin Castanea sativa - Sweet Chestnut Castanea seguinii - Seguins Chestnut * treated as a synonym of by many authors Chestnut is a... This is a bottle of tannic acid. ... Hog is a domestic or feral adult swine. ... Species Eastern Hemlock Carolina Hemlock Taiwan Hemlock Northern Japanese Hemlock Himalayan Hemlock Forrests Hemlock Western Hemlock Mountain Hemlock Southern Japanese Hemlock Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. ...

Commerce and mail

The Wilderness Road served as a great path of commerce for the early settlers in Kentucky. Horses, cattle, sheep and hogs found a waiting market in the Carolinas, Maryland and Virginia. Hogs in groups of 500 or more were driven down the Road to market. Beef in Eastern markets had become a main source of income for farmers in central Kentucky.^[20] Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Largest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 101 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N...

A postal road was opened in 1792 from Bean Station, Tennessee through Cumberland Gap to Danville, Kentucky. This was due largely to the efforts of Governor Isaac Shelby of Kentucky. This connection of Kentucky to the East was a great advantage. Frontier settlers considered the postal riders heroes and waited eagerly for their arrival for news from settlements along the trails as well as getting their mail and newspapers.^[21] 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Bean Station is a city located in Grainger County, Tennessee. ... Danville is a city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. ... Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750 – July 18, 1826) was an American soldier and the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1792 to 1796 and from 1812 to 1816. ...

Civil War and decline

Use of the Wilderness Road fell when the National Road was opened in 1818, allowing travel to the Ohio River on level ground from the East. At the same time, the steamboat first appeared on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, allowing travel both up and down the rivers. (Hitchcock, 85) Map showing the route of the National Road at its greatest completion in 1839, with historical state boundaries. ... Year 1818 (MDCCCXVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... View of Pittsburgh, the largest metropolitan area on the Ohio River, where the Allegheny River (left) and the Monongahela River (right) join at Point State Park to form the Ohio River Cincinnati, Ohio is a well known city along the Ohio River, historically known for its riverboats. ... For other uses, see Steamboat (disambiguation). ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ...

During the American Civil War, both the Union Army and the Confederate States Army used the Road. An early battle (Camp Wildcat), stymied the first attempt by the Confederates to seize control of neutral Kentucky. The Cumberland Gap changed hands four times throughout the war. The southern armies used the road for marches into Virginia. General Ulysses S. Grant came down the road for the Union campaign in Tennessee in 1864. Grant was so taken by the Road that he said, "With two brigades of the Army of the Cumberland I could hold that pass against the army which Napoleon led to Moscow."^[22] Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... A group of Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was organized in February 1861 to defend the newly formed Confederate States of America from military action by the United States government during the American Civil War. ... The Battle of Camp Wildcat (also known as Wildcat Mountain and Camp Wild Cat) was one of the early engagements of the American Civil War. ... Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap (George Caleb Bingham, oil on canvas, 1851–52) Cumberland Gap (el. ... Ulysses S. Grant,[2] born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885), was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869–1877). ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Union army in the west during the American Civil War, commanded at various times by Generals Robert Anderson, Don Carlos Buell, William S. Rosecrans, and George Thomas. ... Napoléon I, Emperor of the French (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, changed his name to Napoléon Bonaparte)[1] (15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica – 5 May 1821; Saint Helena) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... Combatants First French Empire Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Confederation of the Rhine Kingdom of Bavaria Kingdom of Saxony Kingdom of Westphalia Swiss Confederation Austrian Empire Kingdom of Prussia Russian Empire Commanders Napoleon Eugène de Beauharnais Jérôme Bonaparte Jaques MacDonald Prince Schwarzenberg Alexander...

The road today

A segment of the Wilderness Road was among the first roads in the United States to be paved. The old road from the town of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee to Middlesboro, Kentucky through the mountain pass was paved and completed on October 3, 1908. This was an "object-lesson" road (a new kind of paved macadam construction funded by local communities but with federal governmental supervision) initiated by the U.S. Office of Public Roads. At that time, only about 680 miles (1,090 km) of paved roads existed in the United States. Later, it was linked to the famous Dixie Highway that connected Detroit, Michigan to Miami, Florida by a paved road. Its name was later changed to U.S. Highway 25. This new road brought a new industry, tourism, to the rural areas filling hotels and restaurants with travelers.^[23] Middlesborough, also spelled Middlesboro, is a city located in Bell County, Kentucky. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Dixie Highway in St. ... Detroit redirects here. ... Miami redirects here. ...

Today, Cumberland Gap is a National Park,^[24] and portions of the Wilderness Road can be visited at the Wilderness Road State Park in Virginia.^[25] Additionally, a reconstructed fort at Martin’s Station in Virginia on the Wilderness Road can be visited about 5 miles (8 km) east of the Cumberland Gap.^[25] Established on June 11, 1940, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in southeastern Kentucky. ...

Footnotes

Nickname: Location in the Commonwealth of Kentucky Coordinates: , Country United States State Kentucky Counties Fayette Government  - Mayor Jim Newberry (D) Area  - City  285. ... The University Press of Kentucky (UPK) is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press. ... Kingsport is a city located primarily in Sullivan County, and also partially in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. ... San Francisco redirects here. ... Nickname: Location in North Carolina Coordinates: , Country State Counties Orange, Durham, and Chatham Founded 1793 Government  - Mayor Kevin C. Foy Area  - City  19. ... Kingsport is a city located primarily in Sullivan County, and also partially in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. ... Nickname: Location in North Carolina Coordinates: , Country State Counties Orange, Durham, and Chatham Founded 1793 Government  - Mayor Kevin C. Foy Area  - City  19. ... Nickname: Motto: Sic dic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars) Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor L. Douglas Wilder (I) Area  - City 62. ... Holbrook is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. ... New York, New York redirects here. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Axelrod, Alan: What Every American Should Know About American History (1992) Holbrook, MA. Adams Media Corp. ISBN 1-55850-309-9.
• Bodett, Tom: America’s Historic Trails (1992) San Francisco James Connoly (Small World Productions). ISBN 0-912333-00-6
• Calloway, Brenda: America's First Western Frontier: East Tennessee (1989) Kingsport, Tenn. The Overmountain Press . ISBN 0-932807-34-8
• Cooke, Alistair: Alistair Cooke’s America (1973) New York Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
• Drake, Richard B. "A History of Appalachia". University Press of Kentucky (2001).
• Kincaid, Robert: The Wilderness Road (1992) Kingsport, Tenn. Arcata Graphics. ISBN Unknown ASIN B0006BNK0U
• Leyburn, James G: The Scotch Irish A Social History (1962) Chapel Hill .University of North Carolina Press . ISBN 0-8078-4259-1.
• Newby, Eric: The Rand McNally World Atlas of Exploration (1975) London: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 0-528-83015-5.
• Riley, Darnell: The Tennessee Blue Book (2004) Nashville: State of Tennessee. ASIN B000B9LQIK
• Rouse, Parke, Jr: 'The Great Wagon Road (2004) Richmond: The Diaz Press . ISBN 0-87517-065-X.
• Webb, James: Born Fighting How the Scots-Irish Shaped America (2004) New York : Broadway Books . ISBN 0-7679-1688-3.
• Williams, John Alexander: Appalachia: A History (2002) Chapel Hill, N.C. : University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-5368-2.

The Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) is a product identification number used by Amazon. ... The Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) is a product identification number used by Amazon. ...

External links

• Detailed map of the Wilderness Road
• Map of the Kentucky part of the Wilderness Road