Frontiersmen; Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett
We decided that it would be a great adventure to follow the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail from the beginning, all the way through to Cumberland Gap.
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| Netherland Inn Region |
We started at the Netherland Inn, just as Daniel Boone and his ax men met on March 10, 1775, to blaze the trail through 200 miles of Virginia wilderness to the Cumberland Gap.
We drove through Gate City and Clinchport, noting the stops along the way. |
| The train you can get on at the Natural Bridge National Park. |
We stopped off at Natural Bridge, but did not take the ski lift to the bridge itself. The Wilderness Trail passed over the creek here making use of a natural limestone bridge.
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| The diorama of Richard Henderson making a treaty with the Cherokees enabling a colony to settle in Kentucky. This treaty was made at Sycamore Shoals, Elizabethton, TN. |
Our next stop was at Wilderness Road State Park, about 310 acres that lie astride the Wilderness Road, which followed a buffalo trace, and opened America’s first western frontier.
At the Cumberland Gap visitor's center, the boys tried on colonial clothing...
and packed their possible bag.
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| Relief map at the Visitor's Center at Cumberland Gap, KY |
We drove the winding, four-mile-long Skyland Road up the mountain to stand on the state border between Virginia and Kentucky at Cumberland Gap.
| on the state border between Virginia and Kentucky at Cumberland Gap to the Pinnacle Overlook (elevation 2,440 feet) for a spectacular view into Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. |
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| photo from this Squidoo Lens. |
"There's no better way to cook young chicken." -Daniel Boone
This fried chicken recipe originated in the family of Daniel Boone and is from The Early American Cookbook by Dr. Kristie Lynn & Robert W. Pelton.
The museum at the park contains exhibits which tell of the different aspects of the life of Davy Crockett, the hunter, the politician, the businessman and the legendary hero.
In addition to the museum, a cabin replica is a short walking distance from the museum.
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| garden outside the cabin |
The cabin depicts a typical frontier cabin much like the one in which Davy Crockett was born in 1786. Located in front of the cabin is the engraved footstone to the original cabin.
Every year they have Davy Crockett days where they set up an encampment and have craftsmen demonstrations.
We learned about identifying animal tracks, scats and fur at Warrior's Path State Park.
We learned about the local trees and plants.
We discussed why these would have been important skills for the frontiersmen and pioneers.
