A Familiar Wilderness (eBook)

Searching for Home on Daniel Boone's Road

Simon J. Dahlman (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2024 | 1
296 Seiten
University of Tennessee Press (Verlag)
9781621904809 (ISBN)

Infos

In 1775, renowned pioneer Daniel Boone was commissioned to blaze a road through the Appalachian and Cumberland Plateau regions as a fledgling American nation steadily pushed westward. What would come to be known as the Wilderness Road was the first major route into the West, and it allowed settlers to migrate northwest into Kentucky and later settle parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. In 2012, Jim Dahlman stopped to stretch his legs on a brief hike into the Cumberland Gap and stumbled upon an adventure. After months of preparation, Dahlman grabbed a pack and set out to hike as accurately as possible Daniel Boone's original trace. InA Familiar Wilderness, Dahlman illustrates that the Wilderness Road is more than an old track through Appalachia. Many of the towns grew up along Boone's original footpath, and people in these areas can draw direct connections to Boone himself or to other early settlers who traversed this trans-Appalachian route. Dahlman uses these and other encounters to uncover the history of the Wilderness Road and show how we are all a product of our past. The hospitality of strangers becomes especially instrumental in making Dahlman's hike come alive. Robert, one such stranger, offers to personally guide Dahlman over Powell Mountain. As they make their ascent, Robert provides a splendid view of the mountain, blending careful observation of their surroundings with deep knowledge of the place. A finale to Dahlman's almost 300-mile hike occurs on Hackberry Ridge overlooking Fort Boonesborough State Parka fitting tribute to Boone's own arrival on the ridge famously overlooking a herd of buffalo. A Familiar Wildernesstakes readers on a winding path where geography, history, and local memory intersect with daily life, and Dahlman's lively writing, sensitive to every detail, will bring readers into thrilling touch with a past that still shapes and challenges the present.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 12.1.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 150 x 150 mm
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport
• Themenwelt: Reisen ► Reiseberichte
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
• Schlagworte: 1775 Wilderness Road commission • Appalachian and Cumberland Plateau • blending geography and historical exploration • Boone’s route into Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois • connections to early settlers • Cumberland Gap exploration • Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road • encounters with history through hiking • Fort Boonesborough State Park • geography and history intersecting in daily life • Hackberry Ridge finale • historical towns along Wilderness Road • Jim Dahlman • Jim Dahlman’s 2012 hike • local hospitality and guide Robert • local memory and geography in Appalachian culture • Powell Mountain ascent • retracing American pioneer history • retracing Boone’s original trace • shaping of American history through the Wilderness Road • significance of the Wilderness Road today • the impact of the Wilderness Road on modern America • wilderness adventure and personal history
• ISBN-13: 9781621904809 / 9781621904809