In March 1775 Daniel Boone and a group of axmen met nearby at the Holston River and began blazing a trail through 200 miles of forested terrain to the Cumberland Gap and beyond to the Kentucky River. The Wilderness Trail, or Road, opened a new chapter in American history-the settlement of lands west of the Appalachians. By the end of the American Revolution, 12,000 people had crossed the Gap into the new territory. Today, a four-hour driving tour traces the route in Tennessee and Virginia as closely as possible.
Look for this symbol on highway signs.
(Inscription above the photo in the lower left)
Netherland Inn-Richard Netherland purchased this Inn in 1818 and served travelers on the Great Stage Road. Frequent guests included President Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and James K. Polk. Earlier William King built flatboats here and shipped salt mined in Saltville, VA, to points as far away as New Orleans. Netherland Inn still has its original floors, plastered walls, door, and door hardware. The Inn is the only site on the National Register of Historic Places that was both a stagecoach and boatyard.
(Inscription over the photo in the lower right)
The Daniel Boone Cabin was moved here from its original location beside the Wilderness Trail in Duffield, VA, and serves as a symbolic starting point for the trail. Daniel and Rebecca Boone lived in this cabin between 1773-1778 before settling in Kentucky.
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