- DANIEL BOONE BIOGRAPHY
- DANIEL BOONE, KENTUCKY PIONEER who BLAZED the
FAMOUS "WILDERNESS ROAD" TRAIL, Explorer, Settler,
Woodsman and the FIRST AMERICAN FOLK HERO!
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- DANIEL BOONE
was born
on Nov. 2, 1734 in a log cabin in Berks County, Pennsylvania,
the son of Quaker parents. At the age of 12, Daniel was
already a hunter and shot his first bear. Boone worked for his
father as a teamster (wagoner) and blacksmith.
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- Boone
accompanied General Braddock
in 1755 as a wagoner, when he met another teamster John
Finley, who spoke
about his excitement of Kentucky's wilderness. Finley's
excitement influenced Boone's career as an explorer. In 1767,
Daniel Boone made the first of many trips to Kentucky and in
1769, along with John Finley, Boone traveled through the
Cumberland Gap
through the Appalachian Mountains
from North Carolina
and Tennessee
into Kentucky.
In 1775, Daniel Boone blazed the famous
"WILDERNESS ROAD"
TRAIL into
Kentucky. This important trail made a passage
to the frontier possible.
Boone also established settlements in
Harrodsburg and Boonesboro, Kentucky.
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- Boone became a major in the
militia during the Revolutionary War
(1775-1783), fighting against the Indians. In 1776, Boone's
daughter Jemima was captured by Indians. Boone rescued his
daughter, but he was captured himself 2 years later by Indians,
which he escaped from. In 1780, Boone faced another tragedy when
he was robbed of $20,000 he was carrying when he traveled to
purchase land for the settlers in Boonesboro. The settlers were
angry and demanded Boone repay them, which took Boone several
years to repay.
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- In 1788, Boone left the
settlement he established and became lieutenant colonel of
Fayette County, and a Representative in the Virginia
Legislature, among many other posts, but Boone lost his Kentucky
land, because it allegedly was written up in the town's records
improperly.
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- Daniel Boone moved to
Alta Luisiana (now Missouri), which was owned by Spain. When asked why he moved
to Missouri, Daniel Boone reportedly declared
"I want more elbow room!"
The Spanish were excited to have a famous explorer on their land
and granted him his own land, which again was voided by US land
commissioners. Finally Boone's property was partially returned
to him, but he was still in debt.
After a lifetime of
exploring and helping settlers, in 1810 Daniel Boone returned to
Kentucky to pay off all of his debts and was left with only 50 cents.
Daniel Boone died on Sept. 26, 1820 in Missouri. Allegedly Daniel Boone's
last words were "I'm going now. My time has come."
Daniel Boone was immortalized in LORD BYRON'S
famous poem "DON JUAN" (1822), where he was portrayed as the epitome of
the "natural man" living in the wilderness:
"The General Boon, back-woodsman
of Kentucky,
Was happiest amongst mortals any
where;
For killing nothing but a bear or
buck."
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