Growing up I thought it would be fun to meet Annie Oakly, Wild Bill Hickock and Daniel Book which is why I was excited to find out June 7th is Daniel Boone Day #DanielBooneDay, If my dad was here we would be watching the tv show about Daniel Boone but he isn’t so I think Charlie and I will go to the Library to find books on Daniel Boone. Would you like to go with us?
Daniel Boone Day is observed on June 7th, because on this day, in 1769, Daniel Boone was the first American to see the Valleys and Forests of Kentucky! Daniel Boone founded the village of Boonesborough, Kentucky, which was one of the first American settlements West of the Appalachian Mountains. Daniel Boone Day was founded by the Kentucky Historical Society more than 140 years ago and the day is still going strong.
In 1769, Daniel Boone arrived near the Cumberland Gap, a passage between the Appalachian Mountains that led straight into present-day Kentucky. By working with the Transylvania Company, Daniel Boone made a trail through the Cumberland Gap and named it the Wilderness Road. The Wilderness Road became one of the main roads for people going West. Soon after its completion, Daniel Boone founded Boonesborough near the Kentucky River. Boone’s wife and daughters settled at Boonesborough, thus becoming the two first Anglo-American women who settled in Kentucky.
Daniel Boone faced a lot of opposition from the British soldiers and Native Americans in his new settlement. Daniel Boone was even captured by the Shawnee, a Native American tribe, in 1778 but Daniel Boone managed to escape and protect his settlement. By 1798, however, Daniel Boone had lost all of his land in Kentucky. Daniel Boone moved further West towards present-day Missouri with his son in 1799 where he lived peacefully until his death on September 26, 1820, at the age of 85.
“I’m going now, my time has come,” were his last words. Daniel Boone not only discovered but developed one of America’s most important gateways for early settlers to travel West of the Appalachian Mountains. Today, Daniel Boone is considered a symbol of the Western pioneering spirit.
HOW TO CELEBRATE DANIEL BOONE DAY
- Read “The Adventures of Colonel Daniel Boon” to find out more about the life and times of Daniel Boone or you can read biographies about Dnaiel Boone including “The First Settler of Kentucky.”
- If you have the opportunity you should pay a visit to the Kentucky Historical Society to find out about Kentucky’s rich history and heritage.
- Although the trail itself was abandoned long ago, modern highways follow almost the same route allowing us to travel the Wilderness Trail, too.
FACTS ABOUT DANIEL BOONE
- Fort Boonesborough, established by Daniel Boone, was one of the first English-speaking communities West of the Appalachian Mountains.
- In July 1776, Boone traced and managed to find his daughter Jemima along with two other girls who were abducted by Shawnee and Cherokee Indians in just three days.
- ’Daniel Boone’s gun was called ‘Tick-licker,’ as he claimed to be able to shoot a Tick off the back of an animal without causing the Tick any harm.
- TVNBC aired a TV show called “Daniel Boone” based on Daniel Boones life from 1964 to 1970, which made Daniel Boone even more popular.
- Daniel Boone learned to chop wood at the age of 5, and he was taking care of his father’s Cows when he was 10, and got his rifle at the age of 12.
WHY DANIEL BOONE DAY IS IMPORTANT
- Daniel Book Day celebrates Western expansion and Daniel Boone’s discovery of the Forest and Valleys West of the Appalachian which was the first step in America’s Western expansion which would later become what we now know as present-day Kentucky.
- Daniel Boone laid the foundations of present-day Kentucky. Today, Kentucky is home to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kentucky provides 95% of the world’s Bourbon, the Mammoth Cave National Park, and the traditional Bluegrass Music.
- Daniel Boone’s efforts to colonize Kentucky throughout the American Revolution and establishing new settlements make him one of the first folk heroes of America. Daniel Boone Day celebrates his life, exploration, and achievements that contributed to the growth of America.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
