Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-09-28
Cumberland Gap

Cumberland Gap is depression of
800 feet in the Cumberland Mountain
at the point where the boundary line
between Kentucky and Virginia,
running southwest, and following the
crest of the.mountain for a distance
of 40 miles, intersects the line of
boundary between Tennessee on the
the south and Kentucky and Virgin
ia on the north. 1t is here, at the
meeting point of the three States that
have been inaugurated by the COM
pany of English capitalists, know as
the american Association, limited,
of London" the stupendous schemes
of development, the published an
nouncements of which have aroused
such widespread and eager interest.
Cumberland Gap has for generations
been conspicuous in the history of
the country as passageway, and be-
You'd the earliest period of which his
tory gives us any knowledge, tradition.
tells us it was traversed by herds of
buffalo, led by instinct hither as the
only way across the mountain, their
trail, substantially the route Of the
present roadway, following the sasi-
est curves and grades as accurately as
road constructed by the most skill
full engineer. The Indians, too, I'M
their excursions into the territory Of
hostile tribes on opposite sides of the
mountains, used the same route over
Cumberland Gap.
DISCOVERY OF THE GAP.
Probably the first white man who
ever saw Cumberland Gap was DR..
Thomas Walker of Albermarle coun-
ty, Va, who while exploring this
section in 1850, and seeking some
break in the barrier inteiposed by the
lofty and precipitOus mountains, dis
covered this gap, to which he gave
its present name in honor of the Duke
of Cumberland. He gave the name
also to the range of mountains, then
called by the Indians Ousiotto.
DANIEL BOONE.
The illustrious hunter and Indian
fighter, Daniel Boone, made his first
entry into the clark and bloody
ground" by way of Cumberland Gap,
After an exploration of the country
beyond the mountains, he went back
to bring his family to live in Ken
lucky, and returned through Gums
berland Gap with his own and sewers
al other families. Soon Others follows
ed and tide of immigration poured
into Kentucky, all finding entrance
through the same gateway, Cumbero
land Gap.
Certain persons in North Carolina,
having acquired by treaty with In
dians large area of land on the Ken
lucky river, employed Boone in 177j
to mark out a road across the noun.
tains and through the forests TO the
property. The route laid out cover
cred a distance of 200 miles and cross.
ed the mountain at Cumberland Gap
This road was afterwards fixed upon
by the State as the route of a public
highway, and became a part of the
great Wilderness Road" an objec
of repeated legislative attention or
the part ofthe State governments o
Virginia and Kentucky.
A HIGHWAY OF COMMERCE AM
TRAVEL.
Mr.. Thomas Speed, of Louisville
in his interesting book, entitled ."Tht
Wilderness Road" relates that prio
to 1892 there were two great routes 0
travel between the East and West
One ran out from Philadelphia t,
Pittsburg, thence down the Obi,
river. The other led out from Balti
more, across the mountains of Vir
ginia, Through the great wilderness
by way of Cumberland Gap. Thi
lower road was improved by tn
government and made Il post roa,
and became the celebrated Nationa
Turnpike, or Cumberland Road, tn
great highway between the east an,
the West. 1t was intersected at sue
cessive points by roads leadin
through Virginia, the Carolinas an
East Tennessee, all roads below Phil
adelphia leading West, converging q
Cumberland Gap. The trade betwee
the East and West was carried o
over this road. 1t was particular
noted as a great cattle trail, and was
droves of hogs and horses and cattl
were driven from Kentucky to sup