The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-01-26

The Treaty OF Paris In 1863 closing
the war, put an end to practically all
the troubles with the Indians In this
part Of the country. The Indians had
sympathized with the French rather
than with the English while the lands
adjacent to the Ohio were under dis
pute, and their atrocities upon Eng
lish settlers were terrible, but, after
the success of the British, the savages
were compelled to do all their barter
ing with them and better conditions
Immediately prevailed.
Emigrants from England and Ire
land flocked in and the country was
rapidly taken up.
During the summer after the winter
spent on Cabin Creek by Simon Ken
ton and his beaver trapping party
Q773) party of surveyors, sent by
Patrick Henry, then Governor of Vir-
ginia, encamped in Kentucky, just OPP
posite the Three Islands (now called
Manchester Islands,. Several other
surveying parties came the same year,
down the river as far as Cabin Creek
before landing. Among them were
Gen. William Thompson of Penncyl-
vania, who went with his party two
miles up Cabin Creek thence along the
Upper War Road to Mill Creek, where
he made a survey.
John Finely also passed this way
the same summer, going out to Upper
Blue Lick.
In 1775 James Gilmore and his COM
pany passed along the same road and
Col. Calamore or Galloway landed at
Cabin Creek and took his party out to
Lulbegroud Creek in Clark county,
where they raised corn the same year
Simon Kenton whose companion
George Yeager, had been shot by In
dams the year before, came in the
spring of 1875 again to Cabin Creek
with Thomas Williams. Yeager had
spent several years of his life, a cap
tive among the Indians he had describ-
ed to Kenton in glowing terms "a
beautiful caneland" seen while travel
ing about with them He said the In
dams had called it Kain-tuck-ee and
he declared that there he saw rich
level fields covered with a wonderful
growth of cane, and with grass almost
waist high. He said all kinds of game
abounded and the most enhancing
scenery gladdened the eye His vivid
description of this Utopia fired Ken
tons imagination and he walked and
searched many mile along the river
trying to find it. He and Williams
reached Cabin Creek late in one after
noon early in May, they hurried on NJ
the creek about two miles to favorite
camping place of both Indian and
white travellers in early days.
This was at large spring which
gushed out below the roots of a ire
mendous buck eye tree, by the side of
the road. This tree was fully IS
inches in diameter and bore upon its
trunk one of those peculiar marks or
"blazes" by which the Indians indi-
Gated their war roads.
Kenton was much interested in
these marks and in later years he
described their use and appearance in
dispositions before the courts.
This time he carved his own name
above the Indian blaze" and then he
and Williams proceeded to prepare for
the night They slept in the hollow
trunk of one of the seven sycamore
trees which marked the camp. The
next morning leaving Williams at the
camp Kenton took up his search, de-
Gliding however to travel a little far
Their back from the river than ever.
Judge of his satifaction when after
few hours he passed coming out to-
ward Mill Creek, he beheld stretched
out before him the "caneland." Richer
soil than he had ever seen. tall cane
far above his head and velvet sod
more beautiful even than he had
dreamed of. Overjoyed he hastily re-
turned after Williams.
Sinking their canoe in the creek and
carefully saving the small package of
corn, purchased on their way down
from a French trader, they broke
camp and went over into the new
land. This was in May and on reach
ing a spot near what is now the little
town of Washington, they made
camp and cleared a small piece of
land which they planted with the corn.
Here in due time they welcomed Col.
Patterson and his party and offered
them roasting ears the first ever
grown by a white man north Of the
Licking river.
The big buckeye tree bearing Ken
toms name and the Indian blaze has
decayed and gone but G. d. Jenkins of
Springdale. says it was still standing
when he was a boy and that the