Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1922-09-22

It would consume too much space to undertake anything like a detailed history of the National Old Trails Road, it's origin, its accomplishments, its purpose.
 It was long a mooted question as to who was entitled to the credit for it's conception and inauguration. It was finally pretty generally accepted that Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury in Mir. Jefferson's cabinet, was entitled to the greatest credit, and we have generally followed that con- clusion; but on a careful investigation, we have been induced to revise this part of history and to place credit where beyond all kind of doubt it really belongs, and that is to George Washington.
 Woodrow Wilson in his History of the American People, Volume 8, in speaking of Washington and the set clement of what was then known as the Ohio country, says:
 "When he (meaning Washington had written his farewell to the army from his headquarters at Rocky Hill (Nevember 2, 17S3), had embraced his officers and comrades in arms in a last affectionate leave taking at the Fraunce's Tavern in New York, De cember 4th, and had delivered up his commission to the Congress sitting at Annapolis, December 2Srd, he return ed for a little respite to his home at Mt. Vernon, to which these long years thru his thoughts had reverted with an ever increasing longing; but the very next year saw him upon the mountains again observing what lands were to be had there and studying once more the best means of commun- ication between the East and West. The primary object of his visit was to procure good lands for himself and for old comrades who had made him their agent and advisor in that matter; but this statesman's eye apprised him of the full meaning of the new migra- tion now afoot along al! the western border. For one thing, he saw how serious situation it might prove should this body of settlers, sure to grow greater and more masterful from year to year, continue for long to look back upon almost impenetrable mountains piled between them and the eastern ports and highways. Their natural outlet, when once the moun- tains were well behind them, would be the Mississippi, their natural high way and stream which ran to the Gulf. > It was possible that they might see their chief advantage in a connection with the Spaniards at New Orleans rather than with the we'll nigh inac- cessible eastern settlements on the At lantic Seaboard-even with the Eng fish again by the highway of the lakes and the St. Lawrence"
 "The western settlers, he declared stand as it were upon a pivot, the touch of feather would turn them any way"
 "He returned home to push again with renewed vigor the project which , for now twenty years he had at heart and which had in these new days of independence, as it seemed to him become sheer political necessity the opening of the upper reaches of the Potomac to navigation. In order that the East might there at any rate be linked with the West by joining the waters of the Potomac with the streams which ran down into the Ohio This had been one of the plans of the old Ohio company of which the Wash. ingtons and Fairfaxes had been mem. bers. The revolution had interrupted its plans; there was now added reason for renewing them"
 While the historian does not tell ir this connection the incident which is well vouched for as happening on tht occasion of tlfis trip of Washington to these western mountains, when sit ting at rude table in dilapidatet cabin making map and studying tht topography of the country, Albert Gal latin, who was in that country under the direction of Patrick Henry upor Washington, and as he was puzzline over the altitude of Laurel Hill anc seeking the best outlet through tkt mountains, Gallatin, who had never met Washington, very rudely pointed with his cane to Laurel Hill, and stat ed that there wasN the only practicable route for a road.
 This was the beginning Of the ul 'timate definition or location of tho Old Cumberland (NationaD Road. Il was to begin at Cumberland, the enc of Tidewater on the Potomac, and ex tend in generally western direction to the Ohio River at or near Wheeling
 But about this time the narrowest minded statesman perhaps that evel figured largely in American politics John Jay, of unhappy memory. anf