The Coolidge examiner., 1934-10-19

emerged a new Daniel Boone who bears llt;le
resemblance 10 the Boone of the myth. makerk
one of the first of these was the late Clarence
Walworth Alyord OF the University OK Illinois
and the University OF Minnesota. whose reputa-
iion gained IN bis researches into the early his
tory Of the Mississippi valley. Is too secure for
him 10 be regarded as an idle "debunker" OF the
great Writing In the American Mercury nearly
a decade ago. be declared.
The facts of the lie OF the man Boone, In
deed. have little 10 common with those Of the
superman SO universally exalted lie Is
ldollzed as the most heroic of western e1plor-
ers as the arsi TO make known TO settlers the
fertility OF the dark and bloody country OF Ken
tucky. and as the FIRST 10 plant In the West a
permanent settlement OF Americans
But II requires only the most superficial re-
search 10 knock the story into cooked hat A
study OF the historical sources proves that thou
sands OF men explored Kentucky before Boone,
and the region was well known 10 mutltudes
who needed no superhuman herald either 10
tell them OF the fertility OF the soil 10 summon
them 10 action. Finally. In this whole complex
movement across the mountains Boone played
a subordinate part: he little more than
employee OF an empire builder Richard Hen
derson, a North Carolina speculator and the
founder OF the Pennsylvania company. Daniel
Boone was OF many pawns In the magnin-
cent game OF chess being played on Kentucky
territory. OF the superman there is no trace"
Another distinguished historian who is prob
ably the leading authority today on the history
Of the Old Southwest (hentucky and Tennessee)
and who is now writing a dennitive biography
OF Boone in an article which appeared In the
New York Times Magazine In 1927. corroborated
Ayord's statements In regard TO the priority OF
other men as Kentucky pioneers" but dealt
somewhat more kindly with the superman myth.
He Is DR. Archibald Henderson who is. Incl
dentally. a g-eat-great-grandsono OF Boone's EN-
ployer Writing OF Boones activities agent
for the TransylvanIa company he says:
while these are the revelations OF modern
historical investigation they do not detract from
the distinctive qualities OF Boones real fame
Boone was probably the most skillful hunter OF
big game who ever lived upon the American con-
tinent He was a peerless explorer a supreme
scout. Unsuccessful as leader-eyen the lead
ershp In the defense OF Boonesborough seems 10
have fallen not 10 Boone but 10 Richard Gala
way-BOone was unsurpassed an individual
Indian fighter, who on countless occasions
proved himself more than match for the craft
est and subtlest OF his Indian opponents
seen through the glorifying halo OF century
and three-quarters OF time Daniel Boone still
rises before US as a romantic figure poised and
resoute, simple benign-as naive and shy as
some wild thing OF the primeval forest-ive feet
eight inches in height. with broad chest and
shoulders dark locks. genial blue eyes arched
with fair eyebrows, thin lips and wide mouth,
nose OF slightly Roman cast and fair rudy coun-
tenance In suit OF buckskin Indian moccasins
and coonskn cap. with rife, knife and toma-
hawk alternating with the axe and the survey
or's compass. he is the true Misunderstanding Of
a Cooper romance"