Daniel Boone In America's Story (1968)

[Music] so it was on the 1st of may in the years that i resigned my domestic happiness for a time and left my family in peaceable habitation on the yadkin river in north carolina to wander through the wilderness of america in quest of the country of kentucky [Music] yes this is the yadkin river in north carolina and the words are those of daniel boone who has become a symbol of the many brave and daring frontiersmen who opened the wilderness of america to settlers in the rotunda of our nation's capital a sculpture of boone honors him and his role in our country's story let us see now why he has earned this place of honor in the year 1734 there were only 13 colonies along the atlantic coast east of the appalachians on november 2nd of that year in a log cabin daniel boone was born in what later became the state of pennsylvania near the western frontier of the colonies this house in daniel boone park near reading pennsylvania was built on the site of that cabin here young daniel fished and hunted he learned the ways of the wild animals of the forest from the friendly indians of the region he learned how to follow a trail and how to survive in the wilderness near boone's home site is the old exeter meetinghouse where the religious society of friends the quakers still meet daniel boone came from quaker ancestry his family had left england to seek religious freedom and economic opportunity in pennsylvania for similar reasons boone's parents moved their family from the pennsylvania settlements to the north carolina frontier in 1750 when daniel boone was 16. here in the valley of the yadkin river in north carolina daniel boone grew to manhood daniel boone's parents spent the rest of their lives in north carolina here they are buried in the yadkin river valley here too daniel boone married and he and his wife rebecca raised their own family when boone was 20 a long conflict began between england and france in america that became known as the french and indian war near the present site of pittsburgh pennsylvania the french had built fort duquesne in 1755 british and american troops were on their way to attack it george washington commanded the americans and daniel boone was one of many wagoners from the north carolina militia the british and americans were defeated in that battle but in 1763 after nine years of war england had won and france surrendered to england nearly all the territory it claimed east of the mississippi in 1764 daniel and rebecca boone moved their family westward in north carolina up the yadkin river into wilder country during the next few years boone roamed through all this area hunting and exploring east and west of the alleghenies but always farther west where the cumberland mountains and beyond them the mystery of kentucky from the few hunters who had crossed the mountains daniel boone had learned that kentucky was a land rich with gain a fertile land where a man might grow wealthy finally in 1769 boone entered kentucky to see for himself if the stories he had heard were true leaving his yadkin home with five other men on what was meant to be a hunting trip boone set off for the cumberland gap a passage through the mountains today a highway follows this passage through the cumberland mountains between kentucky and tennessee for two years boone and his party hunted and trapped and explored in this region but kentucky was an indian hunting ground and boone's party was attacked by indians several times one of his companions was killed and boone himself was taken prisoner twice each time he managed to escape he went on hunting in kentucky in spite of its dangers he was content in this land the land overwhelmed him with its ample planes and rivers that rolled in silent dignity he returned home with a determination to bring his family to this land of kentucky as soon as possible as he tells in the story of his adventures i sold my farm on the yadkin and on the 25th day of september 1773 bad a farewell to our friends and proceeded on our journey to kentucky in company with five families more and forty men that joined us in powell's valley as daniel boone moved toward the cumberland gap in an action that would change american history on the western frontier other americans in the settled east were developing ideas that would change american history in another way in cities and towns a feeling of independence was growing among the colonists they resented many unwise decisions of the british like the order that they should not settle west of the mountains all this was part of the unrest among the colonists that would shortly break out into the american revolution meanwhile boone and his party were not doing well on their way to kentucky this marker in virginia tells the story the settlers in the powell valley were so discouraged that instead of going on into kentucky they retreated 40 miles to settlements on the clinch river the next few years brought periods of war and peace with the indians in march of 1775 daniel boone was here in what is now tennessee at the watauga river this monument commemorates the treaty daniel boone negotiated between the transylvania land company and the cherokee indians at sycamore shoals boone persuaded the cherokees to sell kentucky to the land company then leaving the officers of the transylvania company behind to sign the treaty daniel boone gathered a party of men they began to cut what would become the famous wilderness road into kentucky opening the way for settlers to bring their wagons into this new land they passed through the cumberland gap and moved north into kentucky clearing the way toward the kentucky river indians attacked them twice and several men were killed but on the first of april 1775 they arrived at the kentucky river and began to erect the fort of boonesboro it looked something like this when it was completed boonesboro was built on the kentucky frontier in 1775. the same year that fighting had broken out in the east at lexington and concord massachusetts minutemen and british regulars had fought in skirmishes the opening shots of the american revolution had been fired so in settlements east and west of the mountains actions were begun that would change the history of a continent boonsboro was one of several forts in the kentucky wilderness a few miles away was fort harrod today the fort stands reconstructed its palisaded walls held off many indian attacks during the revolution forts like herod and boonsboro protected the settlers who followed the wilderness road into kentucky they built their cabins and cleared their land there was land for all in kentucky so while the colonists fought the british in the east daniel boone and the other settlers held the frontier against indian attacks which were often led by agents of the british one battle with the indians was fought in 1782 here at what is now blue licks battlefield state park in kentucky this monument commemorates that event here settlers fought the indians in what turned out to be one of the last battles of the revolution during the fighting boone's youngest son was killed here at blue lakes in 1783 a treaty of peace was signed with the british and the colonists had won their freedom the united states of america was a new nation now but with growing room men like daniel boone were pushing the frontier westward into the wilderness in the years that followed the revolution boone continued to survey the land he hunted and traded throughout kentucky laying claim to many thousands of acres boone operated a trading post here at point pleasant now in the state of west virginia point pleasant is on the kanawha river where it joins the ohio boone lived in this region for about eight years in 1792 kentucky the land boon had helped open to settlers became our 15th state boone's adventures were included in john philson's book on the discovery and settlement of kentucky filson's history of kentucky had drawn many settlers there and the book had also made daniel boone a hero of the new nation the adventures of daniel boone excited americans and made many eager to see the lands he had explored and yet boone himself had lost almost all the claims he held in kentucky suits brought against him proved he held no legal right to the land with most of his land gone boone once more looked westward west of the mississippi spain controlled the region here again was the frontier in 1799 daniel boone accepted an invitation from spain to bring settlers to their territory spain granted him land near the modern city of saint louis missouri this was his farmland some 30 miles west of st louis here in what was then called upper louisiana boone hunted and trapped as he had done in kentucky in 1804 boone discovered several salt springs or a lick here in the louisiana country two years later he and his sons opened assault works producing salt for sale in st louis but louisiana was no longer spanish in 1800 spain had given title of louisiana to france and then in 1803 france had sold louisiana to the united states and the american flag was raised at st louis on march 9th 1804 now once again boone's land claims were in question and once again he lost most of his holdings but boone was a national hero and the country owed much to him so by an act of congress in 1814 which was signed into law by president madison daniel boone's title to at least some land in missouri was confirmed in 1819 an artist chester harding left saint louis to find daniel boone he was here 30 miles to the west in his son's house this was daniel boone's last home here when he was approaching 85 daniel boone's portrait was painted this is an engraving from that painting here was the man who became a legend in his own time a symbol of the daring frontiersman hunter guide he was the best known of many men before and after him many frontiersmen like jim bridger and kit carson who helped continue the movement of the frontier westward across the mississippi daniel boone died here in his son's house on september 26 1820 he was buried in missouri but 25 years later kentucky wanted its hero back and missouri agreed today daniel boone and his wife rebecca are buried here in kentucky the sculptures on their monument tell of daniel boone one of many men who helped shape the story of america who fought the indians who hunted and explored the wilderness whose family settled the new lands who moved the frontier westward but whose love of the wilderness helped bring an end to it today the wilderness daniel boone new is gone the frontiers he knew are gone but the name of daniel boone lives on as a symbol of the american pioneer whose curiosity and restless drive open new lands for generations of americans [Music] you