Pioneer Routes In Rockcastle County

Pioneer Routes In Rockcastle County. . The mountains of Rockcastle County were the last challenge for pioneers to face before reaching the level land of the bluegrass area. In the 1700's there were three routes in the county traveled by thousands of pioneers by 1790. , The first was Skaggs Trace, a rugged hunting trail travelled and named for the legendary Long Hunter Henry Skaggs, initially beginning at present day Flat Lick, Kentucky to Crab Orchard and passing through Old Hazel Patch near present day Oakley, Kentucky. It followed the ridge lines but also Skaggs Creek south of Mount Vernon. , Boone Trace was marked by Daniel Boone and a crew of thirty men in 1775. It was a route that brought travelers on foot or horseback through the Cumberland Gap and ended at Fort Boonesborough. It followed Skaggs Trace from Flat Lick to Old Hazel Patch where Boone left the old road to proceed north. Presently, an effort is underway to mark the original overland path of the Boone Trace. , The Wilderness Road was commissioned to be constructed by Isaac Shelby, Kentucky's first Governor, in (indecipherable) the contract was given to James Knox and Colonel Joseph Crockett to construct a road thirty feet wide and accommodating a two-ton wagon load. Construction was to begin in Crab Orchard and end at the top of the Cumberland Mountain in the Gap. , Commissioners Knox and Crockett / surveyors held a meeting at Stephen Langford's Station in Mount Vernon. The decision was made to incorporate the road Langford built from Mount Vernon to Livingston as part of the Wilderness Road (currently approximating the route of US 25). By the time of construction, Daniel Boone was 61 years old and when he heard about the project, he did send a letter to Governor Shelby asking that he be considered for the contract, since he had marked and cleared the Boone Trace in 1775 and therefore felt as qualified as any person. Segments of Boone Trace were rebuilt and became part of the new wagon road - The Wilderness Road. Construction of the Wilderness Road is often attributed to Boone; however, he was not involved with this endeavor. Written by: John Fox and Tom Black (Friends of Boone Trace) .