Daniel Boone did not discover Cumberland Gap, nor was he the first explorer of Kentucky, then an unknown "Wilderness" on the Western frontier of the Colony of Virginia. In 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker, Agent of the Loyal Company, and 5 others, discovered Cumberland Gap, discovered and named the Cumberland River, discovered Pine Mountain Gap ("The Narrows"), Cumberland Ford -- the only place where the river could be easily crossed by people, horses and wagons -- and he built the first cabin in Kentucky. Walker's Jounral, maps, and surveys led to The Wilderness Road, over which 300,000 pioneer settlers entered Kentucky. The book has 90 illustrations -- photographs, maps, holographs pages from Walker's Journal, and through words and images makes the period come alive. Walker was a physician, surveyor, entrepreneur, explorer, high official of Virginia, a negotiator of Indian treaties, and a supremely successful speculator in frontier land. This is the ONLY book-length work on an important (through unfairly obscure) leading member of Virginia's 18th Century "landed gentry." The book provides interesting insights into the French and Indian War, and the Amereican Revolution, including the role of George Rogers Clark. Walker was a close friend of Peter Jefferson, and was for a time, the guardian of his young son Thomas, the future President. He was also connected by marriage, friendship and shared business interests with George Washington, James Madison, Joshua Fry, and with every leading Virginian of his time.
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
David Burns' articles, profiles, op-eds, and reviews have been published in The New York Time, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Time, The Washington Post, and many other newspapers and magazines.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
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GATEWAY: Dr. Thomas Walker & the Opening of Kentucky,
By Byron K. Howard (Corbin, Kentucky United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gateway : Dr. Thomas Walker and the Opening of Kentucky (Paperback)
This is a very well written, photographed and illustrated book that reveals many little known truths about the origins of Kentucky and the migration west through Cumberland Gap. It is a must read for all students of early Kentucky history. Virtually every other page contains either a map, illustration or beautiful photograph. The photography by world-renowned photographer, Adam Jones, is simply stunning! In truth, it is the photography of Adam Jones that first attracted me to this outstanding book. As a student of early Kentucky history, I consider this book in particular to be indispensable to understanding the truth surrounding the opening of Kentucky and all points west. This is a truly great historical work, replete with bibliograhical references, indicative of the author's extensive research. Therefore, I highly recommend it!
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