Daniel Boone

“All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse, and a good wife.” This is one of the few known quotes from Daniel Boone. About 277 years ago, Daniel Boone was born into the world. It has been questionable about his date of birth, but he was either born on October 22 or November 2. At a young age, he spent a lot of time with his father, which is where he learned to hunt fish and trap. Because of being a young established business man, his military training, and being able to survive in the wilderness by himself, he is the ultimate, well rounded explorer.

In 1776 violence increased in Kentucky between the colonists and the Indians. While the Indians drove out most of the colonists, there were about 200 left in the area held up in Boonesborough and Logan’s Station. Indians captured Boone’s daughter and two other girls right outside of the town. Boone led an expedition along with a few other men to save their daughters. They caught up two days later and ambushed the Indian party while they stopped to take a break. They took the kidnapped daughters back to the fort; this was the first event that Boone was known for. Another point in Boone’s life, he was captured and adopted into an Indian tribe to replace fallen warriors. He later found out that the tribe was going to attack Boonesborough, so he slipped away from the tribe to warn the town. He rode 5 days straight, and once his horse gave out, another 3 on foot. When he returned to the town, they had doubts of his loyalty. Even though he returned and led an attack on the Indians, as well as defended Boonesborough for 10 days, a few of the men that had relatives captured decided to court martial Boone. It was taken to a judge and he was found not guilty.

After his experience in the military, he settled down in Limestone, Kentucky, which then was a booming Ohio River port. He worked in a tavern doing numerous jobs such as a surveyer, horse trader, and land speculator. Initially, he was prospering, owning seven slaves. By his 50th birthday, he had become something of a celebrity in Kentucky, and a historian had the idea to even write a book on him. He later started having financial troubles. He was later defrauded of his land; he had engaged in land speculation on a large scale, buying and selling thousands of land claims. His business ultimately failed because his marketing strategy was faulty and because his sense of honor made him reluctant to profit at someone else’s expense.

Starting out as a youth, Boone went hunting frequently with his father, and the experiences just followed him through his life. Whenever he wasn’t serving in the military, he led hunting expeditions deep into the wilderness. Because of his profession, he would be away from his wife and kids for weeks, and even months at a time. During the Autumn, he would travel by himself or with a small group of men. During this time, they would accumulate hundreds of deer skins, and during the winter, he would trap beavers and otters. Their hunts would usually follow bison trails, and when spring came along, he would sell his pelts and furs to the traders. During some of the long expeditions, frontiersmen would carve into trees. Boone’s initials have been found on many trees and in many caves. The most known carving from him was in Washington County, Tennessee and it said, “D. Boone Kilt a Bar on tree in 1760.” This meant, “D. Boone Killed a Bear on this tree in 1760.

Daniel Boone was a very important frontiersman in his time. Without his exploration abilities, we may not have come this far, this fast. From his military training, his business experience, and being able to survive in the wilderness and providing for his family, Daniel Boone is the ultimate explorer. He has always enjoyed hunting, from his early ages to his very death, he always was providing for his family. Because of this, he is my hero. “I have never been lost, but I admit to being confused for several weeks.” ~Daniel Boone~