Heading West
Aside from the departure of the British and French, there was also the disappearance of the Native Americans following the war. However, settlers now left their coastal homelands in large droves for the wide-open spaces. They reached their destinations by way of wagons, horses, makeshift boats, and even on foot. Although most were traveling west as families, it was not uncommon during this time for young men to travel out west alone. One such traveler was Daniel Boone. During 1775, Boone was employed by the Transylvania Company. They hired Boone, along with other young men, to cut the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap.
The Cumberland Gap was a low-lying area in the Appalachian Mountains. The road began in what is now eastern Tennessee and ended in what became Louisville, Kentucky. The road served as the main route for settlers traveling to the Trans-Appalachia region. Boone went on to work as a hunter and trapper. He even eventually served in the Kentucky state legislature.
