Stop 4 of 10
Mountains smaller than the Rocky Mountains
Cumberland Gap to Staunton, VA
Lewis and his traveling party left few notes during their travels of November and December 1806 to report to President Jefferson. However, today we can follow the Boone Trace, later the Wilderness Road, from Cumberland Gap eastbound along U. S. 58/U. S. 421 to US 11 to understand the difficulties of 1806 travel. The Daniel Boone Wilderness Road Interpretive Center, Duffield, VA is an excellent source to learn the difficulties of travel on the Boone Trace -Wilderness Road.
Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center
U S 23, Duffield, VA 24244, Phone 276-431-1979
Courtesy: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/daniel-boone-center
There is a long gap in documentation for the route of travel after Cumberland Gap until 11 December 1806, when Lewis wrote Bill of Exchange 119, to Heiskell and Sowers in Staunton, VA for $200.00. (1) Then crossed the Blue Ridge to Locust Hill, his mother’s home near Ivy, VA, on 13 December 1806. (2)
Locust Hill
Drawing Source: Unknown
Courtesy: Meriwether Anderson Sale, Sr.
Lewis' arrival became public knowledge and on 15 December 1806, he was celebrated with a dinner in nearby Charlottesville, VA at the Stone Tavern (3)
Stone Tavern, Charlottesville, VA
High Street between 4th Ave. NE and Park Street Charlottesville, VA 22902
Lewis, Sheheke and the traveling party had traversed the Great Valley Road, today's U. S. 11. At Stanton, VA they turned East across the Blue Ridge following today's U. S. 250 through Ivy and into Charlottesville, VA.
Source:
(1) Jackson, Donald, Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Second Edition, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1978, page 353.
(2) Ambrose, Stephen, Undaunted Courage Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the West, Simon & Schuster, NY, 1996, Page 408.
(3) Ibid, page 408.