Mountains smaller than the Rocky Mountains

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 to the East along U.S. 58/U.S. 421 to U.S. 11 to understand the difficulties of 1806 travel. The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center, Duffield, VA (https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/daniel-boone-center) is an excellent source to learn the difficulties of travel on the Boone Trace -Wilderness Road.

Documentation for the route of travel after Cumberland Gap appears once again on 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⁾ 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⁾

Lewis, Sheheke and the traveling party had traveled the Great Valley Road, today’s U.S. 11. At Stanton they turned East across the Blue Ridge following today’s U.S. 250 through Ivy and into Charlottesville, VA.