The native conflict and the dilemma of a wandering people from one sort of nation trying to find a place peaceably with those already established are never-ending sources of interest—and distress. Reading the accounts of treaties made and either forgotten by the next generation or broken by the very ones who made them was exhausting. William Penn, when writing of his dealings with the native peoples of the New World, actually believed the Shawnee and others to be descended from the ten lost tribes of Israel, because of physical type and customs so similar to Old Testament laws, and that conviction led him and his followers to extend the utmost respect to native tribes. Others who followed Penn did not share that conviction or had forgotten the excellent relations that European peoples enjoyed with Native Americans during Penn’s lifetime. While digging into the history of the Shawnee people, I’ve ended many a research session in tears, begging God’s mercy on those of us who did not know, who cannot change history, but who must find a way to go forward and seek peace “as much as lieth in you,” with those around us. I’ve always been fascinated with learning “the other side” of a particular conflict—much of my study of the Revolutionary War era was of the loyalist viewpoint—and I’ve come away from my study of the Shawnee and other tribes with a new appreciation and love for these people.
Yet all people share the bloodguilt. The horror stories of captivity and slaughter were a very real force during this time. As I wrote in my story, the apparent contradiction between the brutality of Native Americans and their very tangible generosity and love to those they chose to adopt as their own is difficult to understand with our modern minds, but it is no less a reality among our own people, in our own time.
HISTORICAL NOTE
The Cumberland Gap, originally part of the Warrior’s Path (the route traveled by native peoples seeking war and trade), was first discovered and traveled by Dr. Thomas Walker in 1750, then later explored by men such as Daniel Boone, who blazed the trail from southwestern Virginia into Kentucky and guided settlers along that path. The gap itself is considered a Gateway to the West (one of several within the United States), as the largest natural opening from the Eastern Seaboard across the Appalachian Mountains, and it became a key meeting point for settlers, fur traders, and military forces.
By the 1790s, as the Eastern Seaboard became more crowded, settlers poured from eastern Tennessee and western Virginia into the lower Ohio Valley, beckoned by the promise of affordable lands and a better situation for their families. They did this despite the threat of the native tribes—some of whom tried to work with the settlers while others stood fast against westward expansion. The native tribes who opposed westward expansion by settlers were still encouraged in their resistance by the British, who continued to maintain forts along the American frontier in order to undermine the newly founded colonial government. Peace did not come easily or immediately during the infancy of the United States.
The Kentucky of this time was still a wild and terrifying place for those born in the East, but it was not nearly as wild as it had once been. Early explorers wrote of herds of buffalo as well as abundant deer, turkey, and other game. Travel was a matter of following waterways—trekking alongside rivers or weaving back and forth across creeks—braving mud, sand pits, and canebrakes. Still, plenty of stations had sprung up along the traces, and one man reported that by this time, there were enough ordinaries (the period term for an inn) along the way to stay at one every night. Many of the settlements were by this time thriving centers of white civilization. The backwoodsman was not always the ignorant, uneducated clod that some have painted him. I tried to show this with Thomas by his knowledge of scripture even in the face of doubt, but it wasn’t uncommon for folk to be reading novels (such as Gulliver’s Travels) or classic works of Greece or Rome. The post ran briefly between Danville, Kentucky and Bean’s Station, Tennessee, 1792–94 and then again later. One of the first post riders, Thomas Ross, was indeed a casualty of Indian attack.
The spring and summer of 1794 marked a couple of notable battles between the Shawnee and other tribes and the United States forces led by General Anthony Wayne. An offensive launched against Fort Recovery, which Wayne built on the site of a previous win by Native Americans, should have been an easy victory but proved a disappointment. The Northwest Indian War, as it was called, culminated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in August 1794, and the Treaty of Greenville in August 1795. Those two events decided the fate of the Shawnee, who mostly picked up and moved west afterward. Most native peoples had adopted the dress described in this story and the use of European household articles such as the china platter on which Kate serves corn cakes.
I drew much of my description of Kate’s running the gauntlet from the memoirs of Jonathan Alder, who was taken captive at age nine and lived as a Native American for nearly twenty-five years. His account of native society encouraged me to paint the social life of the Shawnee with a much warmer hand than I otherwise might have.
And lastly, the history of the Wilderness Road itself is so rich I couldn’t possibly fit everything I wanted into this particular story. I defer to authors such as Laura Frantz and Lori Benton for their excellent portrayal of the era, fifteen to twenty-five years before the setting of mine, but the groundwork was laid as far back as 1750 when Dr.Thomas Walker mounted that expedition into what was then western Virginia (which extended all the way to the Mississippi). Daniel Boone and James Harrod followed after, initially traveling companions but later separating after a difference of opinion. Both blazed new trails, Boone from Cumberland Gap northward, and Harrod branching off to the west. Many others followed, and of those, some were driven back by the threat and heartbreak of native attack and other perils, but others stayed. Many men kept journals of their travels, and surely many women did the same. Most, if not all, of the difficulties I wrote about within these pages happened to someone, whether it’s a horse sliding off the trail into a creek; travelers developing what was known as foot scald, a painful and dangerous condition caused by walking in chronically wet shoes; or coming across entire traveling parties slain by Indians. Many frontiersman had discovered the comfort and convenience of adopting native dress, and they also learned how much better suited moccasins were for the trail than European styles of footgear.
I found it difficult to pinpoint exactly when the Wilderness Road was opened for wagon traffic. Kentucky legislature commissioned a road in 1795, according to Pusey (1921). Wikipedia (which I do not recommend as a sole resource but can be very helpful for initial research) says 1792, with the road opened in 1796. (The Battle of Fallen Timbers put an end to Shawnee resistance in 1794.) There’s evidence that the road was actually cleared for wagons as early as 1780, but was officially improved in the 1790s. Another article says that improvements started when Kentucky became a state in 1792 and then opened in 1795–96, and that’s what I went with for the purposes of my story. Again, there was so much detail I could not include, but I’m indebted to Pusey for descriptions and images of the road from the 1920s, before much of modern development occurred.
The internet is a marvelous thing. I’m indebted to Bing Maps and Google Earth for letting me go where I otherwise would have been unable. I had to rely on memory—from many trips over the years—for the atmosphere I tried to capture of the beauty that is Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio, but satellite maps helped me trace the route in certain places, figure out about how long it might have taken them to get from point A to point B, and envision what the countryside might have looked like along the way. Various websites and Facebook pages (thank you, Cumberland Gap and Pine Mountain Facebook pages for providing photos of your area during spring!) also helped tremendously in pinpointing what might have bloomed when—but I’m sure I didn’t get it all perfectly correct.
For further resources, I point you to my bibliography.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
No book is written without the help of many people and resources, and this journey has been so long, time would fail me to mention eve
ryone, but here are notables for this particular story:
Michelle Griep, dear friend, critique partner extraordinaire, fellow history geek, who decided I should be dragged along on this adventure. So glad you did!
Kimberli Buffaloe, dear friend, sometime critique partner, and now Boone cousin! Who shares my love of the Carolinas and history and, being from Kentucky herself, pointed me to various resources to kickstart my research…and whose anticipation for this story truly humbles me. I hope it doesn’t disappoint!
Lee S. King, dear friend, critique partner, and so much more! Whose patience in converting ancient WordPerfect files enabled me to resurrect the story of my heart and apply myself to writing again with the hope of publication. (Do you realize that was more than fifteen years ago??) Thank you so much for reading every word I’ve tossed your way and always saying, “More!” (As well as cheering me on.)
Jennifer Uhlarik, dear friend, critique partner, sister in faith…whose prayers and encouragement helped me hold on through some of the darkest seasons.
Breanna and Corrie McNear, beautiful daughters, first readers, amazing encouragers…your enthusiasm (and reassurances that it wasn’t stupid!) often kept me going.
Elizabeth Goddard, a.k.a. Beth, dear, dear friend, critique partner, and nudge from behind…the one whose encouragement led to that very first novella contract. Thank you for being the one to whom I could tell anything!
Ronie Kendig, dear friend, encourager…so glad the Lord has had us on this journey together! You always believed this door would open, didn’t you?
Joan Hochstetler, Laura Frantz, and Lori Benton, fellow authors of the time period and region, whose work I respect so much…to Joan for her kindness in answering questions and sharing research sources, Laura in welcoming me to Kentucky (figuratively speaking!), and Lori just for being the amazing storyteller she is. Your stories all provided inspiration and a very high bar for excellence!
Becky Germany, country girl and editor, so willing to give many “nobody” writers a chance in this industry as she did me. Thank you—and the entire team at Barbour—for your dedication to producing beautiful stories! And I still remember a particular conversation around the table at an ACFW gala with fondness.
Tamela Hancock Murray, agent, encourager, beautiful and gentle soul. Thank you for caring, for listening, and for believing in me. I’m still astonished to be in possession of a contract with my name next to Steve Laube’s.
Susan Brower, my first agent, who directed me to Tamela to begin with. Thank you so much for encouraging me to hold out for traditional publishing, and for being such a comfort that hard last year of my mother’s life.
Troy, Cameron, and Meeghan, who along with Breanna and Corrie have continued to love a story-crazed and cranky wife and mama through her very first legit book deadline. I’m well aware of what y’all suffered for the sake of this one…and I love you more than I can possibly say! Same goes for all your older siblings—Alistair, Ian, Erin, and Ross—and the darling spouses—Aaron, Leah, and Jenn—for your amazing love and support over the years. Once again, I would not be who I am without you!!
New Hope Free Lutheran Church, especially Mary, Barb, Teri, and Cheryl—Wednesday night fellowship supper ladies who let me bounce story and research questions off them, were patient with my slackness during deadline, and were so wonderful to pray and ask how things were going. Pastor Steve for understanding when I needed to step back. And last but not least, New Hope Youth for all their enthusiasm and support.
Sarah Wilson, steadfast farmer’s wife, bearer of her own beautiful ministry, sister in spirit. Thank you so much for your hands and your heart, and a listening ear just when I needed it!
Terri and Dan Thompson, visionaries in ministry, whose viewpoint often challenged me to think deeper, wider, more tenderly. Thank you both for fellowship, hospitality, and encouragement to step up and let God make me more visible.
Jenelle Hovde, beta reader and fellow ACFW Dakotas member, for your incredible enthusiasm and insightful comments on native culture and society.
My HAH sisters—Homeschooling A Houseful, online community extraordinaire, for years of love and support and just plain real life.
Kimberley, Kathleen, and MaryLu—what an honor to get to work beside you on this series!
A certain exchange student from Germany who made my senior year of high school ever so much more interesting and whose name I’ve borrowed without permission. I hope you are doing well all these years later.
All the brave men and women who traveled the Wilderness Road to start with, especially those who left behind a written record for us to follow.
God our Father, King of the Universe, Maker of heaven and earth… who lovingly reminded me that since He had opened this door, it was a very small thing for Him—as the One who spoke the entire creation into existence—to help me with a little word count.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ancestry.com.
Calloway, Colin G. The Shawnees and the War for America. London: Penguin, 2007.
Charles River Editors. Native American Tribes: The History and Culture of the Shawnee. CreateSpace Ind. Pub. Platform, Sept. 22, 2013.
Harvey, Henry. History of the Shawnee Indians: From the Year 1681 to 1854, Inclusive. Cincinnati: Ephraim Morgan & Sons, 1855.
Hibbert, Christopher. Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution through British Eyes. New York: Norton, 1990.
Kincaid, Robert L. The Wilderness Road. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1947.
LaCrosse, Richard B., Jr. Frontier Rifleman. Union City, TN: Pioneer Press, 1997.
Native-languages.org.
Nelson, Larry L., ed. A History of Jonathan Alder, His Captivity and Life with the Indians. Akron, OH: Univ. of Akron Press, 2002.
Pusey, William Allen. The Wilderness Road to Kentucky: Its Location and Features. New York: George H. Duran Co., 1921.
Ross, Jane Barks. The Magic Moccasins: Life among Ohio’s Six Tribes. 2 vols. Columbus, OH: Avonelle Assoc., Ltd., 1979–80.
Wikipedia.com. For overall framework and initial research only.
Transplanted to North Dakota after more than two decades in Charleston, South Carolina, Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. She’s a military wife, mom of eight, mother-in-law of three, grammie of two, and a member of ACFW and RWA. Her first novella, Defending Truth in A Pioneer Christmas Collection, was a 2014 RITA® finalist. When she’s not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern prairies. Connect with her at www.shannonmcnear.com, or on Facebook and Goodreads.
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The Cumberland Bride Page 25