From the book, In the Land of Breathitt by LaMar Hamilton, for the Breathitt County Board of Education
Part of the State-wide Kentucky Writer's Project sponsored by the University of Kentucky
The Virginians and North Carolinians who took up land claims along the Troublesome, the Quicksand, the Big Caney, and along the forks of the Kentucky River had undoubtedly been attracted by the rugged character of the land with its unexcelled virgin stands of timber, by the numerous streams, and the abundance of game, edible berries, and nuts. However, accidental reasons such as cold weather, exhaustion, the loss of one or more animals, and the presence of game for food, determined the settlement of land-seeking pioneers in the mountains. Otherwise, many of them would have gone on to the more desirable Bluegrass lands, already largely taken up and settled, or to more fertile tracts of western Kentucky.
As the difficulties of traveling were great, the first pioneers brought with them only the most essential objects. The pioneer was not complete without a weapon of some sort. In enumerating pioneer companies the chronicles often listed the number of guns as well as manpower, which was meaningless without a firearm to back it up. Bulky articles, even when they could have been "toted," made traveling slower and more difficult. For this reason they were left behind and either made or acquired after the homestead had been located.
The pioneer of necessity was somewhat of a craftsman. When he had picked out his piece of land, built or found a shelter, and planted his seed he then proceeded at his leisure to make the plain furniture of his home from the most elementary tools. He also shaped from native timber the wooden frame for the plow irons that he more than likely brought with him from the "old" settlement. Guns were brought for hunting and also for self defense. The long-barreled flintlock and later the famed old Kentucky rifle were the most common. Occasionally a pioneer of more affluence also brought a fowling-piece. The bow and arrow, usually made from ash, hickory, cedar, and oak still survived from the Old World, but even at this time their use was largely confined to boys.
Seed with which to plant the first crop was as precious as gold to the prospective homesteader in the wilderness; and tools with which to till the soil and to build were as indispensable as a scalpel to a surgeon. The more fortunate had at least one pack horse and other stock, especially cattle. Dogs were often the pioneer's most serviceable companion. Hounds for hunting, for watchdogs, and as faithful animal companions were found in all wellequipped caravans.
In historical retrospect their efforts and deeds were adventurous, colorful, and sometimes dramatic, but to the men and women who participated in them they were often tedious and hazardous. Perhaps only the far-sighted and the imaginative sensed the historic importance of their generation. Visions of comfort and security, leavened by the spirit of freedom, gave the pioneers courage and hope. Their philosophy was a simple one; spun in home, arising from experience, and practical needs.
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