WILDERNESS
Have you ever closed your eyes and let your mind empty of what is around you? Then focused your mind on what it was like when the woodlands of North American were all virgin trees. The woodlands were teaming with all kinds of large and small wildlife. Can you see the rivers and streams jumping with the fish they hold in their pristine waters? The huge oaks, maples, walnuts, hickories, and the conifers trees were filled with birds singing their songs loud and clear. This is how it would have been when the first people came across the Alleghenies.
There were trails that the Indians used when hunting. The various Indian tribes liked the Kentucky/Kaintuck area to hunt. This was called the dark and bloody ground. It was rich in waterways with seven major rivers. Mountains peaked in the east and the land rolled flat in the west. The Bluegrass Region is in the center of Kentucky. That blue-green grass was thick and lush. In the morning the sun glistened on the Bluegrass with its dewdrops and it was blue.
People moved over the mountains to hunt, to start a new life, adventure was wanted by some, they didn’t want to be crowded and others just wanted to escape from their past. They faced the dangers of the Indians. The terrain and elements also took their toll. Accidents happen regardless of how skilled of a woodsmen they were. After the hunters came the settlers followed and our country had a frontier on the west side of the Alleghenies.
Let me take you back to the time of Daniel Boone. It is like a different world all together. There are no paved roads. Their transportation was to ride a horse or walk the rugged terrain. There were only a few log cabins and they were near a few forts in the vast wilderness. I hope you will enjoy the excerpts I have chosen to share with you from “The Bluegrass Dream” by Ruth Thompson.
#1
These voices were not Indians. They were speaking English. I listened carefully but couldn’t understand what they said. I asked myself, “Do I make myself known or do I try to stay hidden in the shadows? I do not hide! I am not afraid of someone who speaks English."
The men were going to the stream. They were familiar with this area. They were talking about a bear that got away. I listened to their bragging and slipped down to the stream. I tried to keep my handgun hidden behind my lower back. “Hello fellows! You sure know how to keep a man from sleeping.”
The tall man who had been squatting beside the stream stood to his full height. “Now Sonny, you sure know how to get our attention. I guess we made it easy for you to know we were here,” he said.
#2
There in the moonlight I saw that Outlaw and Bandit had managed to open their cage.
Fawn said, “They are out of their cage!”
Hutch said, “I see one on top of the roof. Hand me something to throw. I’ll get him down.”
I pulled up some grass by the roots and gave it to him. Hutch threw it at him and said, “You better get down here you varmint!”
The response was a lot of chattering from the varmint. Bill said
“There is another one on the water barrel.”
David started over to the barrel to pick it up and Outlaw or Bandit ran for one of the haystacks. I could just see him scattering my hay all over the place that I worked so hard to stack. I made a run for him and he ran between my feet and tripped me. I landed in the middle of the haystack. There was hay from my head to my foot. It was sticking out of my hair. There was a layer on my shoulders. It was caught in my pockets. All I heard were the uproarious laughter of everyone. Not one person kept a straight face.
#3
We had been on the Elkhorn since the middle of the night. The sun was beginning to rise. The horizon was filled with pink, yellow, and golden rays. My concern for Hutch kept me from enjoying the moon light ride down the Elkhorn and the magnificent sunrise. This was certainly a new experience for me. Bill and Digger had discussed the things they learned about the waterway on their recent trip. Fawn and Katherine had made the boat very comfortable for us with our bedrolls. I couldn’t sleep, so I was taking Digger’s turn. Bill was not planning to take his until after we passed South Elkhorn. The shoals should be covered with water, but not deep like it was in the spring.
You can find my book on Amazon
“The Bluegrass Dream” by Ruth Thompson
ISBN #1-59800-770-X
