Kanaha Trail Present day RT.60

[KY Hiker]

Not so bad across WV, thankfully they named several Trace Branch, Trace Creek ect... they run East-West. I'll piece it together through VA and WV. Its finding the traces here in KY I have trouble with.

 

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[Ken S.]

Yep there is where you'll have the most trouble. Ky. got away from the trace designation on their naming of places. They used things that was more specific to the particular area, like Burning Springs, Lick Fk.,Paint Creek, etc. when naming places.

 

[KY Hiker]

Found a Paint Creek in WVA also...odd, I think it was off of Coal River? Maybe not... was late last night.

 

[Ken S.]

There is a Paint Creek in Ohio As well but neither of them lay west or S West of the Sandy river/creek.
There is a Jenny's Creek in W.Va also. But oh well I wont go into that.

 

[KY Hiker]

I just wonder if those creeks got their names for the same reason.

 

[Ken S.]

Hard to say. The story goes when the settlers came to this area they named the creek after the painting and carvings on trees and rocks at the mouth of the creek.
Wiki list about about 9 Paint creeks and there is actually 2 in Ohio.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paint_Creek

 

[Ken S.]

Yes, Braddock's Road was cut to Ft. Pitt. from Alexandria. The problem I have with that route is all the mouths of creeks and rivers they would have to ford moving along the South bank of the Ohio River. The North bank had an Indian trace along it according to Indian trace maps of Ohio.
Harrod and his group came to KY via Ft. Pitt, they used raft like barges and used the natural flow of the Ohio River to take them along the same route but further down to the mouth of the KY river. They then took the KY upstream to a Buffalo trace/fording point near where Frankfort is and followed that trace to where they founded Ft. Harrod (Harrodsburg, KY). Swift does not mention boats/rafts/canoes at all, but the route taken by him is the same to the Sandy...

The route from Ft.Pitt would probably follow another river down through W.Va. Like the Elk river, It runs into the Kanawha near Charleston and it begins in the Allegheny Plateau . There is a Buffalo trace along the Elk or at least there was when I was fishing over there years ago.

 

[Ken S.]

The head water of Kanawha is in Fayette Co. W.Va. near Glen Ferris. Where the New and Gauley rivers converge. The New is one of the five oldest river in the world according to Wiki and runs all the way into N. Carolina.

 

[KY Hiker]

Oxymoron...New River is one of the oldest.... LOL I doubt they came from Ft. Pitt anyway, Alexandria is more likely. Best way from Ft. Pitt to Sandy is by boat!

 

[Ken S.]

Yep but I doubt them bringing a large train of animals down the Ohio on a boat. Back in 84 or 85 I trout fished the Elk and Williams river both in Webster Co. There was buffalo trails along both rivers. In place they were 15 ft. deep and probably 20/25 ft. wide . The buffalo trails not the rivers. The Williams was a very cold river even in the hottest part of summer. anyone that likes to trout fish should try it at least once. It was a very pleasant area to speed weekends and vacation in camping and fishing

 

[Curtis]

If you want to read some good trail blazing and following them into KY and Ohio, read Alan Eckert .. he has several books that really cover in detail old trails into KY and Ohio, and the people who used them... I will never forget the Indian who wanted to be named "scare the world". Most know the Frontiersman, but he wrote several others that cover early migrating..i have most of his books and treasure them!

 

[Ken S.]

I was just speaking of what I've seen in being in that area. I would travel that far to go fishing a lot faster than I would to go treasure hunting. I can get all the treasure hunting I can stand closer to home.

 

[KY Hiker]

Yep but I doubt them bringing a large train of animals down the Ohio on a boat. Back in 84 or 85 I trout fished the Elk and Williams river both in Webster Co. There was buffalo trails along both rivers. In place they were 15 ft. deep and probably 20/25 ft. wide . The buffalo trails not the rivers. The Williams was a very cold river even in the hottest part of summer. anyone that likes to trout fish should try it at least once. It was a very pleasant area to speed weekends and vacation in camping and fishing

Yea, trout need that cold mountain water. I think that Ft. Pitt is probably an addition to the Swift legend. That would take them more than 80 miles (4-5days further travel time) out of their way to head NW toward Ft. Pitt then turn SW and parallel the Ohio River. Gaps just west of Alexandria like Manassas Gap and others take a more direct Westward route by land. Now, how they crossed deep creeks is a whole other animal...there should be fording points where those buffalo traces crossed over. Most every creek would have some paths from elk, deer and such. Buffalo being a herd animal would move in larger groups of 5 or more. I have no idea if buffalo can swim like deer and elk and bear can though.

 

[Ken S.]

I would think buffalo could swim too !! Most of the rivers we are talking about aren't that deep that they would have to swim unless they were in flood stage. There are plenty of place in the Big Sandy that a man can wade across below Paintsville. Above Paintsville the are places you can wade it and not get your pockets wet. Yeah you have holes that are exceptions but for the most part it's not deep' Same goes for the Elk In W.Va. Fished miles of it years ago. The Kanawha is the same, Maybe not where it dumps into the Ohio but 8/10 miles up stream.