A History of the Daniel Boone National Forest 1770 - 1970

The tragic death of Colonel Richard Callaway at the hands of a small band of lurking Indians on March 8, 1780 did not end Indian trouble for Kentucky.

On March 19, 1782, an unoccupied Indian raft was observed floating past Boonesborough down the Kentucky River. To the alert frontiersmen this was an indication that Indians were crossing the river higher up, probably to gain the rear of the unprotected settlements in that area. This information was promptly dispatched to Captain James Estill at his station, located about 15 miles south of Boonesborough (about four miles southeast of the present location of the city of Richmond, Kentucky), as well as to Colonel Benjamin Logan, commanding officer of the region at Logan's Station (about one mile from the present city of Stanford, Kentucky).

Colonel Logan sent 15 men to Captain Estill with orders to secure 25 more men and make a reconnaissance of the country to the north and east of Estill's Station. This Captain Estill did, his party reaching the Kentucky River a few miles below the mouth of Station Camp Creek without encountering any Indians or observing any Indian signs. On the day following the departure of Captain Estill's party, a band of Indians appeared without warning at Estill's Station at dawn, killed and scalped the daughter of Captain Innes within sight of the fort and captured a slave belonging to Captain Estill by the name of Monk. On being questioned as to the strength of the garrison at Estill's Station, Monk told such a plausible story, in which he greatly exaggerated the number of fighting men present, that the Indians withdrew in haste. All but one of the men of the fort were absent with Captain Estill leaving only women and children and one sick man as the defense force. The women immediately sent two boys to follow the trail of Captain Estill's party and inform him of the situation.

The boys found Captain Estill's party early in the morning of March 21, 1782, between the mouth of Drowning Creek and the mouth of the Red River, and informed them of what had happened. After a brief discussion it was decided to pursue the Indians at once. Of the 40 men in Captain Estill's party, five had families in Estill's Station. It was decided that these five would return there at once in order that the fort would not be undefended. The remainder of the party crossed the Kentucky River, quickly picked up the trail of the Indians, and pushed forward rapidly. When night overtook them, they made camp near Little Mountain (the present site of the city of Mount Sterling and adjacent to the Daniel Boone National Forest of today).

At daybreak on the morning of March 22, 1782, pursuit was continued. Of the 35 men of the party, 10 were left behind, as their horses were too exhausted to travel further, and the remaining 25 men pushed forward, observing from the fresh tracks that the Indians were not far in advance of them. Soon they came on six Indians dressing a buffalo. Captain Estill fired on them and another member of the party, Ensign David Cook, observed an Indian to halt briefly. Cook raised his rifle and, just as he fired, another Indian stepped in line and the bullet killed both Indians. Most of the members of the party saw this unusual happening and were greatly encouraged by it.

The Indians, seeking to avoid a fight, were making off when their leader fell, too badly wounded to withdraw with his party. Had he been killed, the fight probably would have been over in a few minutes. However, his rallying cry brought the entire band to his defense, fighting with a determination seldom experienced from raiding parties of Indians. Dragging himself behind a screen of bushes, the wounded chief sat upright on the ground where he could see and direct his braves, his voice ringing out frequently with tones of command that held his party in the fight. Although three Indians had fallen before they returned a single shot, their attack became deadly. Numbers were about equal on each side. The battle became a series of single combats, each rifleman singling out one of the enemy and firing deliberately with life itself at stake.

This deadly battle continued for an hour and a half. With more than one-fourth of the combatants on each side killed or wounded, the courage of Captain Estill's pioneers had never been so severely tested. To this point no decided advantage had been gained by either side. The Indian chief could not retreat and his men would not leave him.

Appraising the situation Captain Estill detached six men, under the command of Lieutenant William Miller, with orders to move under cover of the creek to gain the flank or rear of the enemy, while he, with his remaining men, would keep the Indians pinned down in place. Had Lieutenant Miller and his party carried out their orders, the fight could have been won promptly. Unfortunately Lieutenant Miller and his party, once having disengaged from the fighting panicked and took to their heels, leaving their comrades at a moment of great danger, in order to save their own skins.

When Captain Estill realized what had happened, he ordered Ensign David Cook to occupy Lieutenant Miller's ground with three men, to hold the Indians in check on that flank. In executing this movement Ensign Cook became entangled in a fallen tree and was struck by an Indian bullet which entered below the shoulder blade and emerged near the collarbone. At about this same time Adam Caperton, a warm personal friend of Captain Estill, was shot through the head. The shot, which did not immediately kill Caperton, crazed him to the point that he was not conscious of his actions. He staggered into the open between the combatants; and a powerful Wyandotte, whose rifle was not loaded, sprang from behind a tree with the intention of tomahawking and scalping him. Captain Estill, who was near but whose rifle was also empty and who had already suffered three wounds, rushed the Wyandotte with drawn knife to protect his wounded friend. The burly Wyandotte grappled with Captain Estill in a hand-to-hand life-and-death struggle. Each man proved so powerful, quick and skillful that neither could bring his weapon to bear. At last Captain Estill's arm, which had been broken by an Indian bullet only four months before and still not completely healed, gave way and with a blood-curdling yell of victory the Wyandotte buried his knife in Captain Eskill, killing him instantly. The yell of the Wyandotte was his last, as a well-aimed ball from the rifle of Joseph Proctor snuffed out the life of the Indian who fell across Captain Estill's lifeless body. Joseph Proctor had been trying to get a shot that would kill the Indian without hitting Captain Estill, but the constant and violent struggle had prevented securing such an opportunity. Shortly afterwards Jonathan McMillan fell, the last of the whites to give his life in this fierce forest combat between white and red men.

With the fall of this last victim, a lull fell over the battleground. The voices of the Wyandotte chief was no longer heard. The voices of both leaders were stilled in death. By a kind of unvoiced mutual consent the fierce and bloody contest, which had waged in the silent forest for nearly two hours, subsided and the exhausted and heartsick remnants of Captain Estill's little force withdrew leaving their dead where they fell but, with great effort, carrying off their three severely wounded companions. One of the wounded, William Irvine, was carried much of the 40 miles to Estill's Station on the back of his friend Joseph Proctor.

While the fight actually ended in a draw, the fact that the Indians were left in possession of the ground has resulted in the name of Estill's Defeat, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Little Mountain.

Indian casualties as reported by the slave Monk, who escaped, were 17 killed and two wounded. This report was later confirmed by another prisoner of the Indians, Mrs. Gatliffe. It was learned much later from the Indians that only one of the warriors engaged in this fight ever returned to his home village north of the Ohio.

Of the 25 white pioneers who entered the battle, the 11 who returned to Estill's Station were ever after held in highest honor and respect. The seven men in Lieutenant Miller's command who chose to leave their comrade to their fate were ever remembered in dishonor throughout the Kentucky frontier. For over 20 years Ensign David Cook, who survived his wounds, waited patiently for a sight of Lieutenant Miller who he swore to kill on sight, but Miller never did appear. Had Cook carried out this threat it is believed that no jury in what was later Madison County would have convicted him, so intense was the feeling against the seven who deserted Captain Estill's command in its hour of need in what has been considered the most desperate and deadly of all frontier battles in Kentucky.

To the honor of the Wyandottes it should be remembered that they did not scalp or mutilate any of the dead whites. They carefully removed all of their own dead and wounded — it was never known where.

This famous Indian fight occurred directly adjacent to the west boundary of the Morehead Ranger District of the Daniel Boone Forest.

In 1788, occurred an incident, the sight of which is marked today on the southern part of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

During the period of waiting and uncertainty following the close of the Revolutionary War, the Americans in Kentucky had maintained a standing army as many of the settlers began their move into Kentucky and westward. Most of the Indians in the Kentucky area were peaceful by this time. However, there was known to be a band of renegades who waylaid settlers moving into a strange territory, playing havoc with their livestock and property as well as their lives. Because of these threats on the lives of the new settlers, the army began operating an escort service and providing military personnel to protect trains of settlers heading into the new frontier.

Lieutenant Nathan McClure, who had served in the army during the War of Independence, was assigned to such duties and his mission was to escort a group of settlers through the Kentucky area. This was to be the beginning of one of the memorable moments of Lieutenant McClure's life and its tragic end. His final victory in the fight for a safe frontier life might well be the origin of the community's name of Mount Victory, since his final battle took place only a short distance from the present day settlement of that name.

Lieutenant McClure and his small patrol, consisting of perhaps six or seven men, had escorted a small group of settlers from Cumberland Gap who were heading west to Kentucky. In May of 1788, this small band was camped near Crab Orchard in what is today Rockcastle County. The band of renegades raided the camp during the night and stole horses and livestock from McClure's party. Lieutenant McClure knew that the settlers could never carve a fresh start out of the wilderness without horses and livestock, and that he must recover the stock if the group was to continue. On his orders the party remained at Crab Orchard while he and his men began following the trail of the night raiders, which was most difficult. The line of pursuit took lieutenant McClure and his men northeast through what is now Pulaski County for approximately 50 miles to the Mount Victory locale. Since the journey was on foot, it cannot be definitely determined how long it took for the soldiers to catch up with the Indians. Evidence shows, however, that the young Lieutenant did catch up with the Indians, and in the fight that followed he was seriously wounded. This was the second time within a year that white soldiers and settlers had been defeated by the Indians in the same area.

Although McClure was seriously wounded, the remainder of his command had escaped unharmed and, after regrouping, was strong enough to once again take up the chase. Lieutenant McClure gave orders that he was to be left behind and the rest of his men continue until they could recover the stolen stock. On his orders he was taken to a shallow cave just a few yards from the trail and concealed. His men promised to return for him on their way back to Crab Orchard. Only a half mile from the scene of the first encounter the soldiers again made contact with the renegades, and in the ensuing skirmish were successful in defeating the Indians and rescuing the livestock. Since the fight took place high along the ridges between the Rockcastle River and Buck Creek, second guessers would have it that the renegades had reached the end of the line since the river was too rough to ford and the sheer cliffs on the opposite side impossible to scale.

It is believed that the fight took place late in the afternoon and that McClure's men were too weary to return that same night. The next morning, fully recovered, they returned for Lieutenant McClure. Upon entering the cave the men were astonished to find only the mangled remains of Nathan McClure. Wild beasts had attacked during the night and devoured the helpless man. Very possibly he was already dead before the wild beasts attacked, since there was no signs of a struggle. His men had no alternative but to bury their lieutenant and return to the unprotected settlers near Crab Orchard. A simple sandstone marker was the only indication that a man had died and could never tell the story of how or why.

Today on a lonely ridge in the Mount Victory community of Pulaski County, Kentucky, in a grave marked only by an unlettered headstone, lie the remains of Lieutenant Nathan McClure, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, killed by Indians in May of 1788. A small sign by the side of the Forest Service road on the Daniel Boone National Forest indicates the location of this grave.

On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1793, the residents of Morgan's Station, located on Slate Creek about seven miles east of the present city of Mount Sterling, were going about their normal tasks. The gates of the fort were wide open, the men working in their fields and women and children busy about the station. No watch or lookout for Indians had been posted as no Indian activity had been known in the interior of Kentucky for many months.

Without warning a band of hostile Indians appeared at the station, killing one woman and one old man. The remaining 19 women and children at the station were carried away as prisioners and hurried north towards the Ohio and the Indians' home villages.

It was some time before the men realized what had happened. A rescue party was hastily formed and sent out in hot pursuit of the Indians and their captives. When the Indians realized that the pursuing frontiersmen were on their trail, they herded their captives under an overhanging cliff at the head of a small branch that flows into the Licking River. Many of the captives were exhausted by the forced march and were having difficulty in maintaining the rapid pace set by the Indians. These the Indians promptly tomahawked and scalped before the rescue party could catch up with them, the rest of the prisoners being herded rapidly on the trip north.

When the pursuing frontiersmen arrived at the murder site, they were appalled at the scene which met their eyes. Among the prisoners were a Mrs. Becraft and her daughter. Both had been tomahawked and scalped. Mrs. Becraft was dead, but the daughter still lived and was saved by the rescue party. She fully recovered but wore a lace cap the rest of her life to cover her bare scalp. She later married and moved to Vincennes, Indiana, living to a ripe old age with many children and granchildren.

The rescue party, realizing the danger to the remaining captives if the pursuit were continued, abandoned the rescue attempt. The prisoners were taken north of the Ohio River and sold to other tribes and villages. History records that, following the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, all remaining captives were restored to their families and friends.

The overhanging cliff where the Indians killed their captives is located on the Morehead Ranger District of the Daniel Boone National Forest directly adjacent to Cave Run Lake on the Licking River. This rock house is known today as Murder Cave, and the branch which rises at the foot of the cliff below it is named Murder Branch. In years past the State Historical Society placed marker number 189 at the mouth of Murder Branch on old State Highway 801 which was flooded by the Cave Run Lake.

In addition to difficulty with the Indians, the early pioneers of Kentucky continued to discover new wonders in this land. The Great Saltpeter Cave was discovered in 1790, about nine years before the discovery of the famous Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, by a man by the name of Baker who discovered the cave in what is now the Crooked Creek Community, about 15 miles from Mount Vernon, Kentucky. The local story has it that upon finding the entrance to this huge cavern Baker, bearing a pine torch, took his wife and children inside to do some exploring. Once deep inside his torch was accidently extinguished leaving the group engulfed in stygian darkness. Having no way of relighting the torch, the family wandered around inside for three days before finding their way out again. It is said that they might never have escaped had it not been for the ingenuity and quick thinking of Mrs. Baker. She remembered that it had been raining outside and that all of their feet had been extremely muddy when they entered. Getting down on their hands and knees and feeling over the cave's dry floor she located small pieces of wet mud which had fallen from their feet, and in this manner backtracked to the entrance.

Although the country surrounding it was sparsely settled at that time, word of this discovery reached the ears of a Doctor Brown of Lexington, who, on exploring the cave, found it to contain a rick deposit of nitrous earth known as peter dirt, a substance used to make saltpeter which, in turn, is used to make gunpowder.

Excited over his find, and in the hope of developing an important industry in Kentucky, Dr. Brown immediately got on his horse and rode to Philadelphia where he revealed the news of his and Baker's discovery to the Philosophical Society of America, which was founded by Benjamin Franklin; and sought its aid in developing this cave into a saltpeter mine. That Dr. Brown was at least partly successful on this trip is to be seen in old records, now in the possession of John Lair of Renfro Valley, which revealed that for several years afterward saltpeter was sent to Philadelphia by boat and packhorse to be turned into gunpowder. Gunpowder, made from saltpeter mined in this cave in Rockcastle County, was used in three wars — the War of 1812, the Mexican War and the War between the States.

This cave, which enters the mountain on one side and winds around to come out on the other side, and which is approximately one-half mile in length and 1,000 feet underground, still contains many evidences of the mining operation which carried on for nearly three-quarters of a century. Well preserved wood conduits used to carry the saltpeter outside where it was further refined by boiling still exist. The Great Saltpeter Cave also contains many natural wonders. There is the Frozen Cascade which appears as a waterfall of rock; Devil's Vase, a long narrow winding corridor of grotesque formations; a waterfall; a spring, and numerous other natural curiosities formed long ago by the action of water on limestone. At places, the cavern narrows for short distances to open up into gymnasium-size rooms with tremendous domes where sounds echo and re-echo in weird and spectacular reverberations.

This great cave, with a constant temperature of 64 degrees and always filled with pure fresh air free from dust and dampness, has been used for church meetings, square dances, and meetings of fraternal organizations. Another section of the cave near the spring once sheltered a moonshine still. Close by it is a pit called Pig Pen where hogs were kept and fed on mash from the still.

The cave also has its fair share of legends, including tales of murder, ghosts, and high adventure. Although it has been known about 155 years and frequently used and visited over this expanse of time, much of it still remains unexplored. Not many people have the courage to take off the main passageway to probe narrow corridors such as Booger Branch and others which lead off into the darkness so thick it can almost be cut with a knife.

To date this cave has remained in private ownership. It is hoped that someday this cave may possibly become public property under the administration of the Daniel Boone National Forest where its unique history and scenic property may be developed, administered and protected for the maximum use, information and pleasure of the people.

Midway between the headquarters of the Daniel Boone National Forest at Winchester, and the site of Fort Boonesborough on the Kentucky River stands a structure whose history dates back to the period of the earliest Kentucky settlement. This is the Old Providence Church which still stands on lower Howard's Creek as a reminder of the faith, courage and determination of Kentucky's first settlers.

The history of this church goes back to 1780 in Orange, Spottsylvania, and Culpepper counties in Virginia. Captain William Bush, who had accompanied Daniel Boone on the expedition that located and marked the Boone Trace from Cumberland Gap to the mouth of Otter Creek on the Kentucky River in 1775, was so impressed with the beauty of the country around Boonesborough that he decided to bring his family and neighbors to settle here. Returning to Virginia in 1780, he organized a group of relatives, friends and neighbors in a travelling Baptist church for the long trip to Kentucky.

Bringing with them all their worldly possessions, including furniture, livestock and personal possessions, as well as their firm Baptist faith, they started the long journey to Kentucky. By late in 1780 they had halted at Holston due to reports of Indian attacks in the part of Kentucky which they must cross. Here they remained until 1783, when they again resumed their journey. After a difficult journey over rough trails, high streams and other obstacles, as well as personal sorrow for some of the members, they finally arrived in the vicinity of Fort Boonesborough in November of 1785, their journey having taken them across the present-day London and Berea Ranger Districts of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

At the start of the journey no regular ordained minister was available, so Elder John Vivion served as an acting minister until they reached Holston. While encamped there, waiting for the Indian situation in Kentucky to improve, an ordained Baptist minister, Reverend Robert Elkin, joined the group and the church chose him to be their pastor. At this point they reorganized their church and from that date in 1780 to the present time detailed records are available of the activity of this church. In this group was a slave owned by Joseph Craig by the name of Ole Captain Peter, who ministered to the slaves of the members who accompanied the travelling church.

Before returning to Virginia, Captain Bush had selected an area on Lower Howard's Creek which he believed suitable for his group and which had the added advantage of being north of the Kentucky River and thus not in the original Transylvania Company Treaty area where land titles were uncertain at that time.

Settling on lower Howard's Creek the time of the members was largely occupied for the next two years with building cabins and clearing fields. During this time they met in the various homes for religious services. The first such meeting was held in the home of Captain William Bush on November 27, 1785, where new officers were elected and the organization adopted the name of Howard's Creek Church.

In 1787, a log church was erected which served until 1792, when work was started on the present structure. This church which was constructed on the site of the original log church, was built of limestone blocks 20 inches thick quarried from a cliff about a quarter mile from the site. The new building was 40 feet by 60 feet in size with portholes near the windows to permit defense in the event of Indian attack. Part of the design of this building was to permit it to be used as a central refuge for the community in the event of Indian attack. Another feature of this church was a gallery or balcony which was designed for the use of the slaves of the members.

The new building was completed and dedicated in May 1799. On December 11, 1949, fire partly destroyed the interior of the church, which had been transferred to the colored Baptist Church in August of 1870. During the resulting repair to the interior the old portholes beside the windows were closed and the shape of the old square windows changed to their present form.

It appears significant that no church building was constructed at Fort Boonesborough during its early years. This church, known as the Old Stone Meeting House and as the Old Providence Church served as a place of worship for many families of Fort Boonesborough and vicinity. Among the worshippers in this church were Daniel and Squire Boone and their families. It is reported that Squire Boone preached in this church on occasion. It is recorded that Squire Boone, Jr. and Mary Boone were baptized here.

Today the Old Providence Church still stands on lower Howard's Creek, the last standing symbol of the faith, courage and adventure of those hearty pioneers who travelled the Boone Trace from Cumberland Gap to Fort Boonesborough in search of new land, a new life for their families and their freedom of worship as they desired.