Yet to Come

Abraham Wood and his crew were the first to record a "New River" that flowed to the "West" instead of back to the "East".  This "English" discovery opened the doors to a potential route to China.  No one knew what was really out there, but Abraham and his associates were determined to find out.  At 37 degree parallel, they had some idea that China would lay to the south.  This New River [at first called Wood's River], seemed to flow north, and this would have put some damper on the exploration.   But, who was to know that this river flowed to a larger, and then larger River which was to run southwest.

The drawing to the right shows roughly the 37 degree parallel as it runs though Virginia and Kentucky.   Abraham Wood started somewhere past Roanoke [most likely near Blacksburg], and the record begins.  Following the orange colored line, the flow of the river formed a u-shaped pattern, up to the Ohio River, down to the Kentucky, and off to the Dix River, meeting the land that would become Danville, Kentucky.  The colonies of PA, MD, VA, and NC are shown to place their settlement along this new river.  All certainly wanted to get there, and the story of Danville, connects these dots.  Being at the head waters of the Ohio, PA would certainly have an advantage to this water way.   Of course the mountains lying between would play a mayor roll in the settlement pattern, but that is yet to come.