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.

An Early Map

The world powers of the day were trying to get their land claims clearly established in this new land.  Drawing a map was one way to show that you had been there and made a record of this exploration.

Who would have thought of putting this huge land mass in the middle of the expected water route to China anyway?

At any rate, the French were the first to show the geographic outline of this place that was to become Danville, Kentucky.

There was this river running east to west, that came out of the mountains which separated the occupied area [eastern side of the mountains], from to the road to China [the western side of the mountains].  North to south there was this other, much longer river that would connect the French controlled north to the warm water ports to the south.  Good idea to get there first!

The map shown above is the one first published in 1697 by the French.  The Ohio River [Hohio] is drawn pretty much like it flows from the Appalachian Mountains [Mons Apalachie].  The land that was to become Kentucky was just south of this "Hohio" River.  You can use your imagination to trace the outline of the state as it is drawn on this map.  Smack in the center of this area would become Danville, Kentucky.  A century or more yet to come of course.  Wow, here we were before anyone would ever guess it!

This map was published in 1697 by Louis Hennepin and titled: Le Cours du Fleuve Missippi 1697.
Hennepin, (Louis, SJ) Amsterdam, J.F. Bernard.