The Surveys of 1774

Folks got busy doing their survey work the summer of 1774.  An "official" survey office was finally organized and accepted under the colony of Virginia [Fincastle County].  Page 1, Plot Book A, states :

 "Warrants to Officers & Soldiers from the Earl of  Dunmore directed to the Surveyor of Fincastle County and by him recorded with the several assignments thereon".

The official directions were included in the very first survey recorded "28th day of February 1774".  In effect, having served as an officer or soldier in the years prior to 1763, you were "entitled" to land "...agreeable to His Majesty's proclamation in the year 1763...".  It went on to say, "...being desirous to locate the same in Fincastle County on any of the western waters if he can lay it on any vacant lands that have not been surveyed by order of council or patented since the above Proclamation...".  The surveyors were "...strictly authorised and required to survey the same."

So there you have it.  Lands were to be in Fincastle County.  They were to be on water courses (western waters) were the land had not already been surveyed.  [Some land had already been surveyed in 1773, but the patents had been denied official recognition. ]  It was this summer, the summer of 1774, that the first surveys were made on the lands that were to become Danville, KY.

The Summer of 1773

On December 12, 1771, John Murray (The Earl of Dunmore) arrive in Virginia.  One of his first activities was to create a new political jurisdiction west of the Alleghenies and south of the Ohio River.  His hand was being forced by the folks from Pennsylvania who had already opened a land patent office in this new territory.  Fincastle County it was called. (Some called it the District of West Augusta)  William Preston was appointed "surveyor".  Land warrants were being provided to those who had served during the French and Indian War.  Thomas Bullitt (Fauquier Co.), William Christian, John Floyd, Arthur Campbell, William Russell, and Evan Shelby were added to the list of individuals who were to aid in the survey of this new administrative jurisdiction. (At least from Virginia's point of view.)

Announcements of the plans to make surveys in this new territory were placed in papers being published in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.  Any folks who felt they had a right (or desire) to join the "official" survey crew were to join up at the mouth of the Kanawha River on May 29, 1773.  Thomas Bullitt with a survey party of some 30 men [including James Harrod and Hancock Taylor ] jumped the gun and started down the Ohio May 11, 1773.  These men were joined by James Robert, George McAfee, Samuel Adams, and James McCoun.

Following these guys down the Ohio about a month later (17 June 1773), a 20 year old named Isaac Hite and his crew had the idea (plans) to establish several towns along the Ohio River at regular intervals.  In his diary dated the 5th and 6th of August he writes:

                                              "Aug. 5th & 6th at the Town at the Falls".

By the end of the month of August he writes:

              "Friday 27th went & marked out lots in the Town & went up to the 1st Island".

It was this Issac Hite that was to become the business partner of one Walker Daniel.  In the summer of 1773, he began to open the doors to Danville.

North, South, East and West Which Branches are the Best

Getting to this land that was to become Danville needed an access route.  The Dick's River was a major branch of the Kentucky River, with head waters near the Wilderness Road from the southeast.  Coming down the Ohio would require you to paddle up stream on the Kentucky or the Salt River. [From the north or northwest.]  Which way proved the easiest and the safest  was open to discussion and your point of origin.

The following figure shows the relationship of the four main water routes into Danville.

Clark's Run seemed the branch of the Dick's River that ran the closest to the heart of Danville.  It would most likely be the source of the springs that were so necessary to early settlements.  Spear's Creek and Mock's Branch were north of the land that was to become Danville. [Clark's Run in orange, Spear's Creek green, and Mock's Branch in pink.]

The red marker outlines the flow of the Salt River.  This was a branch of the Ohio River, just below the falls.  It was the major route of those early surveyors that came to this area in 1774.  James Harrod and his group would have something to say about the land around these water routes.

Yes sir, north, south, east, and west...which branches are the best.

Safest Part of The Country

In "A Topographical Description of The Western Territory", p 315, [first published in 1792], Dick's River is described as:

"Dick's River runs through a great body of firft rate land, abounding everywhere with cane, and affords many excellent mill feats.  Many mills are already built on this ftream, and will have a plentiful fupply of water in the dryeft feafons.  The banks of this river, hear its mouth, are fimilar to the banks of Kentucky.  The feveral ftreams and branches of Salt river afford excellent mill feats.  Thefe roll themfelves through a great tract of excellent land; but the country from the junction of thefe waters, fome mile above towards the Ohio, which may be about 25 miles, is level and poor, and has abundance of ponds.  For a confiderable diftance from the head of this river, the land is of the firft quality, well fituated, and abounds with fine cane.  Upon this and Dick's river, the inhabitants are chiefly fettled, it being the fafeft part of the country from the incurfions of the Indians."
  
                      [remember "f" = "s" in reading the above quote ]  fettled = settled

The above figure shows the general outline of the Dick's (Dix) River.  It is the eastern border of present day Boyle County.  It flows into the Kentucky River, and has its origin in present day Lincoln County. It was at "Crab Orchard" that the Wilderness Road passed giving access to this river.

Mercer County lies to the northwest, and Garrard County to the east.  Lincoln county is to the south.  Of course, these counties did not exist as part of Kentucky, but as parts of Virginia, when Gilbert Imlay wrote his account of what was considered the "fafeft part of the country".

In 1784, Walker Daniel was instructed to find the "...proper and safe place..." to build a court house and jail for the new "District" of Kentucky.   It so happened that Danville was to become this place.

See: "KEN - TAH - THE", The Life and Times of Walker Daniel, Founder of the Town Lands of Danville, Kentucky, 18th Day of June 1784.  by Jerry E. Jones, MD, MS.  Published 2009, blurb.com, The Jones Genealogist.

Also: A Topographical Description of The Western Territory of North America, by Gilbert Imlay.  First published 1792, reprinted 1969, by Augustus M. Kelley, Publisher, New York, NY.

The First Map 1784

"Daniel Boon", "Levi Todd", and "James Harrod" were called together to witness an introduction to the new best seller titled: "The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucky", by John Filson.  This witness was dated May 12, 1784.  They state:

 (we) "...have carefully revifed it, and recommend it to the public as an exceeding good performance, containing as accurate a defeription of our country as we think can poffibly be given:...".

This text contained the first map published by Henry D. Pursell, and printed by T. Rook (Philadelphia) in the year 1784.  The following is taken from this map giving the title image:

It states that the map is drawn from actual observations.  The next figure shows a copy of the area around "Danville", 1784. 

This was certainly a central location in 1784.  The busiest place seems to be the "Lower Dutch" station, where at least six trails connect here.  Clark's Run, a branch of the Dick's River, comes just south Danville.  A careful inspection of the map indicates that Danville is represented as a "station" with a number of other "stations" surrounding it. [Clark's, Irvin's, Caldwall's...etc.]  Reed's is identified as a dwelling house and mill.  A number of dwelling houses are shown around the station labeled Danville.  It would be another three years before it became the town of Danville.

Upon Dry Ground - Sort of

There are 31 rivers, 800 creeks, 45 large lakes, 33 small lakes, and 87,000 farm ponds presently in the State of Kentucky. [Plus or minus here and there.]  Certainly not all these things existed when folks started their way into this area.  At least 4 major rivers had something to do with the water routes into the central area of the State.  The following figure shows roughly an outline of these 4 rivers and their relationship to this area that was to become Danville.

From the east, a branch of the Kentucky River, called "Dix" or "Dicks", comes the closest to the town lands of Danville.  From the northwest,  branches of the Salt River, one called "Chaplin", come close to the lands that were to become Danville.  Green River and Cumberland River finish the circle that surrounded this settlement area.  It would seem that these "town lands" would pretty much be in the center of things such that, heading almost any direction would place you on a water route out of town.   "Upon Dry Ground" I am thinking, sort of.

The Way In

In 1782 maps were hard to come by.  It was not until 1784 that John Filson had his map engraved by Henry Pursell and published by T. Rook in Philadelphia.  It outlines "The Road from the Old Settle' thro' the great Wildnenefs".   Now before 1782-1784,  lots of folks had made their way through this great wilderness.  Two accounts giving mileage charts are recorded by The Filson Club, 1886. [The Wilderness Road, A Description of The Routes of Travel By Which The Pioneers and Early Settlers First Came To Kentucky.  Prepared For The Filson Club by Thomas Speed, 1886.]  The chart below outlines these accounts from the start of the Cumberland Gap.   The figure shows the area around what was to become Danville, KY. 

 In 1782 "Doehurty's Station" [Dougherty's = John Dougherty would raised a crop of corn 1776] was the stopping point.   By 1784,  "Crow's Station" [ John Crow = in present city limits of Danville] was given as the end point of this passage.  Both lists give about the same land marks, which can be followed as outlined above.

The present day counties in which these locations existed in 1782-1784 are given in the figure below. One starts at the Cumberland Gap into Bell County, KY.  This then moves to Knox, then Laural, then Rockcastle, then Lincoln, and finally what is now Boyle County, KY.

In 1782 - 1784, getting to what was to become Danville, KY was by a wilderness path...the way in.