Settling The Mountains

Settling The Mountains

​The Wilderness Road

​In the late 1700s, some pioneer families began moving farther west, toward the Appalachian Mountains and beyond. Many traveled from the Piedmont region.

Traveling in the mountains was difficult and dangerous. Settlers often used guides to lead them west through the thick forests and steep, narrow trails.

​Daniel Boone was a famous guide. He moved

to the Piedmont region of North Carolina when he was a teenager. In 1769, Boone made his way across the Appalachian Mountains to the Cumberland Gap. A gap is an opening or a low place between mountains. Boone then went through the Cumberland Gap into what is now Kentucky.

In 1775, a private company hired Boone and about 30 men to widen the trail through the Cumberland Gap. This trail became known as the Wilderness Road. Many pioneers followed the road through the Appalachian Mountains to Kentucky. Other pioneers chose to stay in North Carolina and settle in the Mountain region.

Multiple Choice

Why did a company hire Daniel Boone and about 30 other men in 1775?

• To hunt for furs in the mountains

• To build new cabins

• To widen the trail through the

  Cumberland Gap

• To defeat the Cherokee

Multiple Choice

Which road did settlers take through the Appalachian Mountains?

• The Northwest Passage

• The Cumberland Gap

• The Wilderness Road

• The Great Wagon Road

​Cherokee Lands

​The Cherokee began trading with European trappers in the late 1600s. Like other American Indians, the Cherokee traded animal furs for European tools, cloth, and weapons. Trappers sent the furs to Europe, where they were used to

make expensive hats and coats.

As settlers moved to the Mountain region, they often fought with the Cherokee over land. By 1776, colonists had taken all the Cherokee lands east of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Open Ended

How did settlers moving to the mountains affect the Cherokee people?

​In 1785, the Cherokee signed the first of many

treaties. A treaty is a written agreement. With

each treaty, the Cherokee sold land for very little money and moved farther west. In return for signing each treaty, the Cherokee were promised that no more land would be taken. However, these promises were soon broken.

​

In 1794, the town of Asheville was set up on

lands that had once belonged to the Cherokee.

It became a center of government for settlers in the Mountain region. By 1800, the Cherokee held only a small area of land in North Carolina.

Multiple Choice

In general, how were the Cherokee affected by the treaties they signed?

• They lost their lands

• They became wealthy

• They expanded and build new settlements

• They sold more furs

​Mountain Pioneers

​Because moving to the mountains was so difficult, pioneers took only what they needed to survive. Tools, clothes, dried food, and weapons

were some of the items they carried.

​Pioneer Homes

​Most pioneer families built a small shack as their first shelter. They slept on blankets spread over the ground. After they had cleared land and split enough logs, pioneers could build a cabin.

Mountain cabins usually had one room and a dirt floor. Most had no windows because glass was expensive and could break easily. Fireplaces were used for cooking and for warmth.

​

Open Ended

How were pioneer homes different from homes today?

​Several generations of a family often lived together in the same cabin. A generation is a

group of people about the same age, such as brothers and sisters. Each new generation tried to improve the cabin. One generation might add windows. A later one might use boards to cover

the dirt floor.

Multiple Choice

What is a generation?

• a group of extended family and friends

• a group of ancestors as far as someone can remember

• a group of people who live together in a community

• a

  group of people about the same age, such as brothers and sisters

​Pioneer Life

​Pioneers often lived far from towns and had to make or grow most of the things they needed. Pioneers farmed, hunted, and fished for food. Many pioneers were skilled craftworkers. They made their own clothes, furniture, and tools.

Mountain pioneers also bartered with neighbors for goods. When people barter, they exchange goods without using money. They might trade corn for cloth or a hog for tools.

Open Ended

Explain the difference between barter and buying goods at a store.

​Neighbors helped one another build cabins, raise barns, and plant crops. During harvesttime, families often held corn huskings to strip leaves from ears of corn. Corn huskings and other gatherings allowed pioneer families to talk and share

news. Pioneers entertained themselves with music, dancing, and storytelling. Some mountain stories, songs, dances, and crafts have been passed down for generations. Today, people still use stories and music to preserve the history and culture of the Mountain region.

Open Ended

What was life like for early settlers in the Mountain region?