Cumberland Gap celebrates 250th anniversary of Boone Trace
Published 12:16 pm Wednesday, May 14, 2025
A delegation of National Park staff in period dress, led by Ranger Dr. Lucas Wilder, greeted Aaron Franklin and the hikers who carried the symbolic axe from Wilderness Road State Park to the Daniel Boone parking area in Cumberland Gap. (Photo by Jay Compton)
Aaron Franklin, who had portrayed a native American at Wilderness Road State Park’s America’s First Frontier event on Saturday, presented the commemorative axe to Anthony Winegar who portrayed Daniel Boone. (Photo by Jay Compton)
A group of hikers, led by Daniel Boone portrayer Anthony Winegar and National Park Ranger Dr. Lucas Wilder, made their way down Colwyn Street and on to the Iron Furnace parking area as part of the Boone Trace 250 Axe Relay. (Photo by Jay Compton)
Cumberland Gap Mayor Neal Pucciarelli speaks to the group of hikers at the Iron Furnace parking area, before they headed up to the ‘Saddle of the Gap.’ (Photo by Jay Compton)
Hikers carrying the symbolic axe make their way down the boardwalk and into the town of Cumberland Gao. (Photo by Jay Compton)
Daniel Boone reenactor Anthony Winegar and Cumberland Gap National Park living historians did their best to recreate David Wright’s famous painting of Boone leading settlers into Kentucky as they crossed through the “Saddle of the Gap” Saturday evening. (Photo by Jay Compton)
Author and historian Randell Jones gave a special presentation in the auditorium inside the National Park visitor center, sharing the real story of Boone’s epic journey through the Cumberland Gap. (Photo by Jay Compton)
Reenactors fire their 18th century weapons as part of the living history demonstrations at the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. (Photo by Jay Compton)
An blacksmith demonstrates her work as part of the National Park's Living History program on Sunday. (Photo by Jay Compton)
Cumberland Gap National Park held a Living History program on Sunday. (Photo by Jay Compton)
A leatherwork demonstration during the national park's living history program. (Photo by Jay Compton)
A wood-working demonstration during the national park's living history showing skills used on the Kentucky frontier in the late 1700s. (Photo by Jay Compton)
A Daniel Boone re-enactor answers questions at the Cumberland Gap National Park on Sunday. (Photo by Jay Compton)
A group of living historians from the Cumberland Gap National Park await the arrival of the axe from Virginia. (Photo by Jay Compton)
The delegation of hikers makes their way off the Daniel Boone Trail as they arrive at Cumberland Gap. (Photo by Jay Compton)
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The Town of Cumberland Gap and the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park celebrated the 250th anniversary of Daniel Boone’s epic crossing of the gap last weekend.
To mark the 250th anniversary of Boone and his axe men carving the path from Tennessee to Kentucky, teams of explorers are following in their historic footsteps. They started from Kingsport, Tennessee, on April 23 and have hiked roughly 10 miles each day, symbolically passing a replica of an 18th century axe along the way. The axe made its way through southwest Virginia and arrived at Wilderness Road State Park on Friday, May 9.
On Saturday evening, a group of hikers made their way from Wilderness Road State Park along the Daniel Boone Trail and arrived at the National Park’s Daniel Boone Parking Area at around 6 p.m.
They were greeted by a delegation of CGNP staff, led by Ranger Dr. Lucas Wilder, in period dress and re-enactor Anthony Winegar who was portraying Daniel Boone himself.
Winegar was presented the axe by Aaron Franklin, who had portrayed a native American at Wilderness Road’s America’s First Frontier event.
From there, Boone led a procession of hikers down the boardwalk into the town of Cumberland Gap. With a police escort provided by the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department, the group made their way down Colwyn Street and on to the Iron Furnace parking area.
There, Cumberland Gap Mayor Neal Pucciarelli spoke to the group and gave them an official welcome on behalf of all of its residents.
The group then made their way up the Tennessee Road trail to the Wilderness Road Trail through the exact spot in the “Saddle of Gap” where Boone first passed through 250 years ago.
From there they made their way down the Object Lesson Road Trail and the Thomas Walker Trail to the National Park visitor center.
The hikers were greeted by a group of reenactors who fired their 18th century weapons. Then author and historian Randell Jones gave a special presentation, sharing the real story of Boone’s epic journey through the Cumberland Gap.
Sunday the park hosted “Blazing Trails & Tall Tales” with a living history program that featured artisans demonstrating blacksmithing, leatherwork, candle-making and other skills used on the Kentucky frontier in the late 1700s.
The axe was on display at the park’s visitor center Sunday, then continued its journey into Kentucky. Monday morning a contingent led by Middlesboro Mayor Boone Bowling accepted the axe from the park and marched into downtown Middlesboro to the Bell County Historical Society Museum for a special program. It was on to Pineville Tuesday for a commemoration of the crossing of Cumberland Ford. The relay will continue heading north on the 250-mile relay hike until it reaches Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky, just southeast of Lexington on June 7 for the 250th anniversary of the Settling of Kentucky.
You can follow the relay at www.boonetrace250.com.
