Religion, politics, and economics along with, in some cases, and healthy sense of discovery and exploration drove people to the New World. Those same factors drove people, from the earliest colonial days, to move ever westward. Standing between the early American colonies and the majority of the continent were the Appalachians. The entire mountainous region was thick with tree and undergrowth, hillsides and rivers, breached only by the game trails of buffalo and game. Settlers first conquered the region by foot and on horseback. Later, expanded trails allowed wagons to pass from the east into Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Cumberland River valleys. In all, it took 150 years to reach and settle the Ohio River. Another 75 years saw settlement up to the Mississippi. In 225 years from the first colony in 1625, European settlers has pushed and settled their way to the Mississippi, a distance of roughly 1,000 miles. Then California gold was discovered in 1849. In just six months, the remaining 2,000 miles from the Mississippi to the Pacific ocean was settled, with roads and wagon trails cut almost literally overnight.
In a previous review, we examined An Atlas of Appalachian Trails to the Ohio River, by Carrie Eldridge. The atlas covers shows the location of little known trails as well as the major routes which passed through Virginia during the earliest expansion years. In this review we examine An Atlas of Southern Trails to the Mississippi, also by Carrie Eldridge. This book looks at the maps and histories of those people and southern route taken from the thirteen original colonies westward to the Mississippi. Nature, geology, Indians, politics, even military land and roads played a part in the selection of routes to the west.
The atlas provides a pleasurable mix of history overview with details on how animal paths and Indian trails became major thoroughfares for westward heading settlers. At 11″ x 17″ this Atlas offers maps at a size which are easy to read. With two columns per text page, each the size of a standard page, this book is the equivalent to a book twice as thick. Below are the Table of Contents followed by a listing of the Maps and Illustrations in the order in which they appear in the book.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Animal Paths to Pioneer Trails
North American Settlement
Nature’s Direction West by Southwest
Indians and the Land
Trails of the South
Carolina Settlement Prior to the Revolution
Western Problems
Patterns of Western Settlement After the Revolution
War and Necessity Demand Roads
Mississippi Gateway
Conclusion
Appendix A: Southern Pioneer Roads of Importance
Bibliography
Maps and Illustrations
Figure 1. Principle Indian Paths of the East
Figure 2. European Influence 1750
Figure 3. Early Colonial Transportation
Figure 4. Physical Features of the Southeast
Figure 5. Areas of Indian Control
Figure 6. Trails of the Southeast
Figure 7. Appalachian Trails to 1776
Figure 8. Pioneer Destinations North Carolina 1750-1799
Figure 9. South Carolina’s Frontier
Figure 10. Early Tennessee Settlements
Figure 11. Maryland Gazette – 1786
Figure 12. Maryland Gazette – 1789
Figure 13. Pioneer Destinations Land Grants and Colonies
Figure 14. Virginia Grant
Figure 15. Georgia’s 2nd Yazoo Companies
Figure 16. Pioneer Destinations Military Reserves 1778-1816
Figure 17. Georgia’s Western Expansion
Figure 18. Military Road of 1812
Figure 19. Beyond the Mississippi
Figure 20. Frontier Trails 1815
Figure 21. Indian Trails to Interstates
Order a copy of An Atlas of Southern Trails to the Mississippi from Family Roots Publishing; Item #: CE02, Price: $19.60.