Daniel Boone (1734-1820)
Daniel Boone opened the Kentucky frontier to settlement from the east by surveying land, opening the Wilderness Road, fighting Indians, and building settlements. Wherever Boone went, settlement followed. He spent his life exploring the frontier, moving from Kentucky to Missouri territory in 1799. He eventually lost his Missouri land to mismanagement and encroachment, just as he lost his Kentucky holdings.
His real life accomplishments gained the status of popular myth during his lifetime because his adventures symbolized the changes in America from an independent, rugged frontier to a modern, mechanized nation. Boone enjoyed status as a real figure of national significance as well as a mythical or fold hero based on exaggerations of his abilities and exploits.
Additional Information Can Be Found At...
Boone, Daniel - Encarta Online Deluxe
Henry Nash Smith: Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone - American Pioneer and Trailblazer