Relying heavily on manuscripts from the Draper and Durrett collections, Mr. Cotterill’s book carries the reader from the earliest Indian legends about Kentucky, through the first pioneer settlements in the mid-eighteenth century, up to 1792 when Kentucky entered the Union. Dramatic tales of early exploration, abundant hunting, paradisiacal scenery and the constant terror of Indian attack abound. Of course, the most famous among the many adventurers that helped build Kentucky is Daniel Boone, and his stories figure prominently in this book. With carefully documented research, Mr. Cotterill explains more than just the chronology of events. He calls Kentucky “The Debatable Land” because it was not inhabited by any one Indian tribe and Virginia’s claims to it were tenuous. England, during and after its war with the newly declared United States, encouraged the Northwest Indian tribes to make the raids on Kentucky settlements that culminated in the late 1780s with “Year of Sorrows.” Mr. Cotterill also provides excellent descriptions of the physical, intellectual and spiritual qualities that typified the first Kentuckians. Four maps and an every-name and subject index are helpful additions.
Robert S. Cotterill
(1917, ?), 2016, 5½x8½, paper, index, 254 pp.
ISBN: 9780788407543
101-C0754
