Daniel Boone Slept Here

Daniel Boone was about 16 when his family moved south from Pennsylvania to the banks of the Yadkin River in North Carolina.

History still isn’t sure on which side of the river the Boone family lived, either the Rowan County or Davidson County side. And a nearly two year court battle starting in 1965 failed to write or rewrite history.

Regardless, the Boone family lived in the general area. It’s just that nobody knows exactly where. 

A young Daniel Boone started earning his reputation as an excellent marksman at a very early age. He’d often enter shooting contests and outshoot just about everybody in the area around Salisbury, NC. As a professional hunter, he scoured the country along the Yadkin River. And it was during one of his hunting trips that we learn the significance of Boone’s Cave.

Boone’s Cave is an 80 foot long cave with a very narrow opening, measuring only about two to three feet. In this cave is where Boone reportedly hid from hostile indians. It’s also the namesake of Boone’s Cave Park, dedicated in 1909 and encompassing over 100 acres along the Yadkin River.

On a recent visit, I hiked down to Boone’s Cave. It’s only a short distance from the parking lot at Boone’s Cave Park. As I ventured inside the mouth of the cave, claustrophobia started to set in. I couldn’t verify the length of the cave, but I can attest to the very shallow opening.

I’m not sure I would have picked this as my hiding spot. But then again, I’ve never been chased by hostile indians. And for that matter, not even non-hostile ones.