The Great Wagon Road

Crossing the Yadkin River

Last Saturday’s Shallow Ford Walk (on March 7, 2009) took a small group of explorers on a journey back to the days of Daniel Boone. When we stepped to the edge of the Yadkin River near the historic Shallow Ford, we stood not far from where horseback riders and horse-drawn wagons and stagecoaches had traversed as far back as 250 years ago. (The first bridge in the Shallow Ford area would not be built until 1920.)

For many individuals who lived in earlier times, crossing the Yadkin River and moving into the territories beyond represented an opportunity to follow their dreams. They were headed westward, toward promise and the hope for a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

If you haven’t yet listened to the AUDIO RECORDING that accompanied the previous post (Exploring Shallow Ford), I invite you to do so. It’s a 38-minute recording of the panel discussion — led by Rod Meyer and Kyle Stimson — that illuminates some of what life was like for the early settlers in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, and particularly describes the importance of the Great Wagon Road to settlers and travelers alike.

For more resource information and photos, please continue to the NEXT SECTION.
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Exploring Shallow Ford

Shallow Ford: Where the Road West Began

A small band of explorers set out on an adventure last Saturday (March 7, 2009) to trace portions of the Great Wagon Road to and from the historic Shallow Ford on the Yadkin River.

Thanks to the planning and efforts of both the Lewisville Historical Society and the Yadkin Valley Historical Association, the day was a perfect blend of regional history discussions and real-life exploration that led us through open fields and undeveloped woods.

Daniel Boone’s Trail

On our hikes along both sides of the Yadkin River, we found portions of the Great Wagon Road — also known as the Daniel Boone Trail — untouched by housing or highway development. We also found the heavy cast iron markers that were placed on both sides of the river by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1913. The inscription on the markers reads:

Daniel Boone’s Trail from North Carolina to Kentucky – 1769
Marked by N. C. Daughters of the American Revolution

History Envisioned

Throughout the day, we heard stories of Daniel Boone and other important families who had helped shape the land, the roads and the communities of the Piedmont. We learned about the Moravian settlers’ strategic, efficient manner of completing the Great Wagon Road from Bethabara to Lewisville. We listened to accounts of the Tories and the Whigs in the Battle of Shallow Ford, among other fascinating historical tidbits.

[FOR MORE HISTORY on the Shallow Ford and the Great Wagon Road, check out this 1996 article by Ann Brownlee: The Shallow Ford.]

As usual I took photographs of the Shallow Ford Walk, and they can be viewed in the Shallow Ford Walk photo gallery.

Audio File of Panel Discussion

In addition to the photos, I’ve provided a 38-minute MP3 recording of the panel discussion led by Rod Meyer, the retired director of Bethabara Historic Park, and Kyle Stimson, a local historian and author of The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road: Path of Settlement, Harbinger of Revolution.

Rod and Kyle started looking for the Great Wagon Road about 20 years ago. I think you’ll find their discussion to be full of interesting history told in a compelling manner. Simply CLICK on the link below to begin listening to the accounts of these two self-professed “road bucks.” The recording starts right after Rod Meyer is introduced, so you’ll hear from Rod first, followed a little later by Kyle.

Shallow Ford Walk Panel Discussion (MP3, 38 MIN.)

More on the Battle of Shallow Ford

• The Battle of Shallow Ford
• Captain Henry Francis – The Battle of Shallow Ford

Other articles on this website that may be of interest to you: Down by the River, The Great Wagon Road, The Nissen Wagon Museum, Yesterday’s Journeys.

Down by the River

The Shallow Ford

More than 250 years ago, long before cars and trucks were driving over the Yadkin River on Yadkinville Road, the land along the river was occupied by Indians who farmed the bottomland and fished in the river. By the mid-1700s, Europeans had begun settling in the area.

Shallow Ford was a spot along the Yadkin River so named for a solid rock base — 100 feet wide and 300 feet from bank-to-bank — and a water level that averaged less than three feet deep. Those characteristics made Shallow Ford an ideal location for wagons, stagecoaches and army cannons to safely cross the river.

Over a seven-year period, settlers in the area finished cutting the roads on both sides of the Yadkin River at Shallow Ford, thereby completing the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road in 1754.
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