MY FATHER, DANIEL BOONE
The Draper Interviews with Nathan Boone
Edited by Neal O. Hammon
"Certainly, Daniel Boone would have remained littlemore than
John Filson's creation had Draper not interviewed or corresponded
with so many who knewBoone." ~Stephen Aron, UCLA
"This is the first time this wealth of information has been
organized into book form and made readily accessible to the
public. Rather than a larger-than-life caricature, what
eventually emerges is an affectionate, down-to-earth, immensely
likable American hero." ~Booklist
"Draper's material is as close as we'll ever get to an
honest, myth-free life of Boone." ~Bob Edwards, Lexington
Herald-Leader
"This is one of the most important sources on Daniel Boone's
life. It will be welcomed by readers interested in Boone and the
frontier period." ~Lowell Harrison, Western Kentucky
University
One of the most famous figures of the American frontier, Daniel
Boone clashed with the Shawnee and sought to exploit the riches
of a newly settled region. Despite Boone's fame, his life remains
wrapped in mystery. The Boone legend, which began with the
publication of John Filson's The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boone
and continues through modern times with Fess Parker's Daniel
Boone television series, has become a hopeless mix of fact and
fiction.
Born in 1819, archivist Lyman Draper was a tireless collector of
oral history and is responsible for much of what we do know about
Boone. Particularly interested in frontier history, Draper
conducted interviews with the famous and the obscure and
collected thousands of manuscripts (he walked hundreds of miles
through the South to save historical materials during the Civil
War).
In an 1851 visit with Boone's youngest son, Nathan, and Nathan's
wife, Olive, Draper produced over three hundred pages of notes
that became the most important source of information about
Daniel. The interviews provide a wealth of accurate, first-hand
information about Boone's years in Kentucky, his capture by
Indians, his defense of Fort Boonesboro, his lengthy hunting
expeditions, and his final years in Missouri.
My Father, Daniel Boone is an engaging account of one of
America's great pioneers, in which Nathan makes a point of
separating fact from fiction. From explaining the methods his
father used to track game to detailing how land speculation and
legal problems from title claims caused Boone to leave Kentucky
and take up residence farther west, Nathan Boone's portrait of
his father brings a
crucial period in frontier history to life.
Neal O. Hammon, an architect, is the author of Early Kentucky
Land Records, 1773-1780, and numerous articles on frontier
history in Kentucky.
$19.00 cloth * ISBN: 0-8131-2103-5
192 pages * 1999
Hardcover - 168 pages (March 1998)
Univ Pr of Kentucky; ISBN: 0813120543 ; Dimensions (in
inches): 0.74 x 8.83 x 5.76
October 2, 2000