Track the ax as our hikers make their way along Boone Trace

Lee County, Virginia

 Boone Trace 250 – Day 8 (April 30)

📍 Start Point: Kane Gap Road, Stickleyville, Va
🏁 End Point: Axe Handle Distilling, Pennington Gap, VA
📏 Distance: 8.2 miles

Today, our journey takes us from Kane Gap Rd to Axe Handle Distillery, covering approximately 9 miles. As the hikers pass through Stickleyville, along Wallens Creek, they will pass the marker of the Powell Valley Massacre where settlers were killed in October 1773. Among those killed with James was Henry Russell, the son of Captain William Russell, another prominent figure in early frontier exploration and settlement. Hikers will then pass over Wallen’s Ridge as they continue to follow hwy 58 to Axe Handle.

Historical Highlights:

🏞️ Wallen’s Creek: Tucked into the rugged ridges of Lee County, Virginia, Wallens Creek is more than just a mountain stream—it’s a thread woven through centuries of Appalachian history. Named for Elisha Wallen, one of the first longhunters to explore this part of the frontier in the mid-1700s, the creek became a waypoint for early Euro-American exploration and westward expansion. Wallen, along with other longhunters like Daniel Boone, followed game trails and Native footpaths that had been used for generations—paths that would eventually shape the Wilderness Road.

Long before the arrival of these frontier scouts, the region surrounding Wallens Creek was part of the hunting grounds and travel corridors of Native American peoples, particularly the Shawnee, Cherokee, and other Siouan- and Iroquoian-speaking groups. The creek likely served as both a natural resource and a route through the Cumberland Gap region—an ancient passageway through the Appalachians and one of the few navigable breaks in the formidable mountain barrier.

By the 18th century, Wallens Creek had become a symbol of the shifting frontier. It was here that Native and settler histories intersected—sometimes peacefully, often tensely—as the land became a contested space of migration, resistance, and survival.

🏛️ Powell Valley: In the shadow of Virginia’s towering Cumberland Mountains, Powell Valley stretches like a green ribbon of promise—fertile, sheltered, and strategically vital. In the 18th century, this sweeping Appalachian valley became a crucial corridor for westward migration, guiding thousands of settlers along the Wilderness Road toward the Cumberland Gap and into the Kentucky frontier.

Named for Ambrose Powell, a member of Dr. Thomas Walker’s 1750 expedition, the valley was known for its beauty and abundance. But beyond its scenic charm, Powell Valley offered something far more important to early travelers: a navigable path through some of the most rugged terrain in eastern America. Its relative openness, framed by mountain ridges, made it a natural funnel for longhunters, land speculators, and later, wagon trains of pioneers.

Native American tribes—including the Cherokee and Shawnee—had long used the valley as part of their vast network of trade and hunting routes. As European settlers pushed deeper into the interior, Powell Valley became both a trail and a tension point—a place where cultures met, clashed, and occasionally coexisted in the name of survival.By the late 1700s, Powell Valley had earned its place in the great migration story of early America—a land bridge between the known world and the wild unknown, echoing with the sound of hooves, flintlocks, and the dreams of a new nation pushing westward.

As our hikers make their way through your communities, we invite you to come out, give them a wave, and greet history in motion. A friendly smile or a wave can make a big moment even more meaningful—after all, you’re witnessing the legacy of Boone come alive.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to trace the path of Daniel Boone and the pioneers who followed. Share your photos and experiences with us using #BooneTrace250!