Old Stone Found with Daniel Boone Name Carved in it

Stone found near Greenup with the Name of Daniel Boone Plainly Carved On it.

Greenup, Ky., Feb. 2– Daniel Boone, Kentucky’s first settler and hero of the Indian dreams of every American youth, left his message for Greenup county, Ky. It remained hidden for one hundred and forty-one years, being recently found by Russell Scott of East Fork, back of Greenup.

A large rock bearing the inscription, “D. Boone, 1784,” was found on the Robert Scott farm at East Fork, recently bringing undeniable proof that the famous hunter and his companions roamed Greenup county in their quest for a game and their conquest with the Indians.

The rock, about a foot in diameter, is of the hard river builder type, almost as hard as flint. The inscription is in crude lettering but is still very legible and has been inspected by many residents of the vicinity of Wurtland, being displayed at the Wurt Chinn store there.

It was dug up near the Scott home on East Fork after being buried in a gully for years. The Scott youth had to dig in the ravine in recent weeks, and he accidentally ran across the large stone. It was of unusual appearance, and he dug it up. The rubbing brought one letter to light, the stone was washed off, and the inscription was revealed.

The stone was on the crest of East Fork hill when Boone cut his name and date upon it. It was dislodged during the following years, covered up when rain washed dirt into the gully. The years of wear and weather have worn the stone considerably, but Boone’s name and the date still stand out in bold relief.

He first entered Kentucky in 1769, which was then a hunting ground for tribes of the north and south. Resultant combats with the redskins grew to such fury that the bluegrass state became known as the “dark and bloody ground.”

Boone remained in the state until 1771 when he returned to his home in North Carolina. He led a party of settlers into the new country in 1775. Colonies were established at Boonesborough and Harrodsburg, and the permanent settlement of Kentucky had begun.

Boone continued his exploration of the state, and during these later years, he presumably carved his name upon the rock found at East Fork. The stone is valued highly by its owner, coming as a direct memento from the famous settler and fighter.

Portsmouth Daily Times, Portsmouth, Ohio, 2 February 1926, page 11