Legends of the Old West - FRONTIERSMEN Ep. 1 | Daniel Boone: “Blood Feud”

Episode Date: September 24, 2025

As Daniel Boone grows up in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, he earns a reputation as a skilled hunter and marksman. He learns of a hunter’s paradise called Kentucky, but his first trip to the frontier leads to a lifelong blood feud with the Shawnee who lay claim to the land. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join Apple users join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes, bingeable seasons and bonus episodes. Click the Black Barrel+ banner on Apple to get started with a 3-day free trial. For more details, visit our website www.blackbarrelmedia.com and check out our social media pages. We’re @OldWestPodcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. On YouTube, subscribe to LEGENDS+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: hit “Join” on the Legends YouTube homepage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This September, leased a 26 XE90 plug-in hybrid from $599 biweekly at 3.99% during the Volvo Fall Experience event. Conditions supply, visit your local Volvo retailer or go to explorevolvo.com. On a frigid morning in late December 1769 in eastern Kentucky, a party of Shawnee Warriors slept around a campfire. The group slept comfortably, which was ironic and soon to be problematic, since the Shawnee knew they had enemies everywhere. Throughout the 1700s, the Shawnee gradually claimed Eastern Kentucky as their home. Originally from the Ohio region, the increase in European settler activity

and colonization forced the Shawnee to move to new lands. Many drifted south to the Kentucky region because of its lush vegetation and abundance of animals. By the 1760s, the Shawnee were fiercely protective of their hunting territory, and they dealt harshly with interlopers. Historically, the Shawnee's greatest foes were the tribes who made up the Iroquois Confederation. For generations, the two sides had fought over land. But now, on a cold morning in late December 1769, the Shawnee Warriors were about to realize that the Iroquois Confederation was not the problem. In recent years, British and American-born settlers had added to the tension and complexity of the situation in Kentucky. When the first Shawnee War

awoke that morning, he immediately thought of white settlers, not the Iroquois. The leader of the Shawnee Party, known as Will Emery, by white settlers, stirred at dawn. He was Cherokee by birth, but he lived with the Shawnee and he spoke English. As he huddled over the fire to warm himself, he glanced around the campsite. When he looked at the warrior's horses, which were tied to a cluster of trees, He shouted in anger. His shout woke the other men of the party. They were up in a flash, and they followed Emery's gaze to the horses.

When they saw what he saw, they bellowed their own curses. Five horses were gone, and Will Emery had a really good idea who had stolen them. The Shawnee recently had a run-in with two white hunters who had been ranging into Kentucky from a nearby colony. The first hunter was a man named John Stewart, robust and in his 20, Stewart carried a reputation as a long hunter, a man who would live in the wilderness for months at a time. The second hunter was Daniel Boone, a frontiersman who was slowly developing a reputation of his own. Will Emery yelled for his men to start chasing Boone and Stewart. Those who still

had horses hopped on their mounts and rode off, following the tracks of the stolen animals in the snow. As the chase played out in the woods of eastern Kentucky, a deeper story on folded. What began as a relatively simple, isolated incident would escalate into a blood feud between Daniel Boone and the Shawnee, which would last years. It would prove to the Shawnee and the other white settlers that Daniel Boone was an exceptional frontiersman, but it would also cost Boone dearly before it was over. from black barrel media this is an american frontier series on legends of the old west i'm your host chris wimmer and this season we're telling the stories of two of america's most

famous frontiersmen daniel boone and davy crockett this is episode one daniel boon part one bloodfew If there was one thing that Daniel Boone always loved, it was the outdoors. There was something about being in the woods, among the towering trees filled with animals that spoke to him. There was nothing quite like it for Daniel Boone, and he discovered his love and passion for nature as a young boy in Pennsylvania. He was born in late 1734 to Squire and Sarah Boone. The family were devout Quakers, and Squire worked as a blacksmith and a weaver. It was a peaceful and quiet life for the Boone family, to the extent that it could be with 11 children. Daniel Boone was number 6 of 11, and as soon as he was able, he started venturing

into the woods. During his solo adventures, Boone learned to hunt and survive, and as it got older, he became an expert shot with a Pennsylvania long rifle. Like most adventurous children, he loved the outdoors, and he did not love school. Though his uncle was a headmaster at a nearby school, Daniel barely attended. Instead of sitting in class all day, he went hunting. But despite no formal education, Boone learned to read and write. He loved to read, especially adventure stories like Gulliver's Travels. As a teenager, family drama interrupted his exploration of the Pennsylvania woods

and set him on a path toward conflict with the Shawnee farther south. The Boone family found itself at odds with the local Quaker community. Daniel's eldest sister, Sarah, married a man named John Wilcoxen. There were two problems with the union. First, John wasn't a Quaker, and marrying someone outside the faith wasn't acceptable. But the second, more scandalous issue, was that Sarah was visiting. present at the time. A short time later, the rift between the Boone family and the Quaker community grew deeper

when Daniel's eldest brother also married a non-Quaker. Despite being a devout member of the faith, Squire Boone stood by his children. But in doing so, the family was expelled from the Quaker Meeting House. When Daniel was 15, his father sold the family's land in Pennsylvania. The move may not have been entirely dream. driven by the family's decaying relationship with local Quakers, but the recent problems likely played a role. Squire Boone relocated his family to a settlement on the Yadkin River in western North Carolina. The forest which Daniel knew and loved in Pennsylvania was gone, but in its place,

a whole new environment presented itself. The new family homestead was 640 acres of choice land, which was perfect for farming. As with school in Pennsylvania, Daniel had no interest in farming in North Carolina. As always, he felt called to venture into the woods. Eastern Pennsylvania had European settlements which stretched back more than a hundred years, and an English colony which was nearly as old. Western North Carolina was wilder.

The mountains were taller, the terrain was more rugged. There seemed to be endless deer, otter, beaver, and turkey. As Boone learned the region, he furthered his growing reputation as a frontiersman and marksman. He interacted with the local Native American nation, the Cataba, sometimes in friendship and sometimes in rivalry. And all that time, larger forces were at work in the world, and Boone would soon find himself in the middle of an international conflict.

By the mid-1700s, Great Britain and France were the two most prominent kingdoms with colonies in North America. Both benefited immensely from trade and lucrative business ventures, and both had their eyes on pushing further into the North American frontier. Specifically, Great Britain and France wanted land in the lush Ohio River Valley. Because both nations controlled aspects of the region, they quarreled over trade routes. Tensions began to rise in the early 1750s when word reached the British that the French were building forts in the region. In 1753, Colonel George Washington led a small militia party

to warn the French and their native allies to leave the area. The French refused and mobilized more troops. The British did the same. By the end of May 1754, the two sides were spilling blood. The French and Indian War had begun. The new BMO VI Porter MasterCard is your ticket to more. More perks, more points, more flights, more of all the things you want in a travel rewards card, and then some. Get your ticket to more with the new BMO ViPorter MasterCard and get up to $2,400 in value in your first 13 months.

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And ask your family eye care professional for SLOR Stellist lenses at your child's next visit. Daniel Boone was 22 years old when the French and Indian War started. Like so many British and American colonists, Boone understood the stakes of the war. If the French won, the British would have to cede territory, which would jeopardize the futures of English subjects like the Boone family. His fight wasn't about patriotism, it was about protecting his family. So in 1754, Boone picked up his Pennsylvania long rifle and joined the North Carolina militia. He quickly saw the bitter divide between militia soldiers and regular troops.

Historically, regular army officers and professional soldiers looked down on the American colonists, despite them being British citizens. Men like Boone were seen as backwoods ruffians, who needed to give way to the reputable military men who hailed from the British Isles. Even though Boone and his fellow militia men were far more knowledgeable of the frontier, they were treated like second-class fighters. Naturally, that left a bitter taste in the mouths of the colonists fighting on behalf of the motherland. But Boone refused to let the mistreatment get in the way of his duty.

When he joined the militia, he signed on to become a wagoneer under the command of militia captain Hugh Wondell. Driving a wagon was a dangerous task, especially since the terrain was difficult to navigate. As a wagoner, Boone was also responsible for the animals pulling the wagon. If the animals went lame from lack of care, it delayed the column. If the column slowed down, it made them more susceptible to ambushes. And in an ambush, a wagoneer was generally one of the first men killed. In the spring of 1755, Captain Waddell's militia moved northward to join forces with General Edward Braddock.

At the time, Braddock was planning a massive. campaign against French forces stationed in the Ohio River Valley. Specifically, Braddock wanted to hit an important French stronghold called Fort Duquesne. Fort Duquesne was strategically positioned on the point of land, which is now home to downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fort overlooked the junction of three rivers, the Ohio, the Allegheny, and the Monongahela. Today, directly across the river junction from the fort is the NFL stadium for the Pittsburgh Steelers. During the long trek north, Daniel Boone became close with a wagoneer named John Findlay. Findlay was also an avid outdoorsman who loved going on long expeditions into the untamed frontier.

With their shared interests, Boone and Findlay quickly became friends. During the March, Findlay told Boone's stories of recent adventures west of the Appalachian Mountains to a place called Kentucky. Findlay told Boone that Kentucky was a hunter's paradise and a frontiersman's dream. Before long, Boone became obsessed with the idea of going to Kentucky. But first, Boone would have to survive the war. In May 1755, Boone's column joined General Braddock's main force. More than 1,300 men struggled to move through the dense wilderness.

Making matters worse, Braddock's regular soldiers were fatigued from being on constant alert. for enemy ambushes. Boone wearily urged his wagon team onward as the columns slogged through more than 250 miles of rocky forested terrain to reach the fort. And without their knowledge, they were being watched the entire time. By early July 1755,

General Braddock's expedition was nearing the vicinity of the fort, and the soldiers and junior officers complained that they were prime targets for an ambush. The trees and brush made it impossible to fit more than a single cart along the path, and the growing fear of an attack was valid. A force of more than 800 French and Indian fighters were on the move to intercept them. Word had reached Fort Duquesne that the British were nearing the garrison. The French and their indigenous allies, the Ottawa, Ojibwe, and Lenape, better known as the Delaware,

raced to meet their foes. They found Braddock's column on July 9th, a few miles outside of Pittsburgh. The British had moved slower than they would have liked, but they managed to gain enough ground to prevent an ambush. The British advance guards spotted French soldiers and native warriors hiding in the trees. The British leveled their muskets and opened fire, and the battle was on. The boom of muskets echoed through the trees, and it mixed with the chilling battle cries of the Native American

warriors. Despite their apparent advantage, the morale of the French troops dampened when their commanding officer was killed in the opening minutes of the engagement. 100 French troops turned on their heels and fled, but the Native American warriors kept on fighting. The British held steady during the opening stages of the fight, but they had very little room to maneuver. Their training in traditional warfare on open battlefields with long lines of soldiers who fired in an orderly manner, was no match for the native warriors who hid behind trees and struck without warning. Making matters worse, the red coats worn by the British regulars made them easy targets against the green backdrop of the forest.

As European settlers and soldiers had been learning for 100 years up to 1755 and would continue to learn for 150 more, fighting Native American warriors on their own ground was a maddening and terrifying experience. At the back of Braddock's column, Boone and the Wagoners, along with the militiamen could hear the battle in the distance in front of them, but they found themselves bottled up with nowhere to go. General Braddock tried to bring cannons from the rear, but there was no room to move. Ironically, Boone and the militiamen were the only ones who knew how to fight in restricted conditions, and they couldn't make it into the battle. They took cover,

and waited to see how it played out. For the next three hours, the two sides fought viciously in the thick forest until the British suffered an important casualty. A musket ball ripped through General Braddock's chest and he toppled out of the saddle. With their commander mortally injured

and out of the fight, British order broke down. From his wagon near the rear of Braddock's column, Boone saw that the battle was lost. He and some of the militiamen cut loose their horses from the wagons and fled. As panic infected the battle lines, Colonel George Washington stepped in to replace General Braddock. Hoping to avoid a total slaughter, Washington rallied the men and managed to

regain some order in the ranks. He organized a successful retreat, and by sunset, the forest was quiet. The Battle of Menongahela, named after the nearby river, was disastrous. The British suffered nearly 70% casualties, including 459 dead. Some of Boone's fellow militiamen were taken captive, and they were tortured by their enemies. Daniel Boone was disillusioned as he trudged back to North Carolina. The horrors of Monongahela were burned into his memory, and he never forgave Braddock or the British regulars for what he saw as arrogance and stupidity, and yet he knew he needed to move on.

Luckily, not too long after he returned to North Carolina, Boone met a young woman named Rebecca Bryan. She was strong and unflappable, and she perfectly complimented Daniel Boone. On August 14, 1756, they married and had two sons over the next few years, James and Israel. But despite becoming a father, Boone couldn't completely settle down. He wanted to see the lands his friend John Findlay described in his story. He wanted to see Kentucky. Unfortunately, before he could set off on another adventure, he would have to return to war.

After General Braddock's defeat at Monongahela, the French and their native allies had systematically attacked frontier settlements and captured military installations. Having driven the British from the Ohio River Valley, the French encouraged their Indian allies to strike British colonies to the south. The Cherokee Nation happily obliged.

In 1758, the Cherokee made their move. Bands of Cherokee warriors tore through North Carolina. And as the warriors inched closer to Daniel Boone's home, he and his young family fled. They went to Fort Dobbs, which was just north of the modern-day small city of Statesville. But as the Cherokee raids continued, Boone decided to take his family out of North Carolina,

and into Virginia. Once his family was safe, Boone returned to the militia. While he likely hoped to fight the Cherokee to protect his home, records indicate that Boone was ultimately sent back to Pennsylvania on a new expedition to take Fort Duquesne. During the campaign, Boone and his men were ambushed while crossing a bridge in central Pennsylvania. As the battle raged in tightly packed conditions, Boone turned to see a warrior racing toward him with a knife in his hand. Boone's musket was empty, and he didn't have time to reload. All Boone could do was grab the attacker and throw him over the bridge. The attacker's body slammed into the rocks below, and it was the first time Daniel Boone killed a man.

British General John Forbes' expedition to take Fort Duques' failed like General Braddock's campaign three years earlier. Soon, Boone's commanders sent him back to North Carolina to fight the Cherokee. He served in Hugh Waddell's militia company once more, and, although unconfirmed, Boone may have helped liberate the British garrison at Fort Loudon in central Tennessee, which was besieged by the Cherokee. Throughout 1760, the British gained the upper hand against the Cherokee

and forced the Cherokee to seek a truce. On November 19, Boone watched as British colonial leaders and Cherokee leaders signed a peace treaty at Fort Robinson in Tennessee. Both sides returned prisoners and tried to repair the damaged relationship. And now that the hostilities with the Cherokee had ended, Boone brought his family back to North Carolina and re-established a homestead. Boone's days of fighting in the French and Indian War were officially over, but the war continued for another three years.

In 1763, British regular and colonial forces defeated the French and completely transformed many of the colonies, including North Carolina. Everything east of the Mississippi River belonged to the British, and the French had essentially been kicked out of the Dutch. developing part of the new world, which would be one of many reasons why the French began helping American colonists 15 years later in their War for Independence from the British. For the British High Command in the early 1760s, there was cause for celebration in the short term. They had vanquished the French and were in control of the eastern seaboard of

North America. But for Daniel Boone and the families around him in North Carolina, the immediate effects of the war were abandoned homes and deep debts. The war had financially strangled Britain and the colonies, and the struggle trickled into communities. As a result, gangs of rustlers and thieves took advantage of the chaos and attacked innocent people. Boone despised the anarchy, and luckily no one seemed to attack his little farm. Not that he actually cared about the farm itself. Although he was a landowner, he hated working the soil. Even with a growing family, Boone still preferred to go out into the forests for long stretches of time. For the next few years, Boone continued to wander along the edges of North Carolina. But with each passing

year, Kentucky called. His dream of venturing farther west grew stronger until, finally, in 1767, he couldn't take it anymore. Boone told Rebecca and the five children that he needed to see Kentucky. He packed his horse and rode toward the sunset. In May 1767, 32-year-old Daniel Boone and his younger brother, Squire Jr., left North Carolina and blazed a trail through eastern Tennessee to Kentucky. When they arrived, Boone was in awe. The land was just as his friend John Findlay had. had described. The region was stunning. It was full of game, and it was devoid of settlers. Boone saw great opportunities for farming and trapping. He could envision Kentucky's future,

a homestead for himself, small settlements scattered throughout, and trading posts and forts which would serve as building blocks for a future Commonwealth. On his first trip to Kentucky, Boone didn't stay for very long, but the journey was all the inspiration he needed. He was going to be Kentucky's champion. Boone returned to North Carolina, but only temporarily. He was already planning his next trip to Kentucky. In May 1769, Boone and a small party, including John Findlay, and his brother-in-law, John Stewart, set out for Kentucky. During the second expedition, Boone came to understand the route known as the Cumberland Gap, a natural passage through the Appalachian Mountains. In June, Boone entered Kentucky's bluegrass region for the first time.

He climbed up a 730-foot outcrop known as Pilot Knob, and he marveled at the land. Once again, he envisioned the potential for hunting, fur trading, and settlements. For the next six months, Boone and his comrades relished hunting vast amounts of game, including a species of animal Boone had never seen before, the Buffalo. As summer turned to autumn and then to winter, and Boone's group continued to explore, they had their first run-in with the Shawnee. In December 1767, Boone and Stewart were out hunting when a band of Shawnee horsemen came upon them. The leader of the Shawnee Party was named Will Emery.

He was from a Cherokee village along the Little Tennessee River, but he lived with the Shawnee and he spoke English. Emory took one look at the number of animal pelts in the possession of Boone and Stewart and he became irate. Will Emery demanded to see their camp and the hunters complied. When the Shawnee Warriors saw the full abundance of the trip,

deer, buffalo, and other hides, they were even more angry. But Emory decided against killing Boone and Stewart. Instead, he confiscated all their goods and horses. They left Boone and Stewart each with a small caliber firearm, some powder and shot, and told them to leave Shawnee land and never return. Before long, Boone's fellow hunters returned to camp and were alarmed at the encounter, so much so that they were ready to go home.

But Boone had other plans. He and Stewart decided to track down the Shawnee and steal back the horses. Two days later, Boone and Stewart caught up to the group. While the warriors slept, Boone and Stewart snuck into their camp. The Shawnee didn't stir as Boone and Stewart mounted the horses. While the campfire popped and crackled, the two hunters slowly rode away with three additional horses carrying pelts. At first, it seemed as if Boone's audacious plan had worked.

Stewart and Boone managed to put a good deal of distance between themselves and the Shawnee. But when Will Emery awoke at dawn and noticed the missing horses, he quickly guessed who took them. He and some of the other warriors began the chase for Boone and Stewart. As the warriors gained ground on the two hunters, Boone figured the best chance to survive was to surrender rather than fight. So Boone and Stewart slowed down and they fell into Shawnee hands. For the next seven days, Boone and Stewart were captives at Ashany camp. Will Emery showed some leniency. During the day, Boone and Stewart were not tied up, but Boone knew that if they were taken to a village, he and Stewart would likely experience mistreatment and hard labor to say

the least. If they wanted to see their families again, they would need to escape. After a week of captivity, Boone decided it was time to make a move. When the warriors, weren't looking, he gave Stuart a nod. In a rush, both men grabbed nearby muskets and ran away from the camp. The escape was so sudden that the Shawnee were in shock at how quickly their prisoners disappeared. The warriors searched for Boone and Stewart, but the frontiersmen managed to find hiding places in the barren winter forest. Eventually, the Shawnee gave up their search and left. When it was safe, Boone and Stewart made the journey to find their friends. From that point forward, Daniel Boone and the Shawnee were on bad terms.

In the ensuing years, they would fight each other frequently, and Boone would pay a heartbreaking price. Despite the encounter with the Shawnee, Daniel Boone and John Stewart did not leave Kentucky. They had lost all their furs and neither wanted to go home empty-handed. The two men went to a predetermined. rendezvous point to meet up with the other hunters in early 1770 to resupply. Then they've returned to hunting throughout Kentucky. But shortly after the beginning of the new campaign, John Stewart disappeared. One day, Stewart shouldered his rifle and went out on a hunting trip by himself. When he didn't return within a couple days, Boone desperately searched for his brother-in-law.

Boone searched for months, but he never found any signs of a struggle. The only things he found were a cold campfire and the letters J.S. carved on a tree. Eventually, Boone gave up, and John Stewart's fate remained something of a mystery. Five years after Stewart disappeared, skeletal remains of a man were found stuffed inside a hollow tree. Supposedly, a powder horn slung over the body was inscribed with Stewart's initials. It was believed that the Shawnee had killed Stewart and stuffed his body into the tree. But all anyone knew for certain was that John Stewart never came home from the trip. Daniel Boone returned to North Carolina in 1771.

As an interesting feature of life at the time, he had been gone for four years on a hunting and exploration campaign, and he returned with immediate plans to go back. He wanted to establish a permanent settlement in Kentucky. He knew the Shawnee were determined to keep the colonists out, but in spite of the heavy risk, Boone convinced at least 50 settlers to join him and his family. Two years later, Boone accumulated the necessary supplies to head to what was considered the Western Frontier.

On September 25, 1773, three months before an infamous tea party in Boston, Daniel Boone's group began its journey from North Carolina to Kentucky. The route was winding and narrow and progress was slow. As the party meandered from North Carolina to Virginia, a group of eight young men were sent to gather supplies from another group of settlers who would join Boone's expedition. Among the company was Boone's 17-year-old son, James.

On October 9th, James and the other men camped near the bank of a small creek for the evening. Just as the sun peaked over the mountains the following morning, a band of Shawnee Warriors sprang an ambush. The attack was fast and deadly. James Boone and a young man named Henry Russell were wounded and were unable to get to their weapons or run away. Four men were killed, and the other two managed to escape. The Shawnee surrounded James Boone and Henry Russell

and tortured the two young men until finally killing them with Tomahawks. Daniel Boone and the rest of the company eventually learned of the massacre, and the news brought the expedition to a halt. As everyone wrestled with their grief, Daniel Boone began to have doubts about Kentucky. He eventually discovered his son's body and buried him in an unmarked grave along a stream called Wallens Creek. But that was the end of his first expedition. Boone sent his family and most of the potential settlers back to North Carolina.

The failure was disheartening, and it was compounded by sadness. But it did not kill Daniel Boone. dream of a Kentucky settlement. The man was nothing if not determined. He vowed he would return, and when he did, the colonies would be at war to form their own nation. Next time on Legends of the Old West,

Daniel Boone helps Virginia during a brief but brutal frontier conflict. He launches a second expedition to Kentucky, at the same time 13 British colonies in America launch a war of independence. He creates a new settlement, leads a rescue mission, which inspires the last of the Mohicans, and defends his community

against waves of Native American attacks. All that is next week on Legends of the Old West. Members of our Black Barrel Plus program and receive each new season to binge all at once with no commercials, as well as exclusive bonus episodes. Sign up now through the link in the show notes or on our website, blackbarrelmedia.com or subscribe directly on Apple Podcasts through the podcast show page. This series was written and researched by Michael Meglish. It was produced by Joe Garrow. Original music by Rob Valier.

I'm Chris Wimmer. Thanks for listening. Thank you.