Daniel Boone Was a Man...

When I was a child I knew exactly what Daniel Boone looked like…

Yep, I was quite the fan of the TV series starring Fess Parker.  

(Portrait of Daniel Boone in his Missouri years)

But that ‘version’ of Daniel Boone is light years from the real man.

Today is Daniel Boone Day…commemorating the day that he first saw the forests of Kentucky.  Born in Pennsylvania in 1734, he was a first generation “American” while it was still a colony.  He fought in the Revolutionary war and was captured by Shawnee in 1778 and lived with them for 4 months before escaping.

While he was a great hunter and explorer, he was pretty bad at business.  After many adventures and misadventures, he left Kentucky in 1799 and made his final home in Missouri.  He died there in 1820.

In Defiance, Missouri is the “Daniel Boone Home”, a state historic site.  Only thing… it wasn’t his home!  It was the home of his son Nathan.  However, he did visit here a lot and even died in his son’s home… so I guess that is good enough!

The lovely limestone home’s front…

…and back.

Kind of ignores the fact he didn’t live here, doesn’t it?

Looking thru the windows

Missouri was still the frontier in the early 1800s.  This is one of many openings in the house for shooting thru.

The house tour is quite interesting.  I particularly enjoyed the large kitchen.  I don’t have photos because they didn’t allow them (even without flash).

Below are some various shots I did get from outside.

It was a nice visit.  If you go, I’d recommend spring or fall.