Travel in Pioneer DaysAuthor(s): J. H. Atkinson and Charles MooresSource: The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Winter, 1961), pp. 351-354Published by: Arkansas Historical AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40030657 .

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Travel

In Pioneer Days Edited By J. H. ATKINSON

Little Rock

In the days before the Civil War, many people mi- grated to Arkansas from the states farther to the East. Travel was slow. The following log of a trip from South Carolina to Eastern Texas is given here because it is typical of the experience of many others. It will be noted that the travelers were on the road 88 days ; that they actually traveled 70 days; and that they covered 1027 miles. This was an average of less than 15 miles a day. They spent 40 days in traveling from Memphis through Little Rock to Red River. Of this, 10 days was spent in camp and 30 days in actual travel. It required 22 days of actual travel time to cover the 171 miles from Memphis to Little Rock, an average of less than 8 miles a day.

The following is taken from material recently deposited in the Archives of the Arkansas History Commission by Mrs. John White, 160Q New Boston Road, Texarkana, Texas.

Charles Charles Moores, Moores, In 1837, Charles Charles Moores, Moores, accompanied by five of his Charles Charles Moores, Moores, sons, came to what is now Bowie County, Texas (at the time Red River County), and began to "set up" a home place, near Redwater. It took more than two years for them with the help of slaves to clear land, start fields to cultivation, build a home and slave quarters. In the winter of 1839 they returned to South Carolina and in February 18.40, the journey to Texas began. The following is a true and exact copy of the log of the journey kept by Andersen Rochelle Moores. The original is in the possession of Mrs. Wiley Linn Hurie, Clarksville, Ark.

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-i-2 ARKANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

February the 27, we left our South Carolina home behind and started to Texas

The first day we came 7 miles 28th we came to Winnsboro 10 miles 29th we crossed Little River 10 miles

March 1st, 1840 1st we crossed Broad River 18 miles 2, we passed Union Court House 20 miles 3, we crossed Martinburg C. H. 20 miles 4, we crossed Packlett River 25 miles 5, we crossed the Blue Ridge 18 miles 6, we passed Asheville, N. C. 24 miles 7, we are camped on the French Broad River 30 miles 8, we passed Warm Spring 17 miles 9, we passed Newport 17 miles

tend of 1st pagel 226 miles

p2 log of journey from S. C. to Texas 10, we passed Dandridge, Tenn. 21 miles 11, we came 18 miles 12, we passed Knoxville, Tenn. 18 miles 13, we passed Campbell Station 24 miles 14, we passed Kingston 16 miles 15, we came to Cumberland Gap 19 miles 16, we came 21 miles 17, we passed Sparta, Tenn. 18 miles 18, we crossed the Caney Fork 20 miles 19, we passed ville 17 miles 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 we stayed at Uncle N's 27, we left Uncle N's 8 miles

tend of 2nd page! 220 miles

28, we passed Shelbyville, Tenn. 20 miles 29, we came 15 miles 30, we passed Columbia, Tenn. 9 miles 31, we passed Mount Pleasant 24 miles

April 1840 1, we passed Murfreesboro 28 miles 2, we came 19 miles 3, we came 17 miles 4, we passed Dardin 27 miles 5, we passed Collierville 25 miles 6, we passed Somerville 22 miles

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TRAVEL IN PIONEER DAYS *£*

7, we came 12 miles 8, we passed Raliegh 16 miles

tend of 3rd page] 234 miles

9, we lay over at Memphis 10, we ferried the Mississippi River 14 miles 11, we came 5 miles 12, we crossed Black Fish Lake 4 miles 13, we came 3 miles 14, we came 2 miles 15, we came 5 miles 16, we came 9 miles 17, we camped 18, we crossed St. Francis River 4 miles 19, we came 3 miles 20, we lay by 22, we crossed L'Angulle River 14 miles 23, we came 5 miles

tend of 4th page] 67 miles

24, we came 13 miles 25, we came 12 miles 26, we came 8 miles 27, we are camped on White River 28, we crossed White River 8 miles 29, we came 10 miles 30, we came 21 miles

Total 72 miles May 1840

1, we came 14 miles 2, we came 6 miles 3, 4, 5, we lay by 6, we crossed iBayou Meta 11 miles 7, we lay by on Arkansas River 8, we came to the ferry 1 mile

[end of 5th page] 32 miles

9, we crossed the Ark. River and left Little Rock 2 miles

10, we passed Benton 24 miles 11, we lay by

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^CA ARKANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

12, we crossed Saline River 18 miles 13, we crossed Wachita River 15 miles 14, we crossed Caddo Creek 18 miles 15, we crossed Antoine Creek 18 miles 16, we crossed Little Missouri River 10 miles 17, we passed the town of Washington 18 miles 19 and 20 we are water bound by Red River 21, we crossed Red River 5 miles 22, we left Lost Prairie 6 miles

tend of 6th page] 152 miles

23, we came to our place 14 miles 24, we arrived home 10 miles

24 miles

Total 1027 miles

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