For a fun Friday, the Boone Classic Commemorative Silver Half Dollar Coin shares a newspaper story from October 31, 1801.
By this time, Daniel Boone had already moved from his Kentucky home. In 1799, he move further west into what is now Missouri.
But, since the story involves Kentucky, the Boone Classic can still tell the tale.
The American and Daily Advertiser from Baltimore “printed and published (DAILY) by Alex Martin in Second Street, a few doors from the corner of South Street” included a small story on page 2 of the October 31, 1801 newspaper.
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North – Western Territory.
Emigration of Squirrels.
For a week or ten days past, there has been an astonishing emigration of squirrels from the Kentucky side to this territory.
So great is their number, that between this and Columbia, every day several hundreds (some days as many as five hundred) have been caught, and it is presumable that one has not been killed out of four that crossed.
We are informed by capt. Clayborne, who called here on his way from the cantonment at Wilkinsonville to Pittsburg, that they have been crossing in this manner since he left camp.
It is probable they come a considerable distance, as we are informed by the inhabitants of the other side, who live near the river, that they are much more numerous now, than they were during the summer.
Many people think that this remarkable emigration indicated a hard winter; but a correspondent observes, that, to him, their moving northward indicated a very mild winter.
He thinks if they expected a severe one they would go to the southward.
It may, perhaps, be a prelude to some important event, but what it is, we leave to the studious observer of nature to divine.
[West. Spy.]
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During his years in Kentucky, Daniel Boone probably caught his share of squirrels, however not enough to decrease their number.
Or, could it be that after he moved, the squirrel population increased dramatically?
The Boone Classic Commemorative Silver Half Dollar Coin shows against a squirrel in a dogwood tree in the background.
