Westward Into KentuckyThe Journal of Daniel Trabue

Westward Into KentuckyWestward Into Kentucky

www.history.ky.gov

Connections. Perspective. Inspiration.

100 West Broadway • Frankfort, Ky. 40601 • 502.564.1792 • www.history.ky.gov

The Kentucky Historical Society is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.

Westward Into KentuckyThe Journal of Daniel Trabue

Westward Into KentuckyWestward Into Kentucky

This play explores life on the Kentucky frontier through the stories and reminiscences of Daniel Trabue. Born in Virginia to second-

generation French immigrants, Trabue first came to Kentucky in 1778 at age seventeen. He participated actively in male frontier culture and as a member of the militia. Trabue witnessed a number of key events, including the court-martial of Daniel Boone and the signing of the Treaty of Greenville.

Trabue was a typical frontiersman. In the course of his life, he explored, farmed, and served in the militia. He

valued and possessed the qualities male settlers believed in, from good marksmanship to courage under fire. Like many of his contemporaries, he viewed the Indians as military opponents more than as “savages,” although his language included terms and phrases considered racist today.

In 1827, Daniel finally wrote down the stories and adventures of his youth. He had become a prominent citizen in Adair County but he died in debt because of bad business ventures.

To learn more about Kentucky’s frontier era, see the following:• Trabue, Daniel. The Narrative of Daniel Trabue. Lexington, 1982. • Aron, Stephen. How the West Was Lost: the Transformation of

Kentucky from Daniel Boone to Henry Clay. Baltimore, 1996.• Friend, Craig T., ed. The Buzzel about Kentuck: Settling the

Promised Land. Lexington, 1998.• Perkins, Elizabeth. Border Life: Experience and Perception in the

Ohio River Valley, 1750-1800. Chapel Hill, 1998.

Daniel Trabue – Adam LuckeySince graduating from Georgetown College in 1999, Adam has worked extensively with most of the theatres in Central Kentucky. He teaches with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Kentucky, is an associate artist with Actors Guild of Lexington, and is the Museum Theatre specialist for the Kentucky Historical Society.

Alternate Actor/Director – Greg HardisonSince graduating from Georgetown College in 1999, Adam has worked extensively with most of the theatres in Central Kentucky. He teaches with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Kentucky, is an associate artist with Actors Guild of Lexington, and is the Museum Theatre specialist for the Kentucky Historical Society.KHS Museum Theatre

Since 1998, the Museum Theatre program has staged more than forty original productions, often inspired by the rich resources in the Kentucky Historical Society collection. Each play is presented within KHS exhibition spaces and is designed to connect audiences with the sights, sounds, and stories of the past. These professional productions provide museum visitors with a personal perspective of historical characters and encourage them to explore the exhibitions to learn more. Audience members often find that they relate to the story itself. What’s your story?

This program was funded in part by a grant from the Kentucky Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.Special thanks: Mike Thomas – original director, additional funding provided by the Little Foundation, Lexington.Costume design and construction: Cathy West – all clothing, Historical consultant – KHS head registrar, Julienne Foster.Photo credits: (cover) “Boone’s first view of Kentucky,” illustration from Henry Howe’s The Great West: Containing Narratives of the Most Important and Interesting Events in Western History, 1858., (inside left) “Hinkston escapes Indian captivity, 1780,” illustration from Lambert Lilly’s The History of the Western States, Illustrated, 1835., (right) “Map of Kentucke...,” 1784. KHS Collections., “Logan rescues a comrade during an Indian attack on Logan’s Camp, 1776,” illustration from Lambert Lilly’s The History of the Western States, Illustrated, 1835.

Playwright – Wade HallA professor emeritus of Bellarmine University, Wade is the author of numerous books, monographs, and essays about Kentucky and the South, including, Hell-Bent for Music: The Life of Pee Wee King and A Song In Native Pastures: Randy Atcher’s Life in Country Music.

Westward Into KentuckyThe Journal of Daniel Trabue

Westward Into KentuckyWestward Into Kentucky

This play explores life on the Kentucky frontier through the stories and reminiscences of Daniel Trabue. Born in Virginia to second-

generation French immigrants, Trabue first came to Kentucky in 1778 at age seventeen. He participated actively in male frontier culture and as a member of the militia. Trabue witnessed a number of key events, including the court-martial of Daniel Boone and the signing of the Treaty of Greenville.

Trabue was a typical frontiersman. In the course of his life, he explored, farmed, and served in the militia. He

valued and possessed the qualities male settlers believed in, from good marksmanship to courage under fire. Like many of his contemporaries, he viewed the Indians as military opponents more than as “savages,” although his language included terms and phrases considered racist today.

In 1827, Daniel finally wrote down the stories and adventures of his youth. He had become a prominent citizen in Adair County but he died in debt because of bad business ventures.

To learn more about Kentucky’s frontier era, see the following:• Trabue, Daniel. The Narrative of Daniel Trabue. Lexington, 1982. • Aron, Stephen. How the West Was Lost: the Transformation of

Kentucky from Daniel Boone to Henry Clay. Baltimore, 1996.• Friend, Craig T., ed. The Buzzel about Kentuck: Settling the

Promised Land. Lexington, 1998.• Perkins, Elizabeth. Border Life: Experience and Perception in the

Ohio River Valley, 1750-1800. Chapel Hill, 1998.

Daniel Trabue – Adam LuckeySince graduating from Georgetown College in 1999, Adam has worked extensively with most of the theatres in Central Kentucky. He teaches with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Kentucky, is an associate artist with Actors Guild of Lexington, and is the Museum Theatre specialist for the Kentucky Historical Society.

Alternate Actor/Director – Greg HardisonSince graduating from Georgetown College in 1999, Adam has worked extensively with most of the theatres in Central Kentucky. He teaches with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Kentucky, is an associate artist with Actors Guild of Lexington, and is the Museum Theatre specialist for the Kentucky Historical Society.KHS Museum Theatre

Since 1998, the Museum Theatre program has staged more than forty original productions, often inspired by the rich resources in the Kentucky Historical Society collection. Each play is presented within KHS exhibition spaces and is designed to connect audiences with the sights, sounds, and stories of the past. These professional productions provide museum visitors with a personal perspective of historical characters and encourage them to explore the exhibitions to learn more. Audience members often find that they relate to the story itself. What’s your story?

This program was funded in part by a grant from the Kentucky Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.Special thanks: Mike Thomas – original director, additional funding provided by the Little Foundation, Lexington.Costume design and construction: Cathy West – all clothing, Historical consultant – KHS head registrar, Julienne Foster.Photo credits: (cover) “Boone’s first view of Kentucky,” illustration from Henry Howe’s The Great West: Containing Narratives of the Most Important and Interesting Events in Western History, 1858., (inside left) “Hinkston escapes Indian captivity, 1780,” illustration from Lambert Lilly’s The History of the Western States, Illustrated, 1835., (right) “Map of Kentucke...,” 1784. KHS Collections., “Logan rescues a comrade during an Indian attack on Logan’s Camp, 1776,” illustration from Lambert Lilly’s The History of the Western States, Illustrated, 1835.

Playwright – Wade HallA professor emeritus of Bellarmine University, Wade is the author of numerous books, monographs, and essays about Kentucky and the South, including, Hell-Bent for Music: The Life of Pee Wee King and A Song In Native Pastures: Randy Atcher’s Life in Country Music.

Westward Into KentuckyThe Journal of Daniel Trabue

Westward Into KentuckyWestward Into Kentucky

www.history.ky.gov

Connections. Perspective. Inspiration.

100 West Broadway • Frankfort, Ky. 40601 • 502.564.1792 • www.history.ky.gov

The Kentucky Historical Society is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.