"Colonists moving beyond the narrow, settled, Atlantic coastal strip discovered that Indian trails crossed the land in every direction. Many are followed today by our major highways.

"The Appalachians were a formidable barrier that funneled many travelers south through the valleys between the mountain ranges. ….

"The Indian path through West Virginia left the Valley road in Virginia near Christiansburg and west to cross the New River at Ingles Ferry and on to the Virginia-West Virginia border. From there it went to Beckley and across to the New River-Kanawha path.

"An old Indian trail" is described as going from Bluestone River across Flat Top Mountain and down the divide between Guyandotte and Coal rivers, along the top of Cherry Pond Mountain where the trail divided. One branch continued down the West Fork of Coal River and the other down the Pond Fork of the same, now in Boone County, West Virginia. The trail went on across the Ohio River to Chillicothe, Ohio. ""Another West Virginia trail followed the Dry Fork of Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River to its mouth on the Ohio River."

"The Bells, Oxleys, and Goodes went to Kanawha after 1850. Many families moved to West Virginia after the Civil War to work in the coal mines, salt works and lumber camps"

(Excerpts were taken from an article written by Gertrude Casler Mann)

Comments by Forrest Thornton - Sept. 3, 1998:

It is quite obvious that some of our family travelled on this "Old Indian Trail" to Beckley area. Creed P. Oxley’s 4^th child, Sarah Frances was born Jan 11, 1866 in Boone County (Bk. #1,Pg.6), Horse Creek, Scott District. This means that they probably followed the route from Bluestone River and then crossed Flat Top Mountain. And then on toward Griffithsville, and Putnam County.

Addison Henry Thornton at age 28 with his wife Lucy (Goode) and son William Page (one year old) went to WV in 1868. Their next child, Jennie was born in Putnam County WV July 8, 1869

Creed Meadows Bird with his wife Sarah Asenath (Bird) left Virginia in 1872 (age 22). Their first child Henry Wise Bird was born in Mercer County WV on Jan 1, 1873. Bluefield & Princeton are in Mercer Co. Their next child Nancy Jane was born in Putnam Co. on Dec 16, 1874.

John Bird (Baxter’s father) at age 53 with his wife Pheba (Oxley) and probably the three youngest children went to WV in 1865 at the close of the Civil War. Baxter the youngest would have been nine years old.

Creed Peter Oxley at age 37 with his wife Mary (Bell) and three children with another one on the way (see note above) left sometime in 1865 (probably along with John Bird and his family). Louisa would have been seven years old. Creed and son Harvey came ahead of his family from Boone Co. to Browns Creek by horseback. They built a square log house from virgin timber, hewn logs and then returned for his family.