This story is from today's Morristown, TN, Citizen Tribune National Park Officials Working To Restore Landscape To The Days Of Daniel Boone [Unable to display image]> [Unable to display image]> [Unable to display image]> By: KATHY REED, Tribune Staff Writer August 21, 2001 [Unable to display image]> [Unable to display image]> [Unable to display image]> CUMBERLAND GAP - Someday in the not too distant future historical Cumberland Gap, known as the gateway to Kentucky, may once again look much like it did when Daniel Boone first walked through it in 1775. The first group of settlers crossed the Cumberland Gap to Boonesborough by the road established by Boone, later called the Wilderness Road. According to Mark Woods, the National Historical Park superintendent for the Cumberland Gap, National Park Service officials are enjoying the restoration of the Gap back to its 1780-1810 original landscape. The project is an attempt to show present day visitors how the area looked when Boone, frontiersman Simon Kenton and other nameless heroes journeyed through Cumberland Gap into Kentucky. "It is a very enjoyable time to be able to put the pieces back together. The Cumberland Gap represents so much history," Woods said. The Cumberland Gap has been a throughway for American Indians, pioneers and millions of travelers. In October of 1996, the Cumberland Gap Tunnel opened and replaced the old Highway 25E through the Gap. The abandoned road is now being removed and the mountain's natural contours are being partially restored to the landscape Daniel Boone explored. Visitors will soon be able to walk and retrace the footsteps of Boone. Estes Brother Construction, Inc., is doing the restoration project. This company was contracted to remove the road, restore the Gap to its original contours, and recreate the pioneer Wilderness Road. The Virginia based company specializes in road construction and mine land reclamation. Robert Estes, co-founder of the company, said he is excited about this job. Estes has a crew of 50 people working to restore Wilderness Road, reportedly 10 more than what Daniel Boone had to build it with. "Everything will have to look old when we get it finished, " he explained. "After removing the road and restoring it to the original look, we will have to go back and erase all our tracks." Woods said it is what they call, "Laying lightly on the land." Estes said, "The longer we work here, the harder it is... We are limited with machines that are six feet wide to work with, in such a large area. He added, "It's like we are making history." Instead of shipping in moss covered rocks and such, the park and the Estes Company are removing the original moss covered stones and putting them out of the way safely. These will be put back in place when the trail is completed. "The saddle of the Gap will receive the most intensive restoration. It is the park's plans to make it nearly identical to 1780 as possible. It is the heart of the rehabilitation," said Ries Collier, chief of resource management for the park. Jeff Schmidt of the Federal Highway Administration said, "We are getting rid of the road and traffic and putting trees in again. The objective is to rehabilitate the trails back as they were like in the wagon days." It will take some time for the vegetation and the trees to grow again, but when they are, it will once again look like its original setting, according to Mark Woods. Woods is asking that visitors do not enter the construction zone areas posted as closed. Posted areas may include the Iron Furnace and the Wilderness Road and Tri-State Trails. Cudjo Carverns (formerly Gap Cave) will be restored to its original condition, enabling guided tours that will use lanterns for light as a simulation of early visits to the cave. Following the Revolutionary War, water from the stream exiting from the cavern was used to power a saw mill, a wool carding mill, a granary mill and the blast machinery for the Cumberland Iron Furnace. By supplying these industries, the stream allowed the fledgling settlement of Cumberland Gap to become well established. Saltpeter for making gunpowder was mined from the greater Cudjo Cave system during the early 1800s. The lower part of Cudjo Cavern eventually became known as King Solomon's Cave; at various times during the Civil War, both Union and Confederate troops explored the cave. A new use of the cavern was found in the early 1890s when commercial tours began through "King Solomon's Cave." Electrical lighting was installed in Soldiers Cave in 1934, and shortly thereafter a tunnel was dug to connect it with King Solomon's Cave. The combined caves were subsequently renamed Cudjo Cavern. Cudjo Caverns tours are presently being offered on weekends, but may also be affected. The four million-dollar projects is expected to be complete in eight months. The entire project, which includes the tunnel and the restoration, will total more than $280 million when completed, Woods said. For up to the date information on the project call (606) 248-2817.