The Friends Of Daniel Boone
A dozen or so persons in Kansas City, each with a serious interest in
early American history and early Missouri history, have taken a strong
interest in the “Ten Proposed Daniel Boone History Projects For
Missouri” that we covered in this Research Letter. The Kansas
City people are planning to structure themselves as a formal
organization, and in doing so, for now, are referring to themselves as
“The Friends of Daniel Boone”. Most of the “Friends”, through
their businesses or as individuals, have in the past held lead roles in
large projects, including cultural/civic projects that were
beneficial to the public in Kansas City or elsewhere in
Missouri. What makes the “Friends” so important is that have
accepted the challenge to turn our proposed “Major Boone Projects” into
accessible Boone history sites and knowledge that will be available to
everyone.
For the most part I personally see the challenge as saving and
preserving the Boone or Boone period (1799-1820) historic sites that
will become lost from record or destroyed without the involvement of
the “Friends”. I also see the challenge as opening up a new
broad area of Missouri history as educational tourism that would be
worth millions of dollars annually for the state of Missouri and its
people. Such a result would become a priceless means for
generating an awareness of history in the minds of our younger
generations. Daniel Boone has a way of gaining the immediate
attention of school children and as such becomes an avenue for making
American frontier history exciting and interesting to them.
This is indeed important since the Boone history coincides with the
greatest period of history in America: from when everyone in America
lived in one of the European Colonies (which was the case at the time
Daniel Boone was born), to the time when everyone in America lived in
the greatest country on earth, the United States, spanning from the
Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast (which was the case when Daniel
Boone died). Much of this history has not been available
through our schools, and as we can all visualize, it just simply needs
to be told.
If you are interested in the “Friends” challenge, we will follow along
with them as they move forward. In time, if anyone wants to
join them or contribute time, expertise or resources to these Projects,
we will make that connection for you. Please email Ken Kamper at
DBFFRA@gmail.com