John Guider - Voyage of the Adventure: Retracing the Donelson Party’s Journey to the Founding of Nashville

Voyage of the Adventure

Voyage of the Adventure

Retracing the Donelson Partys Journey to the Founding of Nashville

JOHN GUIDER

Vanderbilt University Press

Nashville, Tennessee

2020 by Vanderbilt University Press

Nashville, Tennessee 37235

All rights reserved

First printing 2020

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Names: Guider, John, photographer, writer of introduction. | West, Carroll Van, 1955 author. | Williams, Learotha, Jr., author. | Bender, Albert, author. | Sellers, Jeff, writer of foreword.

Title: Voyage of the Adventure : retracing the Donelson partys journey to the founding of Nashville / John Guider ; essays by Jeff Sellers, Albert Bender, Learotha Williams Jr., and Carroll Van West.

Description: Nashville : Vanderbilt University Press, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: In the fall of 2016, photographer John Guider retraced John Donelsons journey from the present site of Kingsport, Tennessee, to the founding of a settlement now known as Nashville, over 1,000 river miles away. Guider travelled in his hand-built 14 ft. motorless rowing sailboat while photographing the river as it currently exists 240 years later. This photo book contains 150 images from the course of the journey and includes essays providing long-ignored contemporary histories of the Cherokee and the enslaved people who Donelson encountered and brought with him, some of whom did not survive the journeyProvided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020013208 (print) | LCCN 2020013209 (ebook) | isbn 9780826501097 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780826501103 (paperback) | ISBN 9780826501110 (epub) | ISBN 9780826501127 (pdf)

Subjects: LCSH: Donelson, John, approximately 1718-approximately 1780. | Cherokee IndiansTennesseeHistory. | TennesseeHistory. | TennesseePictorial works. | Nashville (Tenn.)History.

Classification: LCC F436 .G84 2020 (print) | LCC F436 (ebook) | DDC 976.8/55dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020013208

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020013209

To my wife Mona. She holds the light that always guides me home.

CONTENTS

JEFF SELLERS

JOHN GUIDER

LEAROTHA WILLIAMS JR.

ALBERT BENDER

CARROLL VAN WEST

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

EVEN A JOURNEY REFERRED to as a solo adventure cannot be completed without the help of so many others, especially in this day and time. The early pioneers would have been lost without the direction of the Native Americans. This project was dependent on the generosity of so many it is hard to list them all: John Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft designed and modified the boat that has carried me thousands of miles across the North American waterways on this as well as many other adventures, while Allen Doty of Cumberland Transit generously helped me outfit for my long travels. Mark Fly, Stacey Irvin, and Andee Rudloff helped with logistics. Bob Tigerts videography helped spark the genesis for the companion Emmy Awardwinning documentary, Voyage ofAdventure, produced by WNPT under the incredible direction of Will Pedigo and his wonderful, talented crew. Im indebted to Jeffrey Buntin, Varina Willse, David Fox, and Robinson Regen, who used their marketing skills to bring awareness to the importance of the project and encourage donations for the completion of the documentary. Eileen Beehan, Gilbert S. Merit, Justin Wilson, Calvin and Marilyn Lehue, Andrew Donelson Dunn, and Karen Dunn Cochran heard the call and responded with their financial support. Jessica Hopp Bliss and George Walker Jr. of the Tennessean, USA Today Network, followed the journey and created a wonderful eight-page feature for their Sunday supplement, written by Jessica and ripe with incredible images created by George. Georges portrait of me graces the back cover of the book. Jane Dugger and Charlotte Reynolds of the Rachael Stockley Donelson chapter of the DAR helped bring national attention to the project and were responsible for my being awarded the DARs 2019 Conservation Award. Unlike Donelsons party, I was fortunate to have friends such as Rob and Gabi Hoffman and Gerald Kirksey reach out to me along the way. I was also enabled by the kindness of strangers such as James Adams, Amy Aldana, James and Gail Kelly, Randy Ashwerth, Tammy Reasons, and Ron Harr, who opened their hearts to me, making my struggles much easier and reconfirming for me the underlying goodness that defines our humanity.