Most people associate the settlement of Kentucky with Daniel Boone. However, Dr. Thomas Walker preceded Boone by 17 years as the first frontiersman in Kentucky.

Walker was born and educated in Virginia, where he became a physician and a surveyor. In 1750, Walker led the first expedition through Cumberland Gap, which he called Cave Gap. As an agent of the Loyal Land Company of Virginia, he sought land to settle in the western wilderness. On his journey, he named the Cumberland River and built the first cabin in Kentucky. Dr. Thomas Walker State Historic Site commemorates this early pioneer with a replica of the cabin he constructed at its original site. In his journal, Walker wrote about his explorations in Kentucky and described rugged terrain, dense tangled woods, and vast wildlife.

While on his conquests, Walker developed significant relations with Native Americans and was instrumental in peace negotiations. Walker represented Virginia at the Treaty of Stanwix and Lochaber and following the Battle of Kanawha (the Battle of Point Pleasant). He was well respected by many and was able to cross cultural barriers to achieve peace.

In 1779, Virginia commissioned Walker to work with a representative from North Carolina to mark an extension of the boundary line between the colonies of North Carolina and Virginia. The surveyors could not agree on a mapped line. Their difference of opinion over the northern border of Tennessee and the southern border of Kentucky led to a debate that continued into the 1800s. Today, the “Walker Line” is the established boundary line between Tennessee and Kentucky.

In 1794, Walker died a very wealthy man at his residence known as Castle Hill in Albemarle County, Va.

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