Boatbuilding on the Holston Rivers was apparently a one way
sort of thing. One built the boats, floated down with cargo
to a suitable point and sold the boat for housebuilding
lumber. It also was an industry on the Shenandoah River as
Bill Trout has documented buildings made of boat wood in
Harper's Ferry.

The North Fork of the Holston had a boatyard at the head of
navigation at Chatham Hill. Boats were built to carry salt
downriver from Saltville to Kingsport and points downstream,
then broken up for house lumber.

One of those who made a 1200 mile journey floating down the
Holston to the Tennessee to the Ohio to the Missisippi and
got back wrote up the adventure.

Getting westward from Big Lick would probably involve what
is now Rt. 60 to somewhere past the worst of the New River
until it was improved by the Army Corps in the 1880's or so
to allow steamboats. John Marshall went down it in a batteau
earlier and found it quite arduous. It was a 1 way river
meaning that it was too difficult to come back upstream.

Lyle

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