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 To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html