As pioneer settlers moved inland, they usually followed the paths over which Indians had hunted and traded. Few trails in early America were more important than the Indian route which extended east of the Appalachians from Pennsylvania to Georgia. This ancient Warriors' Path was long used by Iroquois tribesmen of the north to come south and trade or make war in Virginia and the Carolinas. By a series of treaties with the Five Nations of the Iroquois, the English acquired the land of the Warriors' Path in 1744. The growth of the route after 1744 into the principal highway the colonial back country is an important chapter in the development of a nation. Over the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road, vast numbers of English, Scotch-Irish, and Germanic settlers entered this continent and claimed lands.

The Great Wagon Road is familiar to family historians as a major migration route of the 18th century. Parke Rouse, Jr., provides a history of the road -- its environs, the peoples who traveled it, and the major events that occurred in its vicinity. The book has its weaknesses. Only one map is included. The end notes suggest that the author relied more heavily on secondary than on primary sources. And, as is often the case in books filled with facts, there are some inaccuracies in the text. The book will, however, nicely supplement other resources on migration routes and the 18th century American frontier, and it would be a useful addition to the genealogist's library. ( )

Good history of how people moved from Pennsylvania thorugh Va to North and South Carolina to settle the Scots-Irish in these areas. A good book for both history and genealogy. ( )