Occaneechi Path

United States    Migration    Trails and Roads    Occaneechi Path

The Occaneechi Path or "Trading Path," also called the "Indian Trading Path," "Catawba Path," "Catawba Road," "Indian Road," or "Warriors' Path" was a network of trails from the Chesapeake Bay (Petersburg, Virginia) to Occaneechi Village (Hillsborough, NC) and across the the Piedmont of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia (Catawba and Cherokee villages). Along the way several other pathways eventually merged with or forked off this path including parts of the Upper Road, the Fall Line Road, and the Great Valley Road (South Fork). The length of the Occaneechi Path from the Petersburg, Virginia to Augusta, Georgia was roughly 510 miles (820 km).

Historical Background

(also Occoneechee, Akenatzy),

As roads developed in America, settlers were attracted to nearby communities because the roads provided access to markets. They could sell their products at distant markets, and buy products made far away. If an ancestor settled near a road, you may be able to trace back to a place of origin on a connecting highway.

Route

Towns

Counties

Settlers and Records

No lists of settlers who used the Occaneechi Path are known to exist. However, local and county histories along the road may reveal that many of the first pioneer settlers arrived from places to the northeast along the route.

External Links

http://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/about-the-catawba/history-of-nations-ford