Mary Ingles and the Escape from Big Bone Lick

Mary Draper was 18 when she married 21-year-old William Ingles in 1750. They lived near their parents in Draper's Meadows, a settlement of 10 people, in Augusta County, Va. On July 30, 1755, the Shawnee attacked, capturing or killing many of the residents. One of the captives, Mary was eventually taken to Big Bone Lick in present-day Boone County, Ky, where she was set to making salt.Around October 19, Mary decided to escape, along with another woman. They probably headed for Landing Creek, the closest access to the Ohio River and the first of the 145 waterways they would have to cross on their way to the Kanawha River, 250 miles up the Ohio.They probably reached the Kanawha, their halfway point, around November 7. From there, it was 95 miles and 46 streams to the Falls of Kanawha, and then up the New River for another 85-90 miles of the most rugged terrain of the route. Surviving incredible hardships, they arrived home near December 1st, after a 43 day journey.