The Capuchin Trail

Excerpted from "Prehistoric Trails of the Upper Cumberland River Basin" 

By Charles Mayer Dupier, Jr. 

Myer writes, "There is a prominent trail crossing the railroad at Silerville [Kentucky]. 
It connected the Jellico Creek and Elk Creek Indian towns with the Wayne County [Kentucky] towns.
Elk Creek is a tributary which enters the Clear Fork River near Jellico, Tennessee-Kentucky. 
The name "Capuchin" is selected for this trail because it follows this creek for a longer distance than 
any other. It is proposed that this is the true path of the Capuchin Trail because it follows the path 
of least topographic resistance, is the shortest distance between Silerville, Kentucky, and Elk Creek, 
in Tennessee, and is shown as an uninterrupted route on the 1894 U.S.G.S. Reconnaissance Map cited above. 

The trail follows Kentucky State Road 1470 east and south to Murphy Creek, and down that creek to 
Marsh Creek where it leaves the state road. The trail continues south, up Marsh Creek for about 
one and one-half miles until the road crosses Marsh Creek. Then it goes upward on an unnamed ridge 
and follows the ridge southeastward. It crosses into Tennessee, then downward into the headwaters 
of Childers Creek. The trail continues southeastward down the creek to the Gum Fork of Jellico Creek 
and follows that creek eastward, past the community of Ketchen, where Gum Fork joins Jellico Creek, 
then it follows down Jellico Creek about two miles to a point opposite Thomas Hollow. 
The trail then turns south through Angel Gap and down to Capuchin Creek. It follows Capuchin Creek, 
generally eastward, to where Capuchin turns north, then crosses the creek and goes up Trammel Branch, 
southeastward, to the top of Jellico Mountain. Then the trail descends to the headwaters of 
Burnt Pone Creek, eastward down that creek to the community of Newcomb on Elk Creek. 
It then crosses Elk Creek, turns northeastward and follows the east side of Elk Creek for approximately 
four miles, crossing the Kentucky line, to the Bowman site in southern Whitley County."