Occaneechi Path

United States   Migration    Trails and Roads    Occaneechi Path

The Occaneechi Path (also Occoneechee, Akenatzy), "Trading Path," "Indian Trading Path," "Catawba Path," "Path to the Catawba," "Catawba Road," "Indian Road," or "Warriors' Path" was a network of trails from the Petersburg, Virginia area to the Occaneechi Village (Hillsborough, NC) and over the Piedmont to the Catawba and Cherokee villages in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Along the way several other pathways merged with or forked off this path including parts of the Upper Road, the Fall Line Road, and the Great Valley Road (South Fork).

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.

Historical Background
a

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.