<p>Who was Daniel Boone? Was he more than a stereotypical American frontier hero? Explore Daniel Boone and his relationship to the native plant, ginseng, through this collection and series of activities. </p> <p>Daniel Boone (1734-1820) spent much of his adult life blazing trails through the American wilderness. Through exploration and opening the wilderness, Boone and others were able to exploit its many rich resources, including the profitable plant American ginseng. He rose to the status of American legend, becoming known as someone who braved hardship and danger to bring the earth's resources to the market. The legend of Daniel Boone and his-lost-ginseng illustrates the way such stories can reflect historical fact. But become exaggerated or distorted through many generations of story tellers, and, now, via the internet. History and fiction become intertwined. <br></p> <p>While the days of American pioneers are long gone, people still search for and gather wild ginseng in the mountainous regions that Boone frequented. Learn more about Boone's adventures and American ginseng throughout this collection. Be sure to click the Information icon to learn more about each item. </p> <p>To learn more about Daniel Boone and his efforts to explore the wilderness, visit the Learning Lab collection -<a href="http://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/RLb21VyL9W9eeExJ" target="_blank">The Wilderness Road</a>- .</p> <p>This Learning Lab collection was created by intern Julia Eanes for the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s <em><a href="https://folklife.si.edu/american-ginseng" target="_blank">American Ginseng: Local Knowledge, Global Roots</a></em> project.</p>