MCDOWELL COUNTY, W.Va. – Both the public and dignitaries have been invited for the first Sandy Creek Expedition Trail Tour this Friday, tracing the steps of a scouting mission during the French and Indian War.

The group will assemble at the City Hall in Welch at 9:00 a.m. The tour will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the BIllips Barton Park on McDowell County Rt. 9 in Vallscreek and travel along the original expedition’s course. Interpretive signage has been erected along the way and the group will view and understand the travails of the ill fated expedition. The tour concludes at the Panther Wildlife Management area swimming pool parking lot between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m.

In 1756, twenty years prior to the American Revolution, the Appalachian area was a battleground for the French and Indian War. The Sandy Creek Expedition was a scouting mission that was carried out by members of the British Military, Virginia Militia and, for the first time, Cherokee warriors, marking the first cooperative action between the three.

Doug Wood, a prominent historian and trail developer, will lead Fridays tour which will have several dignitaries from local and Federal Government including Congress Woman Carol Miller’s Office.

The public may attend and should be at Welch City Hall by 9:15 a.m. Friday. Tour organizers applaud McDowell County Solid Waste Authority Litter Officer Wendell Hatfield for his dedication to mapping the trail, erecting signs and overall site preparation.