CORBIN, KY - The president of The Boone Society says plans to mark the trail that Daniel Boone took into central Kentucky will finally elevate the pioneer to the status he deserves and could help boost the state's economy.

Society president Sam Compton told The Times Tribune that the trail known as Boone's Trace, which runs from the Cumberland Gap to Clark County is a national treasure.

Compton says Kentucky is "sitting on a gold mine of opportunity" with the project, which is expected to draw tourists.

Although much of the trail Boone took has been developed, Compton says there are still several relatively undisturbed areas. He says a coalition of groups is working to put signs along the trace so that people can find the paths that still exist.