Kentucky History Guide

The Cherokee, Creek and Shawnee Native American tribes roamed the land that is today's Kentucky long before any European explorer set foot in the area. In 1750, Thomas Walker entered Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap. Daniel Boone explored eastern Kentucky in 1767, but Indians prevented permanent settlement of the area until 1775. Boone led a group through the Cumberland Gap to the Kentucky River, forging the famous Wilderness Trail. There they established Boonesborough, one of the first permanent white settlements in Kentucky.

In 1772, George Rogers Clark left his family home in Virginia to work as a surveyor for the Ohio Company. Clark's journey took him along the Ohio River, and on into the Kentucky territory. Over the next four years he was a guide for settlers, and with family and friends established communities such as Leesburg, now a part of Frankfort.

During the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Indians that sided with Britain attacked Kentucky settlements. For protection, Kentucky became part of Virginia in 1776. So, politically, the Kentucky region was part of Virginia, but statehood was gained later on when a constitution was finally agreed. On June 1, 1792, the United States Congress accepted the Kentucky Constitution and admitted it as the 15th state, with Frankfort as capital. Gen. Anthony Wayne's victory in 1794 at Fallen Timbers in Ohio marked the end of Native American resistance in the area and secured the Kentucky frontier. Near the end of the Revolutionary War a fort was constructed at Lexington to defend against the English and their Native American allies. As it turned out, Kentucky's "Battle of Blue Licks" was one of the last major battles of the Revolution. By 1840, almost 780,000 people lived in the state.

During the Civil War (1861-1865), Kentucky wanted to remain a neutral state. However when Confederate troops entered western Kentucky in 1861, Kentucky formed a militia to drive them out of the state. The state of Kentucky remained loyal to the Union, but several Kentuckians fought for the Confederacy. After the Civil War ended, slavery was made illegal. Kentucky's economy suffered a depression that hit most of the South. Hemp production was the most effected as cotton production declined and traffic along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers decreased. Kentucky continued to lead the nation in growing tobacco. An interest in horse racing led many to raise thoroughbred horses. Several new mines opened as railroad expansion increased the need for coal and oil.

In late 1811 and early 1812, southwestern Kentucky was struck by a series of powerful earthquakes, the largest recorded earthquake series (ever) in the contiguous United States. Among other damage, the earthquakes caused the Mississippi River to change course, thus creating the Kentucky Bend.

The war's Reconstruction Period was the most contentious chapter in the history of Kentucky. During an 1865 election, the state rejected the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution (all in part) officially abolishing and prohibiting slavery, and promoting civil rights for all citizens. Shortly thereafter, the Ku Klux Klan surfaced in the state and violence against blacks continued.

During the early twentieth century the coal industry made dramatic progress between the turn of the century and the first World War. Many Kentuckians made the change from subsistence farming to coal mining, particularly in the Appalachian region. Many Kentuckians left the state for work in manufacturing and industrial cities in the Midwest. During the same years, German immigrants settled widely in northern Kentucky. Their presence led to social conflict as World War I progressed and anti-German sentiment increased.

World War II (1939-1945) also created jobs with the U.S. military and supplying weapons and food to U.S. soldiers. During the 1960s, the coal industry grew rising to second place nationally. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began building recreational areas in western Kentucky and a steam-generating plant in Paradise. And, Kentucky passed the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, requiring equal employment and housing for all races.

Today, Kentucky prides itself on producing some of the nation's best tobacco, horses, and whiskey. Corn, soybeans, wheat, fruit, hogs, cattle, and dairy products are among the agricultural items produced.

Among the manufactured items produced in the state are motor vehicles, furniture, aluminum ware, brooms, apparel, lumber products, machinery, textiles, and iron and steel products. Kentucky also produces significant amounts of petroleum, natural gas, fluorspar, clay, and stone. However, coal accounts for 85% of the total mineral income.

Kentucky Famous People

• Muhammad Ali (1942 - ) World heavyweight champion of boxing; born in Louisville.
• Alben W. Barkley (1877 - 1956) Vice president; born in Graves County.
• James Bowie (1796 - 1836) Known for his famous "Bowie knife" and a sometimes reckless adventurer, Jim Bowie is now immortalized as one of the true folk heroes in early Texas; born near Spring Creek.
• Kit Carson (1809 - 1868), Scout and Indian agent; born in Madison County.
• George Clooney (1961 - ) Actor made famous in the television show ER; born in Lexington.
• Jefferson Davis (1808 - 1889) President of the Confederate States of America; born in Todd County
• Johnny Depp (1963 - ) - Famous actor; born in Owensoboro.
• Irene Dunne (1898 - 1990) Actress; born in Louisville.
• Duncan Hines (1880 - 1959) Founder of Duncan Hines company; born in Bowling Green
• Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) The 16^th President of the United States; born in Hardin County
• Loretta Lynn (1935 - ) Country music singer; born in Butcher Holler.
• Bill Monroe (1911 - 1996) Songwriter, considered the "father of bluegrass"; born in Jerusalem Ridge.
• Harold "Pee Wee" Reese (1918 - 1999) Baseball shortstop with Brooklyn Dodgers; born in Ekron.
• Colonel Harland Sanders (1890 - 1980) Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken; lived in Corbin
• Diane Sawyer (1945 - ) The first female reporter on 60 Minutes; born in Glasgow.
• Jim Varney (1949 - 2000) - Actor/Comedian.  Best known for his portrayal of Ernest P. Worrell; born in Lexington.
• Robert Penn Warren (1905 - 1989) Author known for works such as All the King's Men and Band of Angels; born in Guthrie.