Travel Oracles 50 States: Kentucky
As part of my summer series - Travel Oracles 50 States - I am revisiting each os the fifty American states as an overview on travel culture and history. Today: Kentucky
Joined: On June 1, 1792 Kentucky became the 15th state and the first U.S. state west of the Appalachian Mountains. Though the state initially declared its neutrality at the beginning of the civil war, it was a border state and had had strong ties to both sides and eventually has Kentucky soldiers serving in both the Union and Confederate armies.
Original Indigenous Peoples: The most prominent early indigenous tribes in Kentucky were the Cherokee, Chickasaws, and Shawnee
First Settlers: Daniel Boone and John Finley first saw the far distant Bluegrass atop Pilot Knob, now in Powell County. The recorded date is June 7, 1769. 1774 - James Harrod constructed the first permanent settlement in Kentucky at Fort Harrod
History moment: Despite the fact that there were no battles fought within the state, more than half of all Americans killed in action during the War of 1812 were from Kentucky. Also, you may remember this wild west tale: late August of 1888, nine members of the Hatfield family were tried and convicted at the Pike County Courthouse in Kentucky for a raid on Randall McCoy’s home, in which his son and daughter were killed, his wife was beaten unconscious and his home was burned to the ground. The long-running feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky claimed a dozen members of the two clans. In 2003, the families signed a formal truce, putting an official end to the hostilities.
Known for: Coal, Bourbon, Bluegrass music, the Kentucky Derby, Louisville Slugger baseball bats, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, Birthplace of President Abraham Lincoln
Places: Lexington, Louisville
Movie setting: Coal Miners Daughter, Secretariat
Musicians from: Bill Monroe, Loretta Lynn, Rosemary Clooney, The Everly Brothers, The Judds, Chris Stapleton (and if you count actress Jennifer Lawrence singing in her movies, she is a Kentucky native too, along with George Clooney)
Surprising facts: Kentucky is the state where both Abraham Lincoln, President of the Union, and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, were born. They were born less than one hundred miles and one year apart. Cumberland is the only waterfall in the world to regularly display a Moonbow. Kentucky is apparently responsible for 95% of the world's bourbon.
Kentucky has an extensive system of state parks for boating, fishing, hiking, and other outdoor recreation. The Daniel Boone National Forest occupies hundreds of thousands of acres in the eastern part of the state. Among the many sites are the Cumberland Gap in the southeast corner (through which Daniel Boone led the first pioneer settlers); the mansions, horse farms, and bourbon distilleries of the central Bluegrass region; and the Native American burial mounds in the western lowlands where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet. Officially known as the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the state is deeply rooted in culture and tradition, including the popularity of its bluegrass music. The state is home to one of America’s oldest and most popular sporting events, the Kentucky Derby in Louisville. Let’s travel to Kentucky
Fort Campbell, an army base that serves as headquarters for the 101st Airborne Division, and Fort Knox, an Army base dating back to World War I, are both in Kentucky. The nation’s gold reserves have traditionally been stored at Fort Knox.
My Experience: I have been to one Kentucky Derby, and I hope to return again to explore more of the state
Louisville
Lexington
Nature: Six Kentucky national parks offer adventures of historic proportions, but the best known may be Mammoth Cave National Park, home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.
Ranking in US: Per the annual US News report, Kentucky is currently ranked #41 out of 50 in 2021, down from #40 in 2019. It has long had challenges around the economy, healthcare, education, and fiscal responsibility.