“With its wide variety of social
settings, its basic importance to the land, and the earthy romance
of its history, the river holds a special place in Kentucky
history.”
-- Dr. Thomas D. Clark, Kentucky's first Historian
Laureate
The Kentucky River has indeed played a prominent role in the
history of Kentucky, affecting its culture, politics, and economy,
beginning with the first time a Native American dipped a paddle
into its water to navigate the waterway. The
Kentucky, as it is often simply called, winds its way
through the heart of the state; a 255 mile aquatic highway,
watering farms and people, and cutting through ancient rock to
create the stunning palisades between Boonesborough and
Frankfort.
In times past, flatboats would carry the products of early
settlers such as hams, tobacco, and whiskey down the river to the
Ohio, then the Missippippi, and eventually to the markets of New
Orleans. Steamboats plied the waters carrying passengers and
bringing music, theater, movies, dancing, and other entertainment
to communities along the river.
Artists created a 170 foot long mural, composed of 12 different
scenes, reflecting the Kentucky’s storied history and rich
tapestry of life along its banks. The mural was commissioned by the
Winchester-Clark County Recreation, Tourist and Convention
Commission with local businesses sponsoring each panel.
The mural is on the retaining wall for the parking lot at the
head of the trail leading to a Civil War earthen works fort. The
cache is along this trail, not far from the parking lot. Please
make sure you camo the cache well as a lot of people walk by here.
There is another geocache, "Rebel Hill", at the top of the hill
near the earthen works. For those able to walk the trail up the
hill, the trip is worth it and signage along the way explains the
Kentucky River’s strategic role during the Civil War.
In November, 2011 this cache was replaced in a new location and
turned into a simple puzzle cache to deter persistent looters. The
cache coordinates are N37 53.43X W84 15.Y20. Go to the
published coordinates and follow the instructions; what you need to
do should be fairly obvious. When you follow the instructions you
will encounter a date, that is, a year something happened. Write it
down, it’s the last number in that date that you are
interested in.
X=4+the last number in the
date
Y=3+the last number in the
date
