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 AMERICA'S 
 
 Wonderful Cliff Region 
 
 A Descriptive Letter with liiustrations of 
 
 THE KENTUCKY RIVER CANYON 
 
 By a Tourist on the 
 
 5TEAMER FALLS CITY 
 
 '■'i(j''t!f;!fMTerPacM&i. 
 
 By Mait Post-paid on Receipt of 
 
 PRICE 25 CENTS. 
 OWENS PRINTING CO., Louisville, Ky. 
 
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 \!-M«A-< 3 
 
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sd.6',9iL 
 
 A LETTER WRITTEN BY A PASSENGER ON THE 
 
 STEAMER FALLS CITY 
 
 KENTUCKY RIVER AND THE CLIFF REGION 
 
 [ We are permitted to cop}^ a letter, written b\- a gentleman who 
 recently made a trip on the Steamer Falls City up the Kentucky River. 
 This letter is addressed to his niece, and is reproduced just as written. — 
 The Publisher.] 
 
 My Dear Mary Jcaunctte : As a matter of business recentl}' took 
 me up Kentucky River, I have concluded to write }'ou concerning the 
 journey. 
 
 Starting for a trip on the Kentucky River, the wise passenger will 
 reach the Steamer k'alls Cit}- earU' ; and- then not be impatient ; but sit 
 near the guards, aiid view the excellent harbor at Louisville. The Ohio 
 River — rightly named, by Bayard Taylor, La Belle Riviere — at this place 
 encounters a series of rapids to hinder its otherwise placid journey to 
 the " Father ot Waters." 
 
 The rapids are known as the Falls of the Ohio River, which has a 
 fall usually of about one foot to the mile, but at these rapids there is a 
 fall of about 25 feet in 3^ miles. In high water boats can pass over these 
 rapids ; but when the water is low, the\- go through the Government 
 Canal, located on the Kentucky side. 
 
 From the Steamer Falls Cit\', a good view of the Falls is obtained, 
 and notice can be taken of the work to improve navigation, made by 
 the Government. A superior pier-bridge spans the river in full view, 
 which is used b}' various railroads running into Louisville. 
 
 Opposite is the Cit)- of Jeffersonville, — connected with Louisville 
 by a steam ferry and another railroad bridge. In Jeffersonville are lo- 
 cated the Car- Works, a State Reformator\-, and a Go\'ernment Military 
 Storehouse. 
 
 (O 
 
Below Jeffersonville is the Town of Clarksville, named for and laid- 
 out by General George Rogers Clark, of Revolutionary fame, and related 
 to " Lewis and Clark," the explorers. This town never realized the 
 expectations of its illustrious founder ; but, while it ma}' never be a city^ 
 many little homes are springing up there. 
 
 Near this point, during the Civil War, was located Camp Joe Holt^ 
 where were recruited many soldiers for the Federal service — especially 
 those Kentuckians under General Rousseau, also a Kentuckian. 
 
 Then the bell rings, the lines are " let go," and the Steamer Falls 
 City starts on her journey. The retreating city presents a panorama of 
 buildings and smoke, as the trim boat sails the water like a duck. 
 
 Above Jeffersonville, we reach Port Fulton, where are located the 
 shipyards, and find steamers in various degrees of completion. While 
 steamboats are the usual vessels built there, the facilities of the yards 
 are such that the owners can turn out any kind of vessel, from a "skiff"' 
 to a gunboat. A large fleet of boats were constructed at these yards for 
 the Yukon River, in Alaska. The timbers were sent by rail to the Pacific 
 Ocean, and there put together and the gunboats launched. 
 
 Just above Port Fulton is located what is known as the " Punkin" 
 Patch," the receiving station for the coal-barges which are towed from^ 
 the mines way-up the river. It will be observed that the coal companies 
 have all the appliances for taking care of the coal — such as pumps, etc.,, 
 and steamers and tugs for harbor work, and "coal-grabbers" for rescu- 
 ing coal from sunken barges. 
 
 There are several islands in the river, which are valuable as farming 
 land. There are no unproductive lands on either side of the Ohio ; for 
 while one may not plow the limestone bluffs and raise a crop of corn, he 
 may quarry the rock and burn it into lime, as is done very successfully at 
 and near the town of Utica, Indiana. 
 
 About 15 miles from Louisville, we reach what is known as Fern 
 Grove, where excursion steamers take thousands of fresh-air seekers, 
 during the summer months. Near the Grove, is a range of limestone 
 formation, bearing the name of the " Devil's Backbone." Climbing the 
 hill leading up the "Backbone," may be wearying work ; but one is well 
 repaid when the eye rests on a beautiful stretch of Kentucky scenery. 
 
 When one sits and looks at the landscape, enjoys the living green 
 of the trees and shrubs, and hears the hum of the bees and the singing; 
 
 (2) 
 
of the birds, thus taking in more quiet in a few minutes tlian can be got- 
 ten in a long time in the city, it is no wonder that many a couple has 
 walked easily down the slope, with a better understanding of things tlian 
 they had in mind when they were slowly toiling up. 
 
 About one mile below Madison, Indiana, is seen on a hill overlook- 
 ing the river, Hanover College, which has been in existence for over half 
 a century — the alma mater of many an illustrious citizen. 
 
 After supper the dark comes on, and the red and green signal lights 
 — as required by the Government — are put out. A large steamer passes 
 us, going up the river, and presents a brilliant appearance on the water. 
 Later, we meet the advance guard of a coal fleet, which signals to warn 
 us of its movements. As the tow passes us, the search-light sends its 
 silvery shine from the bow of the boat to the bow of the barges, so that 
 it may be seen whether all is well. 
 
 And then a few hours" sleep, to be awakenec"! by the whistle for Mad- 
 ison, Indiana. A broken moon in the f,ky is doing a faint business, 
 while the search-lights of our own and another steamer enable the Falls 
 City to make a safe landing. 
 
 The " roosters," the men who " pack " the freight, do a rushing busi- 
 ness for awhile, and then the bell signals for our departure. 
 
 Awakening from another slumber, we find the Falls City has passed 
 the Dam of Lock No. i, the backwater from the Ohio being high enough 
 for that purpose. On both sides of the Kentucky River are what is 
 known as the "bottom lands," which richly promise a good harvest, and 
 back of the bottoms are those foot-hills which are so peculiar to the 
 Ohio and Kentucky River sections, being more like knolls than rugged 
 hills. One is reminded of the vine-clad hills of the River Rhine, and 
 wonders why these hills are not utilized in the culture of the grape. 
 
 As I promised you a letter on Kentuck)' River, dealing somewhat 
 in its earl}' history, I cull some information from Collins" History of Ken- 
 tucky, adding what I could find out by asking questions, and also my 
 own observations ; but one may observe on a trip like this a great deal 
 deal more than he can possibly put into words. 
 
 Starting from Carrollton, in Carroll County, where the Kentucky 
 River yields up its rather clear water to the m.uddy stream of the Ohio 
 River, we travel up a beautiful and scenic waterway, which is navigable 
 for about 265 miles. Made more navigable, it is true, by the assistance 
 
 (3) 
 
of man, with a system of Locks and Dams, which earlier in the history 
 of the State was known as " slackwater " navigation, an enterprise started 
 by the State of Kentucky, but afterward turned over to the fostering 
 care of the United States Government, and by the addition of other 
 Locks and J)ams the " Cliff-Country" is being opened up to the enrapt- 
 ured gaze of the astonished tourist. Nevertheless, in the earh- history 
 of the State, this river did business in a navigable way on its own ac- 
 count ; for, even before the days of steamboating, .it was the means of 
 transporting from the Ohio River merchandise intended for the interior 
 settlements. "Poling" a boat up-stream must have been hard work at 
 all times, but when the spring freshets came the stream was by no means 
 "sluggish" or "slack," as man)' a raftsman or keelboatman had good 
 reason to know. It \>as at these times essential!)- alive. 
 
 When Kentucky became well settled, the Kentucky River sent many 
 a flatboat of produce and many a raft of logs to market. It still sends 
 these things to the world outside, for which the shippers receive many 
 pieces of the wealth of the realm in return. 
 
 As we start from Carrollton, going up the rix'er, we must remember 
 that the navigators begin at the source, and as they go down stream the 
 rieht bank is to the rioht hand and the left bank is to the left hand ; but 
 when the)^ go up the stream, the right bank is to the left hand, and the 
 left bank to the right hand — which seems odd, at first, to the landsman ; 
 but the navigators are " all-right, all-right," for they never get left by- 
 having a permanent right and left bank to a river. Indeed, the lands- 
 man don't know half the time whether the boat is going up or down the 
 river. 
 
 In this letter I will write such of its earl)' history as I can glean. 
 A trip up the river will enable you to see for yourself its present condi- 
 tion and advantages. The magnificent grandeur of the cliffs and scenery 
 on this stream remain to please the eye. 
 
 Carrollton, at the mouth of the Kentuck)-, in 1792, was known as 
 Port William ; but it was afterward changed to its present name, in 
 honor of the signer of the Declaration of Independence, " Charles Car- 
 roll of Carrollton." Prestonville, named for Colonel Preston of Virginia, 
 is opposite Carrollton. \\'orthville, on the right bank of the Kentuck)' 
 River, seven miles from the mouth, where the river is crossed by a rail- 
 road bridge, was named in honor of General William \\'orth. 
 
 (4) 
 
In March, 1785, and up to the middle of the '90s. Indians were very 
 troublesome at the mouth of the Kentucky Ri\"er. 
 
 Antiquities in the \va}- of fortifications, etc., were rather numerous 
 in Carroll County near Carrollton, and were recently to be pointed out. 
 
 In 1754, James McBride and part}- came down the Ohio in a canoe, 
 and stopped at the mouth of the Kentuck}' — which was original])' called 
 the Cutawa. 
 
 In January, 1795, Elijah Craig, Jr., achertised transports up the Ken- 
 tucky, " for freight or passage." 
 
 Leaving Carroll County, the river passes through Owen County on 
 the right bank and Henr\^ Count}- on the left bank. 
 
 Owen County, named for Colonel Abraham Owen, born in Prince 
 Edward County, Virginia, has heretofore been facetiously designated as 
 the "State of Owen," and was formed in tlie }'ear 1819. The Kentucky 
 is its boundar\- line for 28 miles. 
 
 Many mineral springs are found in Owen, and good limestone, from 
 which hydraulic cement may be made. In politics Owen County has 
 alwa}-s been noted for its fidelity to the principles and nien of the Dem- 
 ocratic part}'. It earned the name of " Sweet Owen " from Major John 
 C. Breckinridge, afterward Vice President of the United State, who also 
 named a son " Owen County Breckinridge." 
 
 The town of Gratz received its name from B. (^iratz Brown, who ran 
 for Vice President with Horace Greeley. It is situated near Lock No. 2. 
 
 About a mile below Gratz, is located the " Gratz Lead Mining Co.," 
 which sends out many tons of ore by the Steamer P'alls Cit}', to be re- 
 shipped to St. Louis for smelting. 
 
 Montere}', a town and landing in Owen Count}-, was named for the 
 Monterey in Mexico, where the Kentuck}' bo}s were engaged in teach- 
 ing the Mexicans that " war meant fightin"." 
 
 The " Jump-Off" is a perpendicular precipice, about ico feet high, 
 with a hollow^ passage through its center, wide enough for a A\'agon road. 
 
 The " Point of Rocks," on Cedar Creek, near Montcre}^ is a beauti- 
 ful and romantic spot, where an immense rock, 75 feet high, overhangs a 
 place in the creek called the "Deep Hole," to which no bottom has been 
 found — so it is speak. 
 
 " Pond Branch " is a stream of water flowing from a large pond, 
 which is supposed to have been at one time the bed of the Kentucky 
 
 (5) 
 
River — that is, judging from its general appearance. It is near Lock 
 No. 3. The water flows from the pond, and empties into the river by 
 two routes, thus forming a complete " mountain island," 2.\ miles long by 
 i^ miles wide in its broadest part. 
 
 Henry County, on the left bank of the river, opposite Owen County, 
 was named for the celebrated Patrick Henry, of Virginia, who asked for 
 " liberty or death." It is a very fertile county, and was, in US74, noted 
 for being the ninth largest corn-producing county in the State. 
 
 Lead and silver ore have been discovered in the county, and mam- 
 moth remains were found iti the cut made for the railroad at Eminence, 
 which is 170 feet above Drennon Creek, which empties into the Kentucky 
 River. About a mile from the landing, which is at the mouth of the 
 creek, is situated Drennon Springs, a noted summer resort. The springs 
 furnish excellent mineral water. Jacob Drennon, Matthew Bracken, and 
 Simon Kenton were the original discoverers of the Lick or Springs — 
 Drennon having, Jul)' 7, 1773, purchased the information of its locality 
 from an old Delaware Indian at Big Bone Lick, in Boone County. 
 Simon Kenton built a block-house at Drennon Spring. The creek was 
 then called Lawrence Creek. 
 
 The river then passes through Franklin CoLint}', which was formed 
 in 1794, and named in honor of Benjamin Franklin, — printer, philosopher, 
 patriot, and statesman. Tall cliffs, in man\' places quite precipitous, 
 rear their heads along the meandering course of the ri\er through this 
 county. The Lock and Dam are about one mile below Frankfort, which 
 cit}' is the State Capital. The fall here is about 13 feet, and affords a 
 fine water-power. The crops raised for export are corn, wheat, r}-e, bar- 
 ley, hemp, and tobacco. Much attention is paid to the raising of fine- 
 blooded stock, and to horses, mules, sheep, cattle, and hogs for market. 
 
 Frankfort, the Capital Cit}- of Kentucky, is a beautiful cit\- down 
 among the hills, with about 12,000 inhabitants. "The Capital of any 
 State possesses interest because it is the Capital ; but the Cit}' of Frank- 
 jort possesses great historical interest, as well as natural and artificial 
 sights. Among other places, we may mention the old Capitol building, 
 so rich in memories of the great men of the State and Nation ; the State 
 Prison, the Arsenal, the building where ex-\'ice President l^urr \\as tiied 
 for treason ; and if one has an old-timer for a guide, he ma\' wend his 
 way up the abandoned road-bed of ( perhaps ) the first horse-car line 
 
 (6) 
 
and when at the summit he ma}- enter the Beautiful City of the Dead on 
 Cemetery Hill, where repose the remains of so many illnstrious dead, 
 and where is to be seen the Battle Monument, which commemorates 
 Kentucky's heroes, including the brave ones who were executed in Cuba 
 over 50 years ago. These men gave their lives, hoping for that freedom 
 which the Island of Cuba now enjoys. Here also are the remains of 
 Daniel Boone and wife, whose monument is picked to pieces by vandal 
 relic-hunters." 
 
 The city is now supplied with all the advantages of advanced civili- 
 zation, except, perhaps, a more modern State House; but a new one has 
 been provided for. Howexer, the present Capitol contains a winding 
 stairwa\', furnishing its own support, the like of which does not exist 
 <an}-\vhere else in the countr\- — perhaps, in the world — that is, in the 
 architectural world. An effort will, it is hoped, be made to save this 
 wonderful piece of architectural work; but how is the question, for it is 
 so easy now-a-da}'s to tear down the A\ork of ages. 
 
 Woodford Count}- is the next in order. It was organized in 1788, 
 the last of the nine counties formed b}' Virginia before Kentuck}' 
 became a State. It was the home of man}- celebrated men — among 
 whoni nKi}' be mentioned Hon. Thomas V. Marshall and Governor John 
 J. Crittenden. 
 
 Mercer Count}-, established in 1785, was named for General Hugh 
 Mercer. This county occupies almost the geographical centre of the 
 State of Kentuck}-. 
 
 Pleasant Hill, or L^nion \"illage, is a small village of rare beaut}- and 
 neatness, situated on a commanding eminence about one mile from the 
 Kentucky River, on the turnpike road from Lexington to Harrodsburg, 
 and seven miles from the latter place. It belongs exclusively to that 
 orderl}' and industrious societ}- called Shakers. 
 
 At the Kentuck}^ River there is located what is known as "Shaker 
 Ferry." At this point High Bridge spans the river from cliff to cliff 287 
 feet above the river. The magnificence of this architectural structure 
 arrests the eye of the tourist as we pass under the same. But as our boat 
 passes up the river our admiration for the work of man is suddenly 
 changed to one of wonder at the grandeur of nature's work, for it seems 
 to have excelled itself, in cliff-work, at the point where the Dick's River 
 enters the Kentuck}- River. 
 
 (7) 
 
I quote the following: 
 
 "The scenery on the Kentucky and Dick's Rivers is among the grandest and most picturesque 
 in the United States. Not even by the Highlands of the Hudson is it equalled for its imposing 
 effect. Those towering cliffs, rising in perpendicular walls lor many hundred feet above the beach,, 
 variegated by marble strata of every conceivable thickness and color, overpower the beholder 
 with a sense of Nature's majesty. They look like the battlements of a world, standing there so 
 stern and erect in their massive proportions, and as we gaze upon their bald fronts, against which 
 the storms of ages have beaten, we can almost realize the fable of the Titans, and suppose they 
 have been throvvn up in some long forgotten battle of the gods." 
 
 At Shaker Ferry, in 1845, nearly opposite the most elevated of the 
 cliffs, an artist fell down the fearful precipice — "now touching and grasp- 
 ing at a twig, now at a root, without being able to arrest his descent. 
 He finally lodged in the top of a small Buckeye tree, about 50 feet 
 above the general level of the bottom. The total distance of the fall 
 was about 170 feet. Next day he was walking about apparently but 
 little injured." 
 
 "On the night of January 6, 1904, Delia and Florence Donnelly 
 walked over the embankment at High Bridge, falling 50 feet onto solid 
 rock below. Delia sustained a compound fracture of both limbs below 
 the knee; Florence sustained a depressed fracture of the skull and frac- 
 ture of the right limb below the knee. Both girls have fully recovered 
 and are as well as they were before they were injured." I send you a 
 picture of the girls and the cliff down which they fell. See how many 
 weird and grotesque faces you can find in the cliff The picture is taken 
 from the " Louisville Fvening Times " 
 
 Kentucky is called the "Bluegrass Country." However, the grass is 
 not bhie but gj'een. Many fanciful ideas have been advanced about the 
 origin of this name — so, it is just as well to pick out one that I fancy, 
 and that is a statement that an early maker of a map of Kentucky, 
 taking Mercer County as a centre, colored in blue a section of about 100 
 miles square, and marked the same "Grass Countr}-." Hence the name 
 "Bluegrass Country." Filson, in 1784, said: "The reader, by casting his 
 eye upon the map, and viewing around the heads of Licking from the 
 Ohio, and round the heads of Kentucky, Dick's River, and down Green 
 River to the Ohio, may view in that great compass of about 100 miles 
 square the most extraordinary country on which the sun has ever shone." 
 
 A most extraordinary statement you might suppose. But then, all 
 Kentuckians think, no doubt, that visitors to their State must lament 
 their lack of a sufficient vocabular\' from which to select proper words 
 
to express their admiration. My mother — who was a Kentuckian of 
 V^irginia-born parents — once told me that Simon Kenton, while visiting 
 his former home in \'irginia, told her father that he had surely found 
 Kentuck}' to be the lost Garden of Eden — barring, perhaps, the Indians. 
 
 We now pass through Anderson County, which was organized in 
 1827, and named for Richard Clough Anderson, who was born at Louis- 
 ville, in the then district of Kentucky, 4th day of August 1788. He was 
 a maternal nephew of the celebrated General George Rogers Clark. 
 
 Lavvrenceburg, the capital, was established in 1820, and named for 
 Capt. James Lawrence, whose last Avords, on board the Chesapeake, 
 were, "Don't give up the ship." The town was first settled by an old 
 Dutchman who was killed by the Indians, whose wife exclaimed in the 
 bitterness of her affliction, "I always told my old man that these 
 savage Injois would kill him; and I had rather lost ni}- best cow at the 
 pail than my old man." 
 
 Jedidiah Morse, in the "First Complete" American Geography, 
 published in 1789, at Klizabethtown. New Jersey, had this to say about 
 the Cliff-Region of the Kentucky River : 
 
 "The banks, or rather precipices, of Kentucky and Dick's Rivers are to be reckoned among 
 tlie greatest natural curiosities of this country. Here the astonished eye beholds 300 to 600 feet of 
 solid perpendicular rocks — in some ])arts, of the limestone kind, and in others of tine white 
 marble, curiously checkered with strata of astonishing regularity. These rivers have the appear- 
 ance of deep artificial canals. 'I'heir high rocky lianks are covered with red cedar groves." 
 
 Dr. Christopher C. Graham, who lived to be 100 years old, made, in 
 1S47, a trip to the Kentucky River, and thus gave his impressions : 
 
 '•.\fter much vexation and annoyance occasioned by the difficulties of the road, we arrived 
 near the object of our visit, and <iuilting our hor>es, proceeded on foot. Upon approaching the 
 l)rink of the precipice, iMider tlirection of our guide, we suddenly found ourselves standing on the 
 verge of a yawning chasm, and immediately beyond, bottomed in darkness, the Devil's Pulpit was 
 seen rearing its black, gigantic form, from amid the obscurity of the deep and silent valley. The 
 btckground to this gloomy object presented a scene of unrelieved desolation. Cliff rose on cliff 
 and crag surmounted crag, sweeping off on either hand in huge semicircles, until the wearied eye 
 became unable to follow the countless and billowydike mazes of that strange and awful scene. 
 The prevailing character of the whole was that of savage grandeur and gloom. A profound 
 silence broods over the place, broken only by the muffled rushing of the stream far down in its 
 narrow passage, cleaving its way to its home in the Atlantic Ocean. Descending by a zigzag 
 path to the shore of the river, while our companions were m.^.king prej^arations to cross, I strayed 
 I'n-ough the valley. The air was cool, refreshing and fragrant, and vocal with the voices of many 
 binls. The bending trees, the wintling stream with its clear and crystal waters, flowering shrubs, 
 and clustering vines walled in by these adamantine ramparts — which seem to tower to the skies — 
 make this a place of rare and picturesque beauty. The dewdrops still hung glittering on the 
 
 (9) 
 
leaves, the whispering winds played with soft music through. the rustling foliage, and the sunbeams^ 
 struggling through the overhanging forest kissed the opening flowers, and all combined made up a 
 scene of rural loveliness and romance, which excited emotions of unmingled delight. The ierry- 
 boat having arrived, the river was crossed without difficulty, and we commenceil the ascent, and 
 after measuring up 270 feet, arrived at the base of tlie "Pulpit." Fifty paces from this point, and 
 parallel with it, in the solid ledge of the cliff, is a cave of considerable extent At its termination,. 
 there passes out like the neck of n funnel, an opening, not larger than a hogshead. Upon pitch- 
 ing rocks into this cave, a rumbling was heard at an immense distance helc:)\v the earth. Some are 
 of the opinion that this cave contains a b ittomless pit. We now ascended the cliffs some fifty 
 feet further, clambering up through a fissure in the rocks, having the Pulpit on our right, and a 
 range of cliffs on our left. To look up here makes the head dizzy. Huge and dark masses roll up- 
 above you, upon whose giddy heights vast crags jut out and inerhang the valley, threatening 
 destruction to all below. The floating clouds give these crag-^ the appearance of swimming in 
 mid air. The ascent up these rocks, though somewhat laborious, is perfectly safe, being protect- 
 ed l)y natural walls on either side, and forming a perfect stair>vay with steps from eight to ten feet' 
 thick. At the head of this passage there is a hole through the liver side of the wall, large- 
 enough to admit the body, and through which one may crawl, and look down upon the rushing, 
 stream below. At the foot of the stairway stands the Pulpit, rising from the very brink of the 
 main ledge, at more than 200 feet of an elevation above the river, but separated from the portion 
 which towers up to the extreme heights. The space is 12 feet at bo: torn, and as the cliff retreats 
 lightly at this point, the gap is perhaps 30 feet at the top. The best idea that can be formed of 
 this rock is to suppose it to be a single column, standing in front of the continuous wall of some 
 vast building or ruin, the shaft standing as colonnades are frequently built upon an elevated plat- 
 form. From the platform to the capital of the shaft is not less than 100 feet, making the whole- 
 elevation of the "Devil's Pulpit" 300 feet. It is called by some the inverted candlestick, to which 
 it has a striking resemblance. There are two swells, which form the base moulding and occupy 
 bout 40 feet of the shaft. It then narrows U an obhja f of about three by six feet, at which point- 
 here are fifteen distinct p;iie:tij;r-;. Tais neck c intinaes with some irregularity for eight or ten- 
 feet, winding on at an angle of more than one degree from the line of gravity. Then commences- 
 the increased swell and craggy oftsets, first over hanging on one side, and then the other, till they 
 reach the top or cap rock, which is not so wide as the one below it, but is still fifteen feet 
 across." 
 
 Jessamine County was formed in 1798, and named in honor of a. 
 beautiful young lady, Jessamine Douglass, whose father entered the land 
 near Jessamine Creek and settled there. The creek is of good size, and 
 as large near its source as at its termination. It rises at two points about 
 ten feet apart, at one it boils up from a bed of gravel, at another,^ 
 gushes'from between two large smooth rocks, and is very deep. Upon 
 one of these rocks the fair Jessamine was sitting unconscious of danger 
 — when an Indian crashed a tomahawk through her brain. 
 
 At this point, Hickman is the landing, and Camp Nelson is the name 
 of the postoffice — because there is another Hickman in the State. 
 
 As a matter of historical interest to you, I quote an account of " Old: 
 Camp Nelson :" 
 
 ( 10) 
 
'•Ill tlie ci\il war, ihi^ cduiUv was tlie principal \nnnt for the coiicentratidii of Federal forces 
 and muiiiiioiis of war, mi ilie Cunilierland line. In 1863, Camp Nelson — named in coniplinienl to 
 Major General \\'illiani Nelson- was estahlislied on the Kentucky River, at the mouth of Hickman 
 Creek, in Jessamine C<uuity. and occupied till the close of the wav. It had a foi'tilied circumference 
 of about 10 miles, formed in j^reat part by the high surrounding hdls and cliffs of the Kentucky 
 River, and [nirtly by breastvNorks thrown uji, that yet leniain. No liattles of note were fought in 
 the county. This was the piinci|)al camp in the state for the enlistment of colored lriio]is, and the 
 refugees Ironi slavery. On these lands is now established a U. S. military cemeterv, hnelv and 
 sulistaniially iin]iiu\ed, and in which are interred tin usands of Federal soldiers." 
 
 A count)' bridge crosses the Kentucky at Hickman, of the style 
 known as a "covered bridge," which was built in 1838, and is in perfect 
 condition at this day. 
 
 Boone's Knoll, guarding the entrance to Hickman Creek, stands just 
 above the bridge. 
 
 There are already completed eight Locks and Dams on the Ken- 
 tuck}', which, in our trip up the river, enables the Steamer Falls City to 
 be lifted up about 260 feet, the fall from Lock No. 8 to the mouth at Car- 
 rollton being about one foot per mile. We can now travel by the Falls 
 City for about 260 miles. At this point, we are about 60 miles by land 
 from Louisville, our point of departure. 
 
 Vive more Locks and Dams will complete the work as far as Beatty- 
 ville, in Lee County, at the junction of the Three Forks, when the tour- 
 ist will be enabled to see from the deck of the Steamer Falls City the 
 greatest continuous Cliff-Country to be seen in the known world. 
 
 Having entered, passed up, and returned down the Kentucky River 
 through this rugged wonderland, one is appalled by what he has seen. 
 He lacks words to express an adequate idea of what only the camera can 
 give but a taint suggestion, a sight of which seems to be a moving pan- 
 orama in the land of dreams — a source of \\onder and e\'er-increasing 
 enchantment. There are faces in the rocks, a stern of a )'awl fairly 
 outlined, a pair of candlesticks, a chimney rock, being a succession of 
 about 15 rocks, super-imposed, with a base much higher than a man's 
 head, surmounted by a capital of about 12 feet in diameter, on which three 
 or more persons may stand. I was told by a young man at Hickman 
 that he had stood on top of this rock. Although spoken of in Kentucky 
 history for over lOO }-ears, there is great room for nomenclature, there 
 being any number of un-named points of interest. One is not apt to 
 find anywhere such a continuous line of cliffs — so frowning in their grand- 
 eur, so harmless in their behavior. 
 
 (II) 
 
It requires but little fancy to sug_<;est to the mind the terrible con- 
 flict waged so many ages ago, and for such a long time, between the 
 water and the rock-bottomed earth. The water evidently enveloped 
 everything, and, in its earnest desire to reach the ocean, cut its way 
 through the earth, forming the hills and cliffs we now see watching — like 
 sentinels' never recalled from duty — the manly little stream that pursues 
 its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 Nature furnished the channel — man has harnessed the river and 
 made it navigable the year round, and we are enabled to steal away 
 from the dusty and smoky cit}', and behold nature at home. 
 
 One is exceedingly modest when he refers to any of the cliffs as 
 being lOO feet high — for they range from 200 to 600 feet. 
 
 A "grain shute," used to convey grain from the upland to the 
 Steamer Falls City, was by actual measurement 560 feet from the top 
 of the cliff, and then was about 50 feet from the water. A scientific 
 gentleman, who was on the steamer, as he stood on the cliff while the 
 steamer was loading, tested the measurement given by the grain-men, 
 and found it correct. 
 
 Remember, also, that these cliffs are continuous for about 75 miles, 
 and \-ou may have a faint idea of the stupendous aggregation of rocks, 
 composing the "Can)-on of the Kentucky." 
 
 Not the least interesting feature of this trip is the kindly treatment 
 the passenger receives from the Captain, Officers, and Crew of the 
 Steamer Falls City — a boat built especially for the Kentucky river trade. 
 
 If you are as much interested in reading this letter, as I have been 
 in the writing thereof, sometime, when you are visiting Kentuck}', }-ou 
 may have an opportunity to see these things for yourself 
 
 Your loving uncle. 
 
 S^Sk'.^.^. 
 
 [ In the pages that follow, the Publishers have called in the aid of 
 the camera, and present a set of pictures to assist the imagination to 
 comprehend in some degree the grandeur of the scener}- that awaits the 
 one who takes a trip up Kentuck\' River.] 
 
 ( 12) 
 
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Above Lock No. 1. — Steamer Falls City Unloading Freight at Ball's Landing. 
 
 Near Lock No. 3.— Steamer Falls'City Loading Kentucky Tobacco at Monterey. 
 
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riiiiiacle Rock, with Cedar Tree on Pinnacle, Cuinming's Ferry, 
 above Lock No. 6. 
 
The "Twin-Chimney" Kocks or "Double Candh sticks," I'j Miles 
 below Munday's Landing. 
 
The *'Twin-Chimney*' Property 
 
 of the Chinn Mineral Co., of Harrodsburg, Ky., is located about 
 two miles below Munday's Landing on the Mercer County side 
 of Kentucky Riven and contains a splendid vein of fluorspar — 
 listed by the chemist as "C. P.," or chemically pure. This 
 mineral is used for fluxing purposes, and the demand is far ex- 
 ceeding the supply. This Company is mining with compressed 
 air, and it is a pleasure in passing to see the activity displayed 
 and the machinery at work. The output is being actively ship- 
 ped. The name "Twin- Chimney" is taken from the two large 
 Stone Chimneys nearby, and built by Nature when the water- 
 way was first cut in the cliffs. J. P. Chinn is the president, 
 Geo. P. Chinn the General Manager, and C. D. Thompson 
 Secretary & Treasurer of the Chinn Mineral Co., with offices at 
 Harrodsburg, Ky. 
 
 "Vc"W 
 
 The Million "Mine" 
 
 is situated one-half mile above Munday's Landing on the Mercer 
 County side of Kentucky River, and is owned by the Chinn 
 Mineral Co., of Harrodsburg, Ky. There is on the property a 
 magnificent vein of calcspar, which shows some twelve feet across 
 the face and running more than three-fourths of a mile back from 
 the river. While it has not been open entirely to the bottom, 
 there is every indication that it is 285 feet deep. Geology tells 
 us that under this bed of spar, both lead and zinc will be found. 
 There is on the land, near the river bed, but above high-water 
 mark, a splendid well of salt water, and one of sulphur. It is 
 the intention of the Chinn Mineral Co. to incorporate a Hotel 
 Co. in the next twelve months, and no more ideal place 
 in the world can be found for such an enterprise. The use of 
 calcspar is increasing all the time, and the Company is now 
 shipping it East in car lots, for export purposes. In addition to 
 the calc, they have the water and sand adjoining the Mine, and 
 will in the near future be making building blocks of the finest 
 quality. 
 

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Scene showing one of the Towers of the Shakertown High Bridge, 
 with Ladder leading from the River to Top of Cliffs. 
 
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Shakertown 
 
 This is oneof the most interest in^j points in Mercer County. 1 he vil- 
 lage was founded in 1810 by that orderly and industrious society known as 
 Shakers, and for years was one of the richest and most prosperous communities 
 in the State. They owned at one time 7,000 acres of the finest bluegrass 
 land, which they tilled in unison; they built thtir own houses and made their 
 own furniture; they raised their ov\ n flax and wool which the women wove into 
 cloth for the use of members of the society. The buildings are large, hand- 
 some and costly structures, several of them of Kentucky marble, and all of 
 them fashioned for comfort, convenience and endurance. The village is one of 
 rare beauty and neatness, situated on a commanding emmence about a mile 
 from Kentucky River and seven miles from Harrodsburg. To the Shakers be- 
 long the honor of establishing the first system of water works west of the 
 Alleghanies. Many outsiders, attracted by the quiet beauty of the place and 
 the invigorating atmospheie, congregate here during the heated months, and the 
 place is rapidly developing into one of the most popular summer resorts in the 
 State. This picture represents the office an I residence of the noted physician. 
 Dr. William Pennybaker, who is now manager of the society. 
 
 Shakertown High Bridge. 
 
 This is one of the boldest and most original pieces of bridge engineering 
 in America. It is a part of the C. S. R. R., and was designed and built by 
 the Baltimore Bridge Company, Shaler Smith being chief engineer. There 
 are three spans of 375 feet each, making the total length 1,125 feet. The 
 height of the rail above the foundation of piers is 286 feet and above low water 
 280 feet. Its construction was begun October 16, 1876, and completed 
 February 20, 1877, at a cost of .$404,000.00. The natural beauty of the 
 scenery at this point near which the Kentucky and Dick's Rivers form a junc- 
 tion is not second to that of the Palisades of the Hudson. 
 
 By the courtesy of Mr. A. B. Rue, photographer, we present three pic- 
 tures — Shakertown, Dick's River Cliffs and "High Bridge, with Kentucky 
 River at low water." Ihe picture is taken, looking up stream, showing the 
 rafts in the river, and the Cliffs from the bt nch rock to top, and farther up 
 stream showing the Cliffs of Dick's and Kentucky Rivers. 
 
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This Picture is taken from the Louisville Evening Times, and is 
 referred to on Page 8 of this Book. 
 

Chimney Rock, Four Miles below Camp Nelson, frequently 
 referred to in the Letter Printed in Book. 
 
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Making a Milk Punch in the Moonshine Country. 
 
 ■^■-':^'>-. 
 
KENTUCKY RIVER 
 
 Summer Excursions 
 
 '0N= 
 
 STEAMER FALLS CITY. 
 
 Every MONDAY at 3 p. m. 
 
 the Steamer FALLS CITY leaves Louisville 
 for High Bridge, Old Camp Nelson, and 
 Valley View. 
 
 Time passing Madison, 10 p. m.; Car- 
 rollton, 11 p. m. 
 
 Returning, arrives at Louisville Thursday 
 evening. 
 
 Every FRIDAY at 3 p. m. 
 
 the Steamer FALLS CITY leaves Louisville 
 for Frankfort. 
 
 Time passing Madison, 10 p. m.; Car- 
 roUton, lip. m. 
 
 Returning, arrives at Louisville Sunday 
 evening. 
 
 Connecting at Carrollton with Cincinnati Steamers, and 
 at Louisville with the Louisville and Evansville Steamers. 
 
 For Further Information Apply to 
 
 Dr. Q.M^l&llSlllliltMlSL, General Manager, 
 
 178 Fourth. A venue. 
 
 Telephone Main 2522 . LOUISVILLE, KY» 
 
 lonisYilte % lentncty BiTcrTactel^Co. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 ^ _.. ,_fp^- 
 
 Early Morning. Passengers Quietly Sleei)ing, Wliile Steamer Falls 
 City is Loading for Her Return Trip. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 014 614 307 6 g 
 

 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 III nil III! 111! Illlllllll 
 
 014 614 307 6 #