Who lived in Kentucky first?

First Peoples (9,500 BCE - CE 1539) Kentucky's ancient American Indian history belongs to the broad Eastern Woodlands Tradition of North American Indian heritage. It shares many characteristics with the indigenous histories of the states that surround it.

Who were the original settlers of Kentucky?

Early settlers included Revolutionary War veterans staking claims to bounty-land grants. Scots-Irish, German, and English individuals and families from Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee soon joined the veterans in Kentucky.

Who settled the first town in Kentucky?

Harrodstown (sometimes Harrod's Town) was laid out and founded by James Harrod on June 16, 1774.

What Native American tribes first inhabited Kentucky?

Many different tribes once called Kentucky home, including the Cherokee, the Chickasaw, and the Shawnee. The Shawnee hunted and lived in the Bluegrass Region.

Who were the prehistoric people in Kentucky?

Paleoindian (? 12,000 to 8,000 B.C.) groups are thought to have arrived in Kentucky at the end of the last ice age at least 12,000 years ago. The climate in Kentucky was much colder and wetter then. Perhaps they came into the area on the trail of large game such as mammoth, mastodon, or bison.

First Five Towns of Kentucky

What is Kentucky famous for historically?

Known primarily as an agricultural area into the 20th century, Kentucky is also a major U.S. coal producer and site of the U.S. military bases Fort Knox and Fort Campbell. It is also known as the home of the legendary Kentucky Derby horse race and bluegrass music.

What did Kentucky look like in prehistoric times?

During most of the Ordovician, Kentucky was covered by shallow, tropical seas (Fig. 4). Limestones, dolomites, and shales were formed at this time. The oldest rocks exposed at the surface in Kentucky are the hard limestones of the Camp Nelson Limestone (Middle Ordovician age) (Fig.

Who are the moon eyed people in Kentucky?

The moon-eyed people are a legendary group of short, bearded white-skinned people who are said to have lived in Appalachia until the Cherokee expelled them. Stories about them, attributed to Cherokee tradition, are mentioned by early European settlers in America.

Did Cherokee ever live in Kentucky?

Cherokee Indians are believed to have lived and hunted in what became Kentucky for hundreds of years before the first known white explorers made their way through the mountain passes.

What Cherokee clan is from Kentucky?

The Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky (SCNK) is an unrecognized tribe based in Kentucky.

What's the oldest city in Kentucky?

The City of Harrodsburg Kentucky was founded in 1774 as the first permanent settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. As Kentucky's oldest town, the city is located in the heart of the Bluegrass Region and is surrounded by rolling countryside, horse farms, historic stone fences, historic architecture and culture.

Why is Kentucky called Kentucky?

It may have come from the Wyandot name for the area, Kah-ten-tah-teh, which can be roughly translated as “Land of Tomorrow.” It's also possible that it comes from the Shawnee name for the area, Kain-tuck-ee, which means “At the Head of the River.” Or it may have been derived from the Iroquoian or Mohawk word Kentucke ...

Why did Kentucky split from Virginia?

The division of sprawling Kentucky County into three counties in 1780 indicated its rapid growth, and that growth accelerated during the following decade. With population increase came sentiment for separation from Virginia.

Why did Native Americans leave Kentucky?

The Shawnee's way of life was disrupted by encroaching white settlers, and they were often forced to leave their lands in search of unoccupied territory out west. Shawnee warriors fought in land skirmishes, particularly with the Kentucky militia, who destroyed their villages and crops.

Was there slavery in Kentucky?

In early Kentucky history, slavery was an integral part of the state's economy, though the use of slavery varied widely in a geographically diverse state. From 1790 to 1860, the slave population of Kentucky was never more than one-quarter of the total population.

What did the Native Americans call Kentucky?

In his book, The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke, he writes, ". . . now called Kentucke, but known to the Indians by the name of the Dark and Bloody Ground, and sometimes as the Middle Ground." A few paragraphs later he states, ". . . Hence this fertile spot became an object of contention, a theater ...

What were the Indian attacks in Kentucky?

The Westervelt massacre, also known as the Westerfield massacre, was an attack by Native Americans on a caravan of Dutch American settlers on June 27, 1780, near the frontier. Occurring amidst the backdrop of the Revolutionary War, the attack remains one of the largest massacres in the history of Kentucky.

What was the last known Indian town in Kentucky?

Beckner, Lucien (October 1932). "Eskippakithiki, The Last Indian Town in Kentucky".

When were the Cherokee removed from Kentucky?

Cherokee removal, part of the Trail of Tears, refers to the forced relocation between 1836 and 1839 of an estimated 16,000 members of the Cherokee Nation and 1,000–2,000 of their slaves; from their lands in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama to the Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) in ...

What did the moon eyed people look like?

Legend has it the Moon Eyed People were a race of cave dwellers in Western North Carolina predating English and Spanish settlers who were small in stature, flaxen-haired and bearded with skin so fair and blue eyes so pale, they could not tolerate the daylight.

What is a Melungeon person?

Melungeon is a term that first appeared in print in the 19th century, used in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina to describe people of mixed ancestry. Melungeons were considered by outsiders to have a mixture of European, Native American, and African ancestry.

What is a famous Cherokee myth?

Uktena (ook-tay-nah): dragon-like horned serpents of Cherokee legend, the original Uktena was said to have transformed from a man in his unsuccessful attempt to destroy the sun. Many Cherokee tales about the Uktena have to do with Cherokee heroes slaying one of these giant horned beasts.

Did Kentucky used to be an ocean?

Paleozoic (539-251 million years ago) Throughout the Ordovician, Kentucky was covered in shallow tropical seas, depositing limestone, dolomite and shale. The region was the flooded continental shelf of Laurentia, situated in the Southern Hemisphere as part of the Iapetus Ocean, based on reconstructed paleogeography.

Have any dinosaurs been found in Kentucky?

No dinosaurs have ever been found in Kentucky. Dinosaurs are an extinct class of reptiles that lived during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Triassic and Jurassic deposits are missing from Kentucky.

Did dinosaurs roam in Kentucky?

Paleontology and geology

Dinosaurs almost certainly roamed Kentucky, but as Cretaceous sediments are so uncommon, their fossils have yet to be found in the state.