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We were in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for two reasons: one, it is due south of Ohio and two, we’d heard good things about the state. The “Bluegrass State” can technically be considered a part of the Midwest but most consider it part of the South. Helping to place it in the South is the fact that Kentucky was a slave state prior to the Civil War. During our visit the residents’ southern drawl and the abundance of sweet tea placed it firmly in the South in our minds. The state has a new slogan, “Unbridled Spirit”, which is appropriate on so many levels. The first things that come to mind when I think of Kentucky are horses (the Kentucky Derby and Thoroughbreds) and Bourbon. Which are the “unbridled” and “spirit” respectively—how clever. Of course, there is more to Kentucky than that…

Kentucky is delineated on three sides by river valleys: the Ohio River to the north, the Mississippi River to the west and the Tug Fork and Big Sandy Rivers to the east. Originally claimed by France the land became part of Virginia after the British defeated the French in 1763. The area remained relatively unexplored and sparsely settled as a result of attacks by Shawnee and Cherokee tribes until the end of the Revolutionary War.

During this wild and dangerous time in the early west Daniel Boone became a legend. The folk hero’s accomplishments may have been distorted through exaggerated re-tellings but he was a rather amazing man. Boone was an exceptional hunter, he blazed the first road through the Cumberland Gap, he fought against Native American tribes, he took up arms in the American Revolution, and he was captured by a Shawnee tribe. Even though he seems larger than life Boone had one major failing: he was a horrible businessman. Fleeing from mounting debts and with a warrant for his arrest, Boone lived out his final years with family in Missouri.

America’s defeat of the British was a result of considerable assistance from King Louis XVI and the ruling Bourbon dynasty of France. In recognition of France’s help many geographic places in the U.S. were named in honor of the French. Virginia named its far western lands Fayette County in 1780, and Bourbon County in 1785. The town of Louisville was named in 1778 and in 1792 Versailles was established. When Kentucky separated from Virginia in 1792 to become our 15th state, these French-inspired names went with it.

Two of the most important men during the American Civil War, President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln and President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis were both born in Kentucky within one year and 100 miles of each other. Lincoln was born on a farm in 1809 near Hodgenville. Lincoln’s father supplemented his farming income by working at a small bourbon distillery located on nearby Knob Creek.¹ Though Abraham Lincoln rarely imbibed he once owned several taverns and preferred promoting moderation of alcohol over temperance. In spite of General Ulysses S. Grant’s heavy drinking Lincoln had every confidence in Grant saying “I wish some of you would tell me the brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals.”

Speaking of drinking, one of the Temperance movement’s (the movement that eventually led to Prohibition) main leaders was Carry A. Nation, who was also born in Kentucky. Nation’s first husband died from complications with the bottle and historians assume his death was the catalyst for her crusade. Her anti-alcohol tactics ranged from crashing into taverns and singing hymns to the “sinners”, to throwing rocks, to chopping the bar into pieces with an ax. Rather ironic for a state that produced so much alcohol through the years.

In the fertile soil of Kentucky corn grew very well for the new settlers. The settlers’ main problem, due to their remoteness, was their inability to get their excess corn to market. Families began distilling their surplus into a corn-based whiskey which had a long shelf life and was easy to ship. Most of the shipments were sent via the Ohio River from an area of Kentucky known as “Old Bourbon” since the county had once covered the entire northeastern portion of the state. The barrels leaving on the Ohio River were stamped as “Old Bourbon Whiskey”. The corn whiskey from “Old Bourbon” was smoother than the rye and grain-based whiskeys made to the south and east of Kentucky and was soon in high demand.

These days bourbon can be made in any state in the U.S. but it must be made from at least 51% corn and aged in oak barrels for a minimum of two years. A learning opportunity arose back in my bartending days when a customer from Kentucky sidled up to the bar and ordered a “Bourbon and Branch”. Now, I had heard many unusual drink names, but that one stumped me so I had to ask. I felt especially silly when I discovered that “branch” is just a Southern term for spring water. Oh, so you want a Bourbon and Water! Most bourbons continue to be made in Kentucky where the limestone in the water seems to add a subtle flavor. The limestone underlying most of the state is related to for several other things that the state is famous for: bluegrass, caves, and coal.

Limestone is a sedimentary rock that is laid down at the bottom of a shallow sea. The thousands of years of deposition in a bog-type area are what created Kentucky’s extensive coal deposits found in the eastern part of the state. The Eastern Mountain Coal Fields are the most productive coal fields in the U.S. and they go a long way towards helping the country meet its electricity demands (over half the electricity in the U.S. is generated by coal-powered plants). Coal mining is dangerous and the environmental costs are huge but the industry provides much needed high paying jobs in a poverty stricken portion of Appalachia.

The limestone layers are also the reason that Kentucky has the world’s largest cave system, aptly named Mammoth Cave. The majority of the cave is protected as Mammoth Cave National Park but there are hundreds of caves and cave entrances dotting the state. I could go on about this but you’ll have to wait until next week.

As the limestone dissolves, it seeps into the water and is absorbed by plants through their roots. The famed Bluegrass of Kentucky and the mineralized water have been given credit for the amazing speed and stamina of the Thoroughbred horses raised in the area. The first Thoroughbred was brought to Virginia from England in 1730. Though the breed exists in many places around the world the largest number of foals in the U.S. are born in Kentucky, Florida and California. Thoroughbreds are mainly bred as racing horses but are also used in jumping and as polo horses. One of the horses I had when I was young was a gorgeous, all-black, pure-bred Thoroughbred who was raised as a polo horse but couldn’t play after he lost an eye. Unfortunately, I did not have him for long as he was young and far more spirited than I could handle at the time. What a dream horse though…

Thoroughbreds race in what has been dubbed “The Two Most Exciting Minutes in Sports”: the Kentucky Derby. The race has been held in Louisville since 1875. Interestingly, the Derby which is now run on the first Saturday of every May, was conceived of by Meriwether Lewis, the grandson of William Clark (of Lewis and Clark Expedition fame). The track record of 1 minute, 52 2/5ths seconds was set by Secretariat in 1973 and has yet to be surpassed.

We stayed in the campground at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington which is a great place to learn about horses. The Park, which was started in 1978, has over 1,200 acres dedicated to the horse and its relationship with man. Unlike many horse museums which cater to one breed, the Park is home to the National Horse Center dedicated to all horses around the world.

In the U.S. there are 150 recognized breeds of horses, over 40 of them are represented at the Park. We spent all day wandering the Park’s bluegrass covered rolling hills, touring the museums, viewing the special exhibits, and petting the horses. The parts I found most interesting were the Parade of Breeds, where different breeds were ridden in their native garb, and the Hall of Champions, where million dollar winners were shown. We had a chance to get a good look at Cigar, a Thoroughbred stallion named 1990s Horse of the Decade, Da Hoss, a Thoroughbred gelding, and CH Gypsy Supreme, an American Saddlebred Horse of the Decade. Sadly, John Henry, a Thoroughbred and 1980s Horse of the Decade died on October 8th, 2007, just days before our visit.

While I believe John Henry was buried whole it was tradition on a horse farm to bury the essence of the horse: the head, hooves, and heart—and cremate the rest. The cremains were then spread around the farm to ensure good luck to the next generation of horses.

On a happier note, every evening we rode our bikes over to the Park to watch the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse International Grand Championship horse show. While I had never even heard of the breed before, I found many aspects of the show to be the same as the American Quarter Horse shows I used to attend and help at. It was all new to Lance so we had a good time trying to “judge” the horses. I still don’t know exactly what the judges were looking for because rarely did they pick the same horses as we did. Oh well, it was still fun. While we were there the jump course was being prepared for a large event. Now that would be something to see, but we had already made a date with Mammoth Cave so on we went.

Photos: View the entire album of photos from Kentucky Horse Park.

Notes: We stayed at the Kentucky Horse Park from to 10/14/07 to 10/19/07.

1. For you bourbon aficionados out there, you will recognize Knob Creek as the name of one of the high-end single batch bourbons on the market. ↩