Page 8 of Kentucky Lake - Lake Barkley by Kentucky's Western Waterland

heritage columbus-belmont state park columbus 270-677-2327 on display is a massive chain and six-ton anchor used to block the passage of union gunboats down the mississippi river there are also several confederate cannons a network of earthen trenches and an impressive new museum in what was once a civil war hospital there is a small admission fee for the museum a reenactment of the civil war battle of belmont takes place the 2nd weekend of each october from exit 1 off the carroll/purchase pkwy go north on us 51 to clinton then northwest on ky 58 to columbus or from mayfield follow ky 80 west to columbus downtown paducah civil war walking tour in september 1861 kentucky s neutrality was shattered as confederate forces took the river-town of columbus the union responded by taking paducah a free walking tour brochure is available at the visitor s bureau at 128 broadway in downtown paducah 800-723-8224 civil war both sides in the american civil war considered kentucky a key to victory lincoln is reported to have said that he hoped to have god on his side but he must have kentucky from cumberland gap in the east to columbus in the west fighting raged for control of crucial mountain passes navigable rivers and railroad junctions the war divided kentucky more tragically than any other state for kentuckians it truly was a brothers war it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that the confederacy would have won the war if it could have gained kentucky and conversely that the union s success in retaining kentucky as a base for invasions of the confederate heartland brought eventual union victory ­ james m mcpherson ­ noted civil war historian the first weekend in june event festivities include living history camps battle reenactments day and night artillery demonstrations and the miss confederacy pageant saturday night s grand ball with period music and dress is open to the public jefferson davis fort smith the smithland chamber of commerce can provide directions 270-928-2446 after general ulysses s grant seized paducah in 1861 union forces constructed the starshaped earthen fort smith at the confluence of the cumberland and ohio rivers by 1864 the fort was manned by a contingent of the 13th us colored heavy artillery a civil war re-enactment is held on the site in evennumbered years the next is scheduled for october 28 29 2006 and includes a mock battle on sunday afternoon jefferson davis monument state historic site us 68 fairview 270-886-1765 the monument is a 351-foot-high concrete obelisk that marks the site where on june 3 1808 jefferson davis was born ride an elevator to an observation room atop the structure for a panoramic view of the western kentucky countryside a fee is charged to ride the elevator the jefferson davis birthday celebration is held each year market house monument museum 121 s second st paducah 270-443-7759 general history museum with 4800 square feet of exhibits outlining founding of the town by explorer william clark plus a civil war artifact room and the entire woodwork interior of the 1877 list drug store open monday-saturday noon 4 pm closed sunday major holidays open by appointment for school and group tours cherokee trail of tears in 1830 with the support of president andrew jackson congress passed the indian relocation act the cherokee initially prevailed in court in their fight against removal from their homeland in the smokey mountains however a handful of cherokee approved a treaty exchanging the cherokee homeland for $5 million and 7 million acres in oklahoma congress ratified the treaty in spite of a protesting petition signed by 16,000 cherokee the cherokee were relocated to oklahoma during the overland march in the harsh winter of 1838-39 4,000 of the cherokee perished in one of the darker times in american history the route they followed is known as the trail of tears the trail encompasses about 2,200 miles of land and water routes and traverses portions of nine states its approximate route through the mantle rock native education and kentucky can be retraced today by following the highway culture center takes its name from a natural rock markers on us 41 ky 91 and us 641 trail of tears commemorative park hopkinsville this historic park is one of the few documented sites of actual trail and campsites used during the forced removal of the cherokee people to indian territory it was used as an encampment in the winter of 1838 and 1839 this park is the burial site for two cherokee chiefs who died during the removal fly smith and whitepath every year on the first full weekend of september the trail of tears commission sponsors an intertribal pow wow at the park a pow wow is a gathering of native american people to celebrate their rich heritage and an opportunity to expose others to the centuries old tradition of the various dances and native american crafts formation in western kentucky by the ohio river where 3,000 cherokees sought shelter while the river was frozen and impassable in the winter of 1838-39 many perished due to exposure disease and dysentery during the removal hundreds died and even more would have been lost but for the shelter of mantle rock thousands of cherokee come here each year in prayer for their ancestors both individually and as part of the pilgrimage remembering the trail of tears mantle rock listed as a native american historical landmark is an enduring emblem of their resistance survival spirituality and regathering 110 s main st marion 270-965-5882 www.mantlerock.org 14 www.kentuckylakebarkley.travel

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