﻿KENTUCKY. 



KENTUCKY. 



SM 



Tka foDowing UbU ihowi the popnUtion of Kentucky at tha deoenaial 

 nwmi»M of til* (tranot eantary, with tha raUUva proportioDi of white*, 

 frM ooloared panoiu, uid tUrva : — 



Date of Ohms. 



UIO 

 l»M 



IMO 

 KM 



While*. 



M4.M; 



4S4,««4 

 617, 7«7 

 i>0,iiS 

 761,411 



t8a.ym. 



40,141 



S0,S61 



1>«,73] 



161,111 



iti.ais 



110,M1 



TMlL 



]|0,NS 

 406,511 

 164,117 

 617,917 

 77«,S16 

 •11,401 



Surface, Bgdngrapky, Conmtmieatioiu, i^e.— The greater part of 

 the aurfkoe of Kentudij is nearly level ; the broad plains being how- . 

 erer broken by gentle undulations. But the soutb.«a>tem portion, 

 whid> k bowerer less than one-tenth of the whole state, is covered 

 with ridgea of mountains and high bills, the slopes of which are 

 rather (teap, and which contain between them narrow, deep, and 

 gloomy valleys. The whole of this region is well wooded, especially 

 tha lower parts of the hills and the vttle*. None of the summits of 

 tbeaa mountains appear to attain the height of 3000 feet above the 

 sea, and their mean elevation probably docs not exceed 2000 feet. 

 The highest ranges are the Cumberland Mountains along the boundary- 

 line of Vii^ginia, and the Laurel Mountains, which run parallel to the 

 Cumberland Mountains, and join them between tbe upi>er branches 

 of the Kentucky and Cumberland Rivera. To tbe north and west of 

 tha hilly region liea what may be called the upland region, whieh 

 extends from the Big Sandy Kiver, on the boundary of Virginia, to 

 about 86° W. long., and comprehends more than half of tbe whole 

 area of the state. Its surface is undulating, with gentle ascents and 

 descants, but it is intersected by numerous narrow but deep valleys 

 in which the rivers run. Though this \ii>lan(l region is sparingly 

 provided with spring-water, its soil is of tha fint quality, and as 

 fertile aa any pfrt of the United States. Tbe western portion of the 

 state is divided between the Barrens and a country which is partially 

 hilly. The Barrens, which occupy chiefly the tract between the Qreen 

 lUver and Cumberland River, in their natural state are generally 

 destitute of trees, resembling the prairies north of the Ohio River ; 

 but tha level surfabb is diversified by a considerable number of low 

 round-topped bills, called 'oak-knobe,' on account of the trees which 

 oover them. This tract is the least fertile part of the state. The 

 alluvial bottom* between these hills and the Ohio and its affluents are 

 exceedingly rich. On the north and west the Barrens are surrounded 

 by a more broken and billy country, which gradually passes to the 

 low flats which akirt the Ohio and Hisaisaippi rivers. This tract is 

 superior to tha Barren* in fertility, but cannot be compared with the 

 upUnd region. 



Kentucky is amply provided with noble streams. The Miuurippi 

 forms its western boundary for above 80 miles. Along the north- 

 western and northern boundary runs tbe Ohio, in a winding course of 

 S80 milea, navigable throughout, and affording with its chief affluents 

 ttady water^wmmuuication to all parts of the state. The Mississippi 

 reoeiTea ttom Kentucky only a few inconsiderable tributaries. The 

 Ohio reoeivea all the larger rivers that drain Kentucky. Of these the 

 most eactem i* the £ig Sandy Rirer, which rises in Virginia, on tha 

 Oreat Flat-top Mountains, a portion of the Alleghany range ; where 

 it approaches the boundary of Kentucky it turns nearly due north, 

 and continues in that direction to ita very mouth, forming the 

 boundary between tbe two states. It is not navigable to a great 

 distance from ita mouth, owing to some falls which occur where it 

 issue* from the mountain region. The Licking Rirer rises in Floyd 

 county, Kentucky, and flows with many wiudiugs in a north-uorth- 

 w e *tam direction for considerably over 100 miles : it falls into the Ohio 

 at Newport, opposita Cincinnati. Though it swells in winter and 

 sjniog to a conaiderable height, it ha* but little water in the other 

 saaiona ; it is navigable by boats for 70 mile*. Tbe different branches 

 of the Kmluckij Rivtr rise in the Laurel Mountains, and form by their 

 union a conKiderable stream, which first flows north-west, then west, 

 and at last nearly due north. Its course is about 280 miles, and 

 though it is very rapid it may be navigated by steamboats to FVank- 

 fort, 00 miles from it* mouth, and by smiUl boats for 100 miles 

 Ugfaar. Ortat Hirer rises in the western districts of the uphind 

 region, and flows for the greater part of its course westward, to its 

 junction with its chief affluent, the Big Barren, when it declines to 

 the oorth-waat, and finally to the norui, joining the Ohio about SO 

 milaa above the mouth of tbe Cumberland Kiver. Its course is above 

 S60 milaa, and it is navigable by staauhoata to Bowling Oreen, l&O 

 mile*, and by small fiat boat* nearly to tha head* of the stream ; but 

 the navigation is interrupted by falls about 60 milaa from its mouth. 

 Ciimherland Rtrtr rises in the valley between the Cumberland Moun- 

 tain* and tbe Ijiurel Mountaina, where it i* called Clmt Hirtr. It 

 traverse* both the mountain and upland region generally in a western 

 direction ; but on approaching the Barren* it turn* southward, and 

 autan Tenneaeea, where it make* a large band to the southward, and 

 then reenters Kentucky with a oorth-waatam course, continuing in 



that direction to ita mouth, which is 10 milaa above that of Tanne**** 

 River. It ii nearly 600 mile* in length, and as its current is compara- 

 tively gentle it offer* an easy navigation for aloups and steamboats as 

 far up as Nashville in Tannaasae, 200 milea from iu mouth, and in 

 full water to Burkeaville in Kentucky ; for boaU of 15 tons it is 

 navi^ble for 800 milas from iU month : river-boat* ascend much 

 higher. The Tennessee River flows only about 70 mile* through 

 Kentucky, and property belongs to Tb.hibsssb. It admit* steamer* 

 to Florence in Alabama, 300 milea from iU mouth. The navigation 

 of several of these rivers has been improved by lock* and artificial out* 

 or canal*. 



Tbe principal oaoal U the Portland and Louisville, which wa* 

 formed in order to overcome the obstruction to navigation caused by 

 the rapids of the Ohio at Louisville. The Portland and LouisvilU 

 Canal is less than three miles long, but is a work of vast labour, 

 having been for almost its whole length excavated out of the solid 

 limestone rock*. It is £0 feat wide at top, has four locks, and wa* 

 constructed at a cost of 1,200,000 dollars The other more important 

 canals and works are those for improving the navi)(ation of the 

 Kentucky, Oreen, Big Sandy, and Licking rivers, which were com- 

 plet<-d at a cost considerably exceeding 2,000,000 dollar*. 



Kentucky has a well-arranged system of ordinary carriage road*. 

 It has also a great many miles of plank roads. Of niilways it ha* 

 about 200 miles in operation, and nearly 600 miles in couiae of con- 

 struction. The lines at work are the Louisville and Frankfort, 05 

 miles ; the Lexington and Frankfort, 29 milea ; and the Covington 

 and Lexington, 96 miles. The chief lines iu course of oonstruction 

 are the Kentucky portion of the Mobile and Ohio, the Nashville and 

 Louisville, and the Maysville and Lexington. 



Oeology, Mineralogy, J;c. — Palsosoic rodcs occupy by far the larger 

 part of Kentucky. The centre of the northern portion of the state 

 belongs to tbe Silurian system : a compact mass of Lower Silurian 

 rocks being bounded by a comparatively narrow belt of Upper 

 Silurian. A few detached patches of both Lower and Upper Siluriaa 

 rocks occur in the middle and southern counties. The Lower Siluriaa 

 rocks are mostly blue limestone, but there are also the bard sandstone^ 

 which form the lowest rucks of the system in North America. Tha 

 Upper Silurians consist chiefly of gray limestoue*, locally known a* 

 the Tennessee River group. Bounding the Silurian rocks is a broad 

 b»nd of strata of the Devonian formation, which however does not 

 reach a greater depth than from 100 to 200 feet A second bed of this 

 formation occurs iu the south-weateru part of the state. The Devonian 

 formation hero consists of what have been called by local geologist* 

 an upper and lower coralline beds ; a middle or shell bed; and an 

 upper or limestone bed. The most prevalent rocks of Kentucky ar* 

 however those of the Carboniferous group, which occupy nearly all 

 the eastern, western, and southem districts. Tha whole interior of 

 the state is occupied by Lower Carboniferous rocks, consisting of the 

 characteriitic black schist; fine-grained Waverly sandstones; and 

 conglomerates, or pudding-stones, consisting of quartz, pebbles, &0, 

 united by a fine sand. The Upper Carboniferous, or Coal-Measure^ 

 lie outside these on the east and west. In the extreme south-western 

 corner of the state, along the Mississippi, are rich alluvial deposits, 

 bounded by a narrow band of cretaceous rocks. 



Iron is the metal which occurs moat abundantly in Kentucky, but 

 it i* of inferior quality, and has a* yet been very little worked. Lead 

 ha* been found in small quantities, and silver near Cumberland Fallb 

 The western coal-bed of Kentucky forms a part of that of Illiuoi* 

 and Indiana; the eastern belongs to that of Virginia and Ohio. 

 These beds occupy iu Kentucky a large area, but hitherto they hava 

 been comparatively little worked : not more than 300,000 tons ara 

 raised annually. The blue limestones form an excellent building 

 material. Some good marbles are quarried in the cliffs of the Ken- 

 tucky River. The sandstones aerve for building materials, the making 

 of grinilstones, Ac. In the limestone rocks occiu' numerous caverns, 

 ' siuks,' or depressions of the surface of the ground, and subterranean 

 water-courses. Of the cavern* the best known is the celebrated 

 Mammoth Cave, situated near the Oreen River, about midway between 

 Nashville and Louisville. It consist* of a series of immense chambers, 

 connected by very long and narrow pa**age*, somewhat like the Peak 

 Cavern iu Derby^re, but on a vasUy grander scale. It is said that 

 the cavern has been ox)>lored to a distance of upwards of IU mile* 

 without reaching it* termination ; while the aggregate width of all 

 th) branches is above iO mile*. One of the principal ohamben i* 

 200 feet long by 150 foot wide, and 50 feet high, and has two pa*- 

 sages, aiich above 100 feet wide, opening into it Large quantities 

 of bone* have been found withiu it Mammoth Cave is greatly 

 resorted to by visitors, being by far the most remarkable place of the 

 kind in America. Iu one of the chambers is a row of cabin*, con- 

 structed for consumptive patients, who are attracted by the temperate- 

 ness and purity of the atmosphere. Nitrate of lime (saltpetre) and 

 gypsum abound in this and most of the other liniestono cavern*. 

 Very productive *alt-(prings, locally known as ' licks,' occur iu many 

 places among tbe sandstone rocks. Sulphur, saline, and chalybeate 

 springs ara numerous. 



Climaie, SoU, ProJuctiotu.— The mean annual temperature seems to 

 be about 65° and consequently 5 degrees higher than that of Loudon, 

 but the differeuccs in the extremes of heat and cold are much greater. 



