Paducah, Kentucky, lies at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers, just upstream from where the Ohio River enters the Mississippi River. A true riverfront city, Paducah has been shaped by the water and waterways.
Patricia Ann McNair
T the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers sits a charming and easy-mannered city called Paducah, Kentucky. While at various times during its history the city was the site of considerable trade and bustle, as well as some turmoil and strife, Paducah today lures visitors with its laid-back style and southern grace. Come and walk along the brick streets of the historic downtown; visit the city’s museums; enjoy its various entertainment venues and festivals; partake of recreational activities like golf and racing; and tour the city’s thriving arts community.
A River City Narrative
There is something quite special about this American river city, with
56
its handsome old buildings built on sloping or rolling landscapes. The country’s narrative is built along its rivers, and that is as true in Paducah as anywhere. The story of this city’s past is that it was first established under the name of Pekin in 1815 and inhabited peaceably by both Native Americans and Europeans who were drawn there by the convenience of the multiple waterways and the hospital- ity of one of the town’s original settlers, Chief Paduke, of a subtribe of the Chickasaw Nation. In 1827, though, William Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame, arrived on the scene with a title deed to the land issued by the US Supreme Court. As the superinten- dent of Indian Affairs for the Missis- sippi–Missouri River region, Clark
was empowered to present the deed and ask Chief Paduke to find another place for his tribe to reside.
When the area was incorporated as a town in 1830, it is said to have been named Paducah in honor of Chief Paduke. In 1856, it was chartered as a city. (Perhaps here it should be noted that the account of Chief Paduke, like so many of the legends of our country’s beginnings, has been questioned and may be more fiction than fact. No matter, it still makes a good story.) The river system afforded Paducah the opportunity to thrive for some time; steamboats and barges and towboats could be dry-docked here, and that brought business for the barge lines. Close by were fertile farmlands, as well as a number of
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1
PHOTO: JOE MILLER, CARDINAL STUDIO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84