PHOTO: PADUCAH CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU Paducah was in a very advantageous position
geographically, not only because of its waterways and railroads but also because of its central location between the north and the south of the country.
Kentucky’s significant coal deposits, so Paducah became a busy railway hub as well. During the time in the country’s history when waterways and railroads were particularly important to commerce, Paducah was in a very advantageous position geographically, not only because of its waterways and railroads but also because of its central location between the north and the south of the country.
u This statue of Paduke, a chief of the Chicka- saws, honors the leader of the Native Ameri- cans who welcomed the Europeans who came to settle in the area.
It was this position, however, that put Paducah in the direct path of the American Civil War and made it impossible for the state to remain neutral. Confederate forces initially controlled western Kentucky, but Union General Ulysses S. Grant captured Paducah in 1861, allowing the Union to gain control of the mouth of the Tennessee River. Again, Paducah’s convenient location made it a fine place to support the Union efforts; docks for gunboats and supply depots were stationed here. In 1864, Confederate soldiers made a raid on the Union supplies in Paducah and
were successful in capturing the supplies and making their presence known, but the city remained under Union control until the end of the war. In 1891, the Paducah Elks Lodge opened its doors in this now-peaceful town, and life was uneventful until the winter of 1937 when the Ohio River topped its fifty-foot flood stage and overtook the earthen levee. Residents were forced to flee, and much of the city, particularly its riverside down- town, was underwater for weeks. Today, many of the handsome historic buildings built more than a century ago bear markers that show just how high the water rose. This breech made it necessary for a new floodwall to be built, and the project was undertaken by the US Army Corps of Engineers. During the particularly rain-soaked May this year, Paducah was in danger of flooding again. Much of the down- town was temporarily closed as a safety precaution, but the floodwalls held, and the city stayed dry. Paducah has faced the same
u Historic downtown Paducah, with many buildings bearing markers showing how high the waters rose in 1937, has been protected against the high waters of recent times by sturdy floodwalls built by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
T H E E L K S M A G A Z I N E 57
PHOTO: STEPHEN LANCE DENNEE/THE PADUCAH SUN
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