Area History & Information
After Prince died in 1810, his widow, Elizabeth Prince, donated fifty acres of land around Eddy Grove, where the new seat of Caldwell County would be established. The county court expressed its appreciation by renaming the town Princetonn, soon changed to Princeton. When Caldwell County was created in 1809, it was one of two Kentucky counties that claimed land west of the Tennessee River in territory recognized by the federal government as Chickasaw tribal lands. After the Jackson Purchase in 1818, the newly created town of Princeton became the staging area for the settlement of the Jackson Purchase region. In 1820 the Kentucky legislature approved legislation creating the Commonwealth Bank of Kentucky. The bank's westernmost branch was located in Princeton to serve those who settled in the newly opened Jackson Purchase. Two years later, the Register of the Kentucky Land Office opened a branch in Princeton to further encourage settlement of the Purchase.
Princeton's role in the western movement was enhanced when a state road was built in the late 1820s from Elizabethtown through Princeton to the Mississippi River crossing at Columbus. During the same period, another state road was built northward from Hopkinsville through Princeton to a number of crossings of the Ohio, to accommodate southerners migrating to the Midwest. Farriers, blacksmiths, wagon shops, harness and saddle shops, taverns, and all types of merchants whose wares were needed by settlers moving west, kept the young town of Princeton thriving for years.
Since early settlement, the economy of Caldwell County was based upon agriculture, and the principal crop was dark-fired tobacco. Western Kentucky was the most strategically located of all the regions for the export of tobacco through the port of New Orleans; in 1860 Caldwell County ranked sixth among Kentucky counties in the production of tobacco. In the early 1900s the county was at the center of a farmers' revolt against monopolistic tobacco processors and manufacturers, known as the BLACK PATCH WAR. David Amoss, of Cobb, Caldwell County, was one of those who organized farmers into vigilante bands.
Before the advent of railroads, Caldwell County produce was shipped to market through the Cumberland River ports of Eddyville, Dycusburg, and the Tradewater River port of Belleville. The Elizabethtown & Paducah (now the Paducah & Louisville) Railroad reached Princeton in 1872, and by the 1880s connections were made through the city to Nashville; Evansville, Indiana; and north-south routes at Fulton, Kentucky. Railroads played a dominant role in Princeton's growth. Train and maintenance crews were assembled there at the large railroad yard, and a roundhouse existed to maintain the steam locomotives. With the building of interstate highways, the Princeton area remained an important transportation center for western Kentucky as the Western Kentucky Parkwayskirted the town and intersected 1-24 just to the west of the town.The population of the county was 13,179 in 1970; 13,473 in 1980: and 13,232 in 1990. A courthouse fire on 15 Dec 1864 destroyed some records.
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Christian County, the twenty-first in order of formation, is located in southwestern Kentucky, a part of the Pennyroyal region. Covering 722 square miles, Christian County is the second largest in the state (forty-five miles long and twenty-five miles wide). The county seat is HOPKINSVILLE.
The County is bordered by Hopkins County (north), Muhlenberg County (northeast), Todd County (east), Montgomery County, TN (southeast), Stewart County, TN (southwest), Trigg County (west), Caldwell County (northwest). Cities, Towns and Communities include Crofton, Fort Campbell North, Hopkinsville, LaFayette, Oak Grove, Pembroke.
Christian County was named in honor of Col. William Christian, a noted soldier and Indian fighter. Collins gives the following sketch of him: He was a native of Augusta County, Va., and was educated at Staunton. When very young he commanded a company attached to Col. Bird's regiment, which was ordered to the frontier during Braddock's war. In this service he obtained the reputation of a brave, active and efficient officer. Upon the termination of Indian hostilities, he married the sister of Patrick Henry, and settled in the county of Botetourt. In 1774, having received the appointment of Colonel of militia, he raised about three hundred volunteers, and by forced marches made a distance of 200 miles, with the view of joining the forces under Gen. Lewis, at the mouth of the Great Kanawha. He did not arrive, however, in time to participate in the battle of Point Pleasant, which occurred on the preceding day, the 10th of October, 1774. In 1775 he was a member of the General State Convention of Virginia. In the succeeding year, when hostilities had commenced between Great Britain and the American colonies, he received the appointment of Colonel in the Virginia line of the regular army, and took command of an expedition composed of 1,200 men, against the Cherokee Indians. No event of moment occurred in this expedition, the Indians having sued for peace, which was concluded with them. After his return from this expedition, Col. Christian resigned his command in the regular service, and accepted one in the militia, at the head of which he kept down the Tory spirit in his quarter of Virginia throughout the Revolutionary struggle. Upon the conclusion of the war, he represented his county in the Virginia Legislature for several years, sustaining a high reputation for his civil as well as his military talents.
Col. Christian emigrated to Kentucky in 1785, and settled on Bear-grass. The death of Col. Floyd, who was killed by an Indian in 1783, rendered his location peculiarly acceptable to that section of the State, where a man of his intelligence, energy and knowledge of the Indian character, was much needed. In April of the succeeding year, 1786, a. body of Indians crossed the Ohio and stole a number of horses on Bear-grass, and with their usual celerity of movement re-crossed the river, and presuming they were in no further danger of pursuit, leisurely made their way to their towns. Col. Christian immediately raised a party of men, and crossed the Ohio in pursuit of the marauders. Having found their trail, by a rapid movement he overtook them about twenty miles from the river and gave them battle. A bloody conflict ensued, in which Col. Christian and one man of his party were killed, and the Indian force totally destroyed. His death created a strong sensation in Kentucky, for he was brave, intelligent and remarkably popular.
Christian County was formed from a portion of Logan County by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1796 and organized on March l, 1797. The new county was named in memory of Col. William Christian, a native of Augusta County, Virginia, and a veteran of the American Revolution. He settled on Beargrass Creek near Louisville in 1785 and was killed by Indians in southern Indiana the following year. Originally, the county included all land north of the Tennessee line, west of Logan County and the Green River, south of the Ohio River and east of the Tennessee River. All of the counties now in this area were formed out of Christian County between 1798 and 1860.
James Davis and John Montgomery made the first permanent settlement in the county around 1784. They brought their families by flatboat down the Ohio River and then up the Cumberland River to settle on Montgomery Creek, southeast of present-day Pembroke. There the settlers built a log blockhouse on land, where they hunted and farmed.
In the next two decades, settlement concentrated in northern Christian County, which had abundant fresh water, wild game, and timber for building and for firewood. Poor road conditions, the struggle for existence, and the land's topography isolated the valley settlements.
The flat, fertile land in southern Christian County was settled in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Rich clay soil with a foundation of limestone was well-suited for crops, especially dark tobacco. Most of the land was barren of trees and covered in prairie grass, with a few springs along Little River and West Ford of the Red River. Large farms supported by slave labor were patterned after those in the Tidewater and the Deep South. Both sections of the county were fully settled by 1830, when the population reached 12,684.
During the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation from Georgia to the Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma, more than 13,000 Cherokee passed through western Kentucky on the so-called Trail of Tears between October 1838 and February 1839. Hundreds became ill and died en route, including two aged chiefs, Fly Smith and White Path, who died while camped in Hopkinsville.
In the four decades after settlement, the county population doubled and many farm communities were established. Rich farmland worked by slave labor produced livestock, corn, and wheat, but the heart of local agricultural success was the production of dark tobacco. Farmers specialized in darkfired tobacco, popular in Europe for snuff, chewing, and cigars. The nearby Cumberland and Tennessee rivers carried the crops for large-scale marketing at New Orleans. Toll road construction began in 1837. Western State Hospital for the mentally ill was organized in 1848 near Hopkinsville.
The Civil War divided the county. Slave-owning farmers in the southern part were Confederates and those in Hopkinsville and the northern part who had no slaves were Unionists. Christian County (now Todd County) was the home of Union Gen. James S. Jackson, and birthplace of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The rapid recovery after the Civil War is reflected in the stable labor market, the innovative methods used by farmers, and the investments in turnpikes, railroads, schools, houses, warehouses, and flour mills.
The first local tobacco market sale took place in 1870. During the 1870s county farmers joined the Grange movement, which all through the South promoted fraternal cooperation to better the farmer's lot, and the annual county fair drew large numbers of country and town people. The county was the scene of tobacco farmers' revolt against pricing in the early twentieth century. In 1913 Christian County had one of the first county agents in Kentucky. Geoffery Morgan, an Englishman, initiated a progressive agricultural program, which introduced burley tobacco and established the agricultural extension service. The Kentucky Farm Bureau was formed in 1920, 4-H clubs in 1921, and the first homemaker's club in 1924. Pennyrile Rural Electric Cooperative came to the county in 1938. Turnpike construction progressed rapidly during the 1870s, and by 1901 county roads were free of all tolls. Rural free delivery of mail began the same year. The first federal highway, constructed of loose gravel between 1923 and 1927, was U.S. 41N and 418, known as the Dixie Bee Line. In 1932 this highway, along with U.S. 68W, was the first paved road in the county.
A black school system was organized in 1872. In 1885 the first black served on a grand jury, and by 1898 blacks had occupied the political offices of coroner, jailer, constable, and pensioner. County political influence shifted after the Civil War. Christian County was a Republican stronghold in both national and local elections from 1865 through the 1928 election. Since that time the Democratic party has carried all but four presidential elections and has maintained control of county offices.
After 1940 mechanization transformed farming operation, and soybean production replaced tobacco as the principal cash crop. The county has a new public library and a historical museum. a community concert association, the expanded Western Kentucky State Fair, four radio stations, and a television station. County improvements include the Bassett Urban Renewal Project, the Riverfront Improvement Project, and the Pennyrile Parkwayand 1-24. Bethel College closed, Hopkinsville Community College and University Heights Academy opened, and the city and county school systems merged. The county health department and a mental health center were created when Jennie Stuart Medical Center was enlarged.
The population was 56,224 in 1970; 66,878 in 1980; and 68,941 in 1990.. The Official County Website is located at http://www.christiancounty.org. The courthouse burned in December 1864 and destroyed some records.
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Lyon County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population is 8,080. Its county seat is Eddyville. The county is named for Chittenden Lyon, son of settler Matthew Lyon.
It is a limited dry county, meaning that the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited except by the drink in restaurants in the city of Kuttawa that seat at least 100 diners and derive at least 70% of total sales from food.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 664 km² (256 mi²). 559 km² (216 mi²) of it is land and 105 km² (41 mi²) of it (15.88%) is water.Adjacent counties: Crittenden County (north), Caldwell County (east), Trigg County (south), Marshall County (southwest) and Livingston County (northwest) .
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,080 people, 2,898 households, and 2,043 families residing in the county. Cities and towns: Eddyville and Kuttawa
Lyon County is one of 120 counties in Kentucky. The estimated population in 2004 was 8,205. This was an increase of 1.55% from the 2000 census.
Lyon County was formed in 1854. It is located in the Pennyrile region of the state. The elevation in the county ranges from 305 to 670 feet above sea level. In 2000 the county population was 8,080 in a land area of 215.70 square miles, an average of 37.5 people per square mile. The county seat is Eddyville. Much of Lyon county lies within the Land Between the Lakes.
A river runs through it. Now towns run through it. Well, what is "it"? Lake Barkley. The Cumberland is the river channel for Lake Barkley, thus "a river runs through it."Lake Barkley was formed in the early 1960s when a dam was constructed on the Cumberland at Grand Rivers. Two communities with a combined population of 3500 rested on the banks of the Cumberland. When the river was impounded, or flooded by the dam, the two towns - Eddyville and Kuttawa - had to be relocated. Now, these two towns literally run through Lake Barkley.
Marinas
Moon Bay Harbor Resort
520 Moon Bay Harbor Dr.
Kuttawa, KY 42055
1-270-388-7389
Buzzard Rock Resort
985 Buzzard Rock Rd.
Kuttawa, KY. 42055
1-800-826-6238
Kuttawa Harbor Marina
1709 Lake Barkley Dr.
Kuttawa, KY. 42055
(270) 388-9563
Indian Point RV Park
1136 Indian Hills Trail
Eddyville, KY. 42038
1-800-605-8562
Holiday Hills Resort
5631 KY 93 South
Eddyville, KY. 42038
1-800-337-8550
http://www.holidayhillsresort.com
Eddy Creek Marina Resort
7612 Kentucky 93 South
Eddyville, KY. 42038
1-270-388-2271
http://www.eddycreek.com
Eddy Bay Lodging
75 Forest Glen Dr.
Eddyville, KY. 42038
1-800-324-8807
http://www.eddybaylodging.com
Lodging
Moon Bay Harbor Resort
520 Moon Bay Harbor Dr.
Kuttawa, KY. 42055
1-270-388-7389
Poplar Creek Lodge
4975 US Hwy 62 West
Kuttawa, KY. 42055
1-270-388-9467
http://www.poplarcreeklodge.com
Buzzard Rock Resort
985 Buzzard Rock Road
Kuttawa, KY 42055
1-800-826-6238
Harbor House Bed and Breakfast
1730 Lake Barkley Drive
Kuttawa, KY. 42055
1-270-388-4012
http://explorekentuckylake.com/harborhouse
Maple Hill Bed and Breakfast
13 Maple Hill,
Eddyville, KY. 42038
1-270-388-4963
http://www.maplehillbb.com
Regency Inn
US Highway 62 West
Eddyville, KY. 42038
1-270-388-2281
Country Hearth Inn
120 Funway Dr.
Eddyville, KY. 42038
1-270-388-4535
http://www.countryhearthinneddyville.com
Holiday Hills Resort
5631 KY 93 South
Eddyville, KY. 42038
1-800-337-8550
http://www.holidayhillsresort.com
Silver Cliff Inn
1980 Lake Barkley Dr.
Kuttawa, KY. 42055
1-270-388-5858
Relax Inn
224 New Circle Dr. (US 62)
Kuttawa, KY. 42055
1-270-388-2285
http://www.relaxinnkuttawa.com
The Davis House
528 Willow Way
Kuttawa, KY. 42055
1-270-388-5585
Palisades Resort
1564 Palisades Dr.
Eddyville, KY. 42038
1-800-890-1374
Launching Ramps
Barkley Damp Launching Ramp
Eureka Launching Ramp
Boyd’s Landing Launching Ramp
Buzzard Rock Launching Ramp
Eddyville Recreation Area Launching Ramp
Dryden’s Creek Access Area Ramp
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Marshall County, the ninety-second county in order of formation, located in the extreme western region of Kentucky. The County is bordered by Livingston County (north), Lyon County (northeast), Trigg County (east), Calloway County (south), Graves County (west), McCracken County (northwest). Cities, Towns and Communities include Benton, Calvert City, Hardin, Possum Trot. Records were lost in two courthouse disasters in 1888 and Dec 1914.
From 1818 to 1822, the area that is now Marshall County was part of Hickman County; Marshall County was formed in 1842 from the northern part of Calloway County. The first settlement was around 1818, when the area was bought from Native Americans (Chickasaw Indians) as part of the Jackson Purchase. The county was named in honor of Chief Justice John Marshall, a lawyer from Virginia, served in the Virginia House of Delegates and became a leader in the Federalist Party, who had died not long before the founding of the county. President John Adams asked him to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court as early as 1799, but instead, Marshall ran for a seat on the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1801, President Adams appointed him Secretary of State.
Cypress Creek, that runs into the Tennessee River, has rich farmlands almost from its source to its mouth. It was thought that people could not enjoy good health along its banks. Development in that area was avoided until the late 1800's.
The terrain of the county varies from gently rolling hills to level wooded areas and bottomlands. Much of the bottomland on the eastern border of the county along the Tennessee River was flooded by waters from Kentucky Lake, created by building Kentucky Dam. Within the county the principal stream is Clark's River with its three branches, the East, Middle, and West forks. Most of the surface area of the county was originally covered with hardwood timber.
The first settlers of the area included Banister Wade, John Irvan, James Stewart and the Rev. Henry Clay Darnall, all of whom may have entered the Chickasaw lands before the Jackson Purchase. In 1819 Darnall, a Baptist founded the first church west of the Tennessee River, on Soldier Creek in Kentucky. Stewart is credited to have made the first permanent settlement on Wade's Creek, about one mile north of old Wadesboro.
Its county seat, Benton, named for Thomas Hart Benton, was established on land belonging to John H. Bearden and Francis H. Clayton also in 1842.
Early roads in the area included one from Egner's Ferry on the Tennessee River, which ran east to Wadesboro and then on to Mayfield and finally to Columbus. It is the approximate route of KY 80. Roads that connected Benton with Paducah to the northwest and Wadesboro and Murray to the south eventually came to be part of U.S. 641. Clark's River, with its three branches East, West and Middle Forks, is the largest and principle stream that traverses the county.
Shortly after the Civil War the rail line was completed from Paducah to Louisville; it became the Illinois Central Railroad (now Paducah & Louisville). Calvert City and Gilbertsville in the northern part of the county were both established on this line around 1871. The county's other railroad, built in 1890, was the Paducah, Tennessee & Alabama Railroad, with stops at Benton and Hardin. Hardin was founded by Hardin Davenport Irvan, who moved his store from Wadesboro to the new rail line in 1890. Soon after the turn of the century the town had five stores, three blacksmith shops, a mill, drugstore, livery stable, phone office, theater, and three churches. Electric power arrived in 1915. The railroad later became part of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad, and then the Louisville & Nashville (now CSX Transportation). When the line from Hardin to Paducah was abandoned and the ties and rails removed in the 1970s, a local grain elevator bought the track lying between Hardin and Murray and called it the J&J Railroad.
From its settlement until the 1930s, the county was nearly completely agricultural. The creation of Kentucky Lake by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1940s brought tourism and industry to the county with resorts along the lake and chemical and manufacturing plants, mostly in the Calvert City area, attracted by the dam's cheap and plentiful electricity. The creation of the lake led to the destruction of two Marshall County towns, Birmingham, about six miles north of the present hamlet of Fairdealing, and Gilbertsville, which was at the present dam site. Gilbertsville was rebuilt somewhat to the west of its original location. Birmingham residents were dispersed. Gilbertsville was an incorporated town until the 1970s, when its charter was dissolved by public vote. Kentucky Lake (created by the impounding of the Tennessee River) and Barkley Lake (created through the impounding of the Cumberland River) make up one of the largest man-made bodies of water in the world.
Until the period after World War II, Marshall County was almost totally agricultural. It was considered a poor county because the soil was thin. Crops included corn, tobacco, and soybeans, as well as beef and dairy cattle and hogs. During the 1930s it was a major strawberry-producing area and Benton became a loading point for crates of Dixie Aroma brand berries. With the completion of Kentucky Dam in 1945, chemical plants and other industries arrived in Calvert City. Some towns, such as Birmingham, were covered by the lake. Others, such as Aurora and Gilbertsville, grew as tourist centers.
By 1988, 26 percent of the county's employed labor force worked in some aspect of manufacturing. In 1990 Marshall County's largest employers, all manufacturing plants in Calvert City, were the GAF Corporation, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and Atochem North American.The population of the rural county was 20,381 in 1970; 25,637 in 1980; and 27,205 in 1990. The Official County Website is located at http://www.marshallcounty.net
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Trigg County, the sixty-sixth county in order of formation, is located on the southwestern edge of the Pennyroyal region. It is bounded by the Tennessee state line to the south and by Kentucky Lake to the west and contains 421 square miles. Trigg County is surrounded by Calloway, Marshall, Lyon, Caldwell and Christian counties. It was created on January 27, 1820, and was formed principally from Christian County and a small portion of Caldwell. The county was named for Col. Stephen Trigg, a native of Virginia, and a soldier of great renown, who came to Kentucky in the fall of 1779 as a land commissioner. After completing his work he moved on and was fatally wounded on August 19, 1782, in the disastrous Battle of Blue Licks.The first census of 1820 listed Trigg County's population at 3,874 inhabitants. The first government was organized on May 15, 1820, in a log structure at Warrington, occupied as a residence by Samuel Orr. The property is owned at present time by Tom and Nell Vinson.
On the 15th day of May, 1820, five commissioners, Mr. Givens, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Sharp, Mr. Dixon and Mr. Vance, appointed by law to locate permanently the seat of justice for Trigg County, made their report, which proposed that the seat of justice of Trigg County be "fixed on the lands of Robert Baker, where he now lives on Main Little River on the top of the eminence above the spring, to include the lot whereon his stable now stands, it being the most central, convenient and eligible site for that purpose. Baker made a deed of transfer of the said stable lot, together with fifty acres of land adjoining, to the newly-organized county. The order books, papers, etc., of the county were moved to the dwelling of Mr. Robert Baker and held at the dwelling of Baker.
Nothing appears of record that named the county seat of Trigg County. One version is that a group of Spaniards were encamped on Little River at the time of the first town meetings. They attended all meetings and the natives were so impressed with them they approved the name "Cadiz" for the Spaniard's hometown of Cadiz, Spain. They eventually stopped attending the town meetings and moved on to other locations.
The choice of Cadiz as the county seat did not go unchallenged. Citizens of Canton, an established town on the Cumberland, objected. At the March term of court, 1822, an election was ordered for the purpose of deciding the matter and George Street, Richard P. Dawson, and Beaman Fowler were appointed Judges, and William Cannon, Clerk, for the election. Cadiz, Boyd's Landing (now Canton), Warrington and Center competed for the honor. The election was held in Cadiz on the 6th of March, 1822, and the vote was Cadiz, 295; Boyd's Landing, 204, Warrington, 69; Center, 59. The matter of locating the county seat was effectually decided.
A history of the first settlement of Cadiz district would not be complete without a short statement about four men who began life almost with the beginning of Trigg County. Major Matthew Mayes, Collins D. Bradley, and T. W. Hammond, where three young lawyers who came to Cadiz in 1820, when the county was organized and even before there was a court house, and began to practice law. The fourth man, Linn Boyd, probably attained more prominence than any other native Trigg Countian. His father located at Canton in 1799 with others and established what is now Canton. He was born November 22, 1800, and like most others of his day received a very scant education. He soon engaged in politics and when 21 was appointed paymaster of the 72nd regiment of Kentucky Militia. December 15, 1823 he was appointed a deputy sheriff of Trigg County, represented Trigg County in the Legislature in 1831 where he served in congress for 18 years and in 1859 was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. Boyd never took office on account of poor health and died in Paducah, Kentucky, December 17, 1859.
The afternoon of November 29, 1920, was unseasonably warm in Cadiz when a fire, which local historians call "the biggest disaster in Trigg County history", broke out and destroyed most of downtown Cadiz, including Trigg County Courthouse, six of the eight buildings along Main Street, across the street from the courthouse; and all eight buildings along Court Street, west of the courthouse. The estimated loss was more than $200,000. It was the second county courthouse to be destroyed by fire. The first was burned by Union soldiers during the Civil War.
Among the early industries of Trigg County were distilleries, several of which were in operation in Cadiz Precinct shortly after the settlement of the county.
Think of Trigg County in its Sesquicentennial year of 1970 and thoughts of recreation pop up. Thoughts turned to fishing, boating, swimming, the beach and loafing around the plush new Barkley Lake State Park Resort. But the time was when Trigg County's major industry was far removed from recreation and leisure time. Trigg was once a leader in an area of about five counties along the Kentucky-Tennessee line which made a bid for the national spotlight in the iron making industry. Trigg County got into the iron producing picture as early as 1841 and had iron furnaces in operation off and on for a period of more than 70 years. Empire furnace was the first iron furnace in the county. The need for coal to be imported as fuel for these furnaces was an important factor leading to the construction of the Cadiz Railroad. Cadiz of the 1850's was thriving with a population of 600, with many county buildings, churches and "academies."
It has been said that Cadiz fulfills the scriptural text "a city set on a hill, and cannot be hid." It does stand on a hill and is a handsome and neat little city and its people are as courteous as the city is handsome.
The land in Trigg County is comparatively level in the east, with ranges of broken hills in the south and west. Tributaries of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers that cross the western portion of the county include the Little River. The soil is limestone with a red clay foundation, and farmland in the river and creek valleys is rich and productive. From the time the first settlers arrived, the area has been largely agricultural. Tobacco became the cash crop, and corn and other grains are also grown, as are beef and dairy cattle. Settlement of the county began in the late 1700s.
During its early years the county's major contact with the outside world was by steamboat on the waters of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. Landings at Linton, Canton, and Rock Castle were major shipping points. The coming of a railroad in adjoining Christian County and construction in 1901 of the Cadiz Railroad (abandoned in the late 1980s) to connect with a major line at Gracey was the beginning of the end for local river traffic. Improved highways, particularly the east-west U.S. 68, helped to move Trigg County into Kentucky's mainstream.
In the early 1930s the U.S. government acquired land for military and civilian projects, among them the construction of large dams on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, which formed Kentucky and Barkley lakes. The nucleus of the area's water playground, which attracts over a million visitors each year, is Lake Barkley State Resort Park. With the completion of I-24 through the northeastern section of the county, the lake's area became accessible to urban centers to the south, including Nashville.
The center of the county's commerce is Cadiz, the county seat, established in 1820. Other principal areas, none of which is now incorporated, are Canton, Linton, Cerulean, and Montgomery.
The population of Trigg County was 8,620 in 1970; 9,384 in 1980; and 10,361 in 1990. The Official County Website is located at http://www.barkleylake.com/ . Courthouse fires on 13 Dec 1864, 13 Jan 1892, and 29 Nov 1920 destroyed many records.
MARINAS
Prizer Point Marina and Resort
1777 Prizer Point Rd.
Cadiz, KY. 42211
1-800-548-2048
Lake Barkley State Resort Park and Marina
3500 State Park Rd.
Cadiz, KY. 42211
1-270-924-1131
Moon River Marina Resort
3025 Rockcastle Rd.
Cadiz, KY. 42211
1-888-557-7638
LODGING
Super 8 Motel
154 Hospitality Ln.
Cadiz, KY. 42211
1-270-522-7007
Holiday Inn Express
153 Broadbent Blvd.
Cadiz, KY 42211
1-270-522-3700
Super 7 Inn
5706 Hopkinsville Rd.
Cadiz, KY 42211
(270) 522-7554
Knights Inn
5698 Hopkinsville Rd.
Cadiz, KY 42211
(270) 522-9395
Lake Barkley State Resort Park and Marina
3500 State Park Rd.
Cadiz, KY. 42211
1-270-924-1131
Prizer Point Marina and Resort
1777 Prizer Point Rd.
Cadiz, KY. 42211
1-800-548-2048
Parkview Cottages
3535 Blue Springs Rd.
Cadiz, KY. 42211
1-270-924-5351
http://www.parkviewcottages.net
Wayside Motel
5511 Canton Rd.
Cadiz, KY. 42211
1-270-924-1181
Savage Ridge Cabin Rentals
29 Cunningham Ln.
Cadiz, KY. 42211
1-270-522-6080
Goodnite Motel
278 Main St.
Cadiz, KY 42211
1-270-522-3213
LAUNCHING RAMPS
Cadiz Launching Ramp at West Cadiz Park
Lake Barkley State Resort Park and Marina
Devils Elbow Launching Ramp
Calhoun Hill Access Area Ramp
Donaldson Creek Access Area Ramp
Linton Recreation Area Launching Area Ramp
