The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1921-03-11

The intimate story of the initial
settlement of the Central West is be-
ing laid out at the University of
Chicago go that for the first time he.
whose time is brief, may read the
tale. The university Libraries are
Just bringing to a close eight years
OF work on the arrangement Of a col
lection regarded as unquestionably
the best of it's kind.
Through the acquisition of this
material and the way in which it has
been made readily disable, the uni
verslty librarians believe that Chi.
cago hereafter will be one of the
| chief centers, if not the first, for the
study of the history of the opening
OF the American West. The collec-
| ton and the work on it has thus far
| cost the university more than $780,
900.
1t is to the history of Kentucky,
the first State to be organized west OF
the Alleghanies, that the university's
treasures chiefly relate. It's thanks
for there being such. a collection be-
long to Col. Reuben T. Durrett, a
Louisville editor, who gathered ev-
erything about Kentucky that he
|
In many another Western or
Southern State such Acquisitions
might have an interest chiefly local,
but the fact that when the Virginia
emigrants crossed the mountains
into Kentucky they began the open
ing of the West, gives their diaries,
journals and documents peculiar
significance.
Among the chief prizes of the col
lection are the minutes of the last
five conventions, at which the Ken
lucky settlers asked Statehood. Be-
tween 1884 and 1888 they held no
less than IL conventions. The rec
ords of the last district convention.
at which the first State constitution
in the West was drawn up, are to be
found here. So are also the papers
of the first Western Governor. Isaac
Shelby.
One of the choice exhibits of the
collection consists of plea for sup
port of the adoption of the constitu-
tion of the United States, addressed
by james Madison, later President,
to the Kentuckians. At that early
date Kentucky was a part of Vir-
ginia, and Madison wrote Col. George
Nicholas. Virginian going West,
urging him to get the Kentucky
counties to send favorable delegates
to the Virginia convention that was
to consider adoption of the Federal
{ Constitution. Edward A. Henry, in
charge of the collection, reports these
, letters have never been published.
More than 200 gallons of whisky
were subscribed for the support OF
one of Kentucky's early ministers,
according to one of the curiosities Of
the collection. This is subscrip-
, ton list, passed around in 1907, for
the Rev. Joshua Lacy Wilson, a
Presbyterian clergyman of Bards-
town, KY The pledges totalled 3
pounds sterling, 268 shillings, zoe
pounds of flour, 1920 pounds of
pork, Is yards of linen, 100 pounds
of beef, 68 bushels of wheat and 2i2
gallons of whisky. Whether or not
the Rev. Mr.. Wilson considered the
subscription inadequate or not is not
recorded, but he removed the same
year to Cincinnati, where from 1907
to 1916 he was pastor Of the First
Presbyterisn church and pillar Of
western Presbyterianfsm. The uni
versity has his papers.
The most complete record of the
Spanish conspiracy" which sought
to detach a great part of the West
for Spain, leading to the final dis
grace of Aaron Burr, to be found ir
this country is here. The university
has also every printed history Of
Kentucky, as we'll as many in manu-
script and a great number of diarie:
of early settlers and travellers.