Original: The river and its tributaries drain much of the central region of the state , with its upper course passing through the coal-mining regions of the Cumberland Mountains , and its lower course passing through the Bluegrass region in the north central part of the state .
Simplified: According to Robert F. Collins of the United States Forest Service , Dr. Thomas Walker named the river , in 1750 , Louisa River , after Princess Louisa , the wife of Prince William Augustus , Duke of Cumberland .