The Kentucky River
By: William E. Ellis.
Series: The Ohio River Valley series
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Lexington, Ky
Language: eng
Number of pages: 226
Subjects: Interviews -- Kentucky -- Kentucky River.; Oral history.; Kentucky River (Ky.) -- History.; Kentucky River (Ky.) -- Biography.
Genres: Biography.
Description: "Beginning with an intriguing overview of the river's formation and characteristics, Ellis shows how the stream has helped shape Kentucky's environment, economy, and political culture. In centuries past, flotillas of flatboats carried whiskey, pork, and valuable raw materials downriver to markets in Louisiana. Later, the river became a source of entertainment as showboats brought theater, movies, music, and dancing to otherwise isolated communities.".

"Ellis also chronicles the effects of human interaction with the river. Bridges, ferry landings, locks, and dams appear around every bend, and individuals have continually tried to harness and control the river's power in the face of flood and drought. The book describes the environmental impact of settlement, logging, mining, and industrialization, developments that have sometimes tainted the Kentucky's mighty waters with silt, sewage, and trash."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [212]-219) and index.