South Fork Kentucky River is a river in Kentucky in the United States . It is a fork of the Kentucky River that it joins just downstream of Beattyville . It is approximately 30 mi (48 km) long.
41-501: It was not originally named South Fork. Two of its three major tributaries are the forks at its head, the Red Bird River and Goose Creek , whose confluence is at Oneida . Before the 19th century, Goose Creek also incorporated what is today known as South Fork Kentucky River. It flows generally north in a highly meandering course through the mountainous Cumberland Plateau region. Several largely ineffective attempts were made in
82-469: A distinction is drawn between Red Bird Creek, which is the reach upstream of the confluence with Phillips Fork, and Red Bird River, which is the reach downstream; although the KGS Fourth Report in 1918 made no such distinction and simply named whole thing Redbird Creek. The meeting point of Clay, Bell, and Leslie counties is just east of Sandy Fork. Red Bird was the name of a Native American who
123-527: A local miller, at the mouth of Phillips Fork. Postmaster James F. Asher moved it upstream to just 50 yards (46 m) away from the county line in 1902. It closed in June 1913. The Sandy Fork post office was established on 1877-02-26 by postmaster J. R. Fairchild. It was located at the mouth of the same-named Sandy Fork, and changed name to Sandyfork in March 1894. It closed on 1911-09-30. The Roark post office
164-587: A mine on Lick Fork. Red Bird River Petroglyphs The Red Bird River Petroglyphs , also known as the Red Bird Petroglyphs are a series of petroglyphs , or carvings, on a stone in Clay County , Kentucky . The rock originally was situated along the Red Bird River but was moved to a park in Manchester after it fell onto the roadway below in 1994. The Red Bird River Petroglyphs have been assigned
205-642: A school and hospital. This was to become the Red Bird Mission and Settlement School , built by the Women's Missionary Society of the Evangelical Church of Pennsylvania. It has operated a sales outlet for local craftspeople, a community store, several schools, fifteen churches across five counties, a hospital, and a clinic. The Jacks Creek post office was established on 1932-02-26 by postmaster Marion Hensley. It closed in June 1954. The Burns post office
246-788: Is 7.2 feet per mile (1.36 m/km). The headwaters of Red Bird River are in north-eastern Bell County , separated from the rest of that county by the Kentucky Ridge . It constitutes the county line between Clay and Leslie Counties for a 6.5 miles (10.5 km) reach. Kentucky Route 66 follows the course of the River from Oneida to the Clay–;Bell County line. The two Bear Creek tributaries are sometimes distinguished as Lower Bear Creek and Upper Bear Creek. The two Jack's Creek tributaries are likewise sometimes distinguished as Lower Jack's Creek and Upper Jack's Creek. Similarly, on some modern maps
287-523: Is also credited in a similar story with coining the name of Hector Creek, naming it after his hunting dog that was killed by a bear on its banks. Local schoolteacher and minister John Jay Dickey recorded the Gilberts's tales in his diary in the 1890s. Chief Red Bird and Jack are not recorded in any history books at all from the early 19th century, only being recorded by Dickey as aforementioned and by Richard Collins (revising his father Lewis's earlier work) in
328-602: Is roofed over and fenced. The original site was enrolled on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1989, but was delisted in 2003 after the inscribed stone was relocated. The inscribed surface measures 1.6 m (5.5 ft) in height and 6 m (20 ft) in length. The sharply incised and linear carvings have been described as "different from any of the previously reported Kentucky petroglyphs." Construction and later widening of Highway 66 undermined
369-608: The Gardner Station on the railroad for the Bringardner Lumber Company , owned by Fred Bringardner of Lexington . The post office was at the mouth of Lick Fork. The Bringardner Lumber Company's railway operated out of what was at the time known as Asher's Fork, further upstream towards the Beverly post office. Charles Bringardner, Fred's son, sales manager, and a later president of Bringardner Lumber, also later operated
410-704: The Smithsonian trinomial identifier 15CY51 They are sometimes confused with the nearby Red Bird River Shelter Petroglyphs, 15CY52, a separate set of carvings on the opposite bank of the river. On December 7, 1994, the 50-ton stone bearing the petroglyphs fell from a sandstone cliff above the Red Bird River, onto Kentucky Route 66 at Lower Red Bird. On December 9, 1994, it was transported to its present location in Rawlings/Stinson Park in Manchester, where it
451-523: The 1870s; however there were two Red Bird post offices and several other things named after (at least) the river and the two creeks. The first Red Bird post office is largely a mystery. It is known to have operated from 1828 to 1831, but its location and postmaster are unknown, and its location only narrowed down as far as being either on Red Bird Creek next to the mouth of Big Creek or somewhere on Big Creek. The second Red Bird post office in Bell County
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#1732855576678492-495: The 19th century to make South Fork navigable all of the way upstream to the Goose Creek Salt Works . An Act of the legislature on 1811-01-10 enabled a lottery to raise US$ 10,000 (equivalent to $ 183,120 in 2023) towards making this reach of the river navigable, and several times the scheme was allowed more time, but by 1813 still nothing had come of it. Between 1837 and 1845 US$ 3,022 (equivalent to $ 98,819 in 2023)
533-517: The Annalee post office that was to become Peabody. Bowling's first choice of name had been Flat Creek. It was located at the Flat Creek mouth on Red Bird, and closed in 1972. The Skidmore post office was established on 1876-08-03 by postmaster J. D. Asher. It was named after his successor Andrew C. Skidmore who took over from Asher on 1876-10-27. It was in the store of Joasiah Asher, J. D. Asher being
574-493: The Brittons did not consider it important enough to make a fuss about the name. It was originally established at the Brittons's home at the mouth of Hector Creek, but moved three times. The first move was to the east side of the Red Bird River, south of the mouth of Big Creek, which was the result of its reëstablishment after the hiatus on 1943-08-29 by George C. Hensley. The second move was back north in 1944 by Mary W. Bowling to
615-620: The Goose Creek and Red Bird valleys, Dillion Asher (1774–1844), who back in 1800 had lived in a minor tributary hollow just downstream of the Phillip's Fork. He may or may not have been the first tollgate keeper at Cumberland Ford, the Asher family history saying that he was but Robert L. Kincaid in The Wilderness Road saying that it was rather one Robert Craig. He definitely had a lean-to at
656-483: The New World in 1492. The alphabets are first century Greek and Hebrew , Old Libyan, Old Arabic and Iberian-Punic which probably dates from the 9th century B.C. Ogam , Germanic runes and Tiffinag-Numidian are also on this stone." Paul Myhre commented on this, writing that "An exact translation has not been accomplished. Neither has the origin of the language or marks on the stone been determined despite what
697-633: The Red Bird Lumber Company near to Marcum post office. Charles was commissioned as a junior lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve in World War 2 , with M. R. McCorckle of McCorckle Lumber running Bringardner Lumber whilst he was away. The Flat Creek post office was established on 1857-08-15 by postmaster Felix G. Gilbert. It is not known exactly where it was located and it closed on 1861-09-06. The Van Camp post office
738-519: The South Fork portion being 42 miles (68 km) and 131.5 feet (40.1 m) of that. It recorded the width as varying between 150 and 200 feet (46 and 61 m). The Kentucky River basin, including South Fork and its tributaries, suffered a major flood in January and February 1957, although that did not exceed the highest on record for South Fork specifically, as Goose Creek's record at that point had been
779-520: The USPS forms. She in turn died in 1890, the postmastership passing to her husband, who in his turn died in 1910 with their son John Beverly Knuckles taking over the postmastership. The USPS requested a change of name in August 1911, and the post office finally became Beverly . John was replaced by his wife Myrtle as postmaster on 1913-12-22. In the latter part of the 20th century the Beverly post office moved to
820-416: The creek for most of it. The Eriline post office was established on 1902-12-09 and lasted until 1988, with a 32-year hiatus from 1911. It was supposed to be named after Eveline (some sources spell as Evaline) Britton (1861–1939), wife of Van Britton (1855–1911) its first postmaster, but the clerks at the USPS could not read the handwriting on the application form, naming it Eriline instead, and
861-501: The creek mouth. After closing on 1884-05-08 it was reëstablished at the mouth of Flat Creek by on 1885-01-16 by postmaster Christopher Bowling. After later moving back to Spring Creek, it closed in October 1944. The Marcum post office was established on 1908-03-11 by postmaster Henry B. Marcum Jr. It was named after his family, descendants of Henry's grandfather Thomas Marcum who was an early settler on Red Bird some time around 1812. It
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#1732855576678902-464: The family. As is the Asher post office on the Beech Fork of Middle Fork Kentucky River to the west. The family included the aforementioned Richard Wilkerson Asher, J. D. Asher, Josiah Asher, and James F. Asher. Other Ashers were Matilda Asher, who lived on Saw-Pit Branch, a Mrs Asher (forename unrecorded) who had a mine 1.375 miles (2.213 km) upstream on Phillips Fork, and A. J. Asher who had
943-516: The flood of June and July 1947. Peak water levels at Manchester were 2 feet (0.61 m) lower than those of the 1947 flood. However at Booneville the peak levels were 1.7 feet (0.52 m) higher than those of 1947. 25 homes and 34 commercial buildings were flooded in Manchester; with an estimate cost of the damage exceeding US$ 200,000 (equivalent to $ 2,169,668 in 2023). 20 homes and 10 other buildings were flooded in Oneida, with approximately 80% of
984-558: The ford in 1797, but he moved to Upper Red Bird shortly afterwards. He had passed through he area earlier in 1777, planting some peach seeds along the way, and he came back to see how they had fared. He built a log home there in 1799, which still stands on the grounds of the Red Bird River Community Hospital of the United Brethren Church. The Asher Fork post office and tributary of Goose Creek are named for
1025-645: The head of the South Fork Kentucky River , the other being the Goose Creek . It is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest , in the southeast of the U.S. state of Kentucky . It is 34.3 miles (55.2 km) long and drains the eastern half of Clay County. At its mouth, the Red Bird River's mean annual discharge is 336.62 cubic feet per second (9,532 L/s). It drains an area of 195.7 square miles (507 km ). Its overall gradient
1066-497: The inscribed surface and left it 16 feet above the roadway. It is estimated that it was originally at chest height before construction of the highway. A state historical marker on the river attributes the markings to the Cherokee Chief Red Bird, for whom the river was named. In the book Rock Art of Kentucky the authors write that "No mention of Chief Red Bird could be found in several early Kentucky histories published in
1107-545: The mouth of a left branch of Hector now known as Davidson Branch and earlier known as Jim Hubbard's Branch, close to where Burns had been years before. It closed in 1977. A gap named Hector Gap connects the headwaters of Hector Creek to the Lockhart Creek tributary of Goose Creek . Kentucky Route 149 crosses that gap and follows Hector Creek for the whole of its course, the Daniel Boone Parkway also following
1148-485: The mouth of the Lawson Branch of Lawson Creek, some 2.5 miles (4.0 km) away. It is still open as of the 21st century. R. W. Asher was a storekeeper and a preacher, and in his time the post office served a small area with a corn mill, a school, and a church. Bill Knuckles was also a storekeeper, and also a lawyer. John Beverly Knuckles and Millard F. Knuckles were landowners, who in 1921 offered their land to build
1189-570: The nineteenth century. Therefore we contacted the Kentucky Historical Society and received the following letter (Wentworth 1969): "You will note that on our marker we say that he was a legendary Cherokee Indian. There is much legend in the area, but very little of any specific nature and no reliable dates are available." A sign adjacent to the relocated stone in Manchester states that "At least 8 Old World alphabets are engraved on it. These alphabets were extinct when Columbus arrived in
1230-588: The sign claims." Jason Colavito stated that "In reality, the carvings bear little to no resemblance to the alphabets they supposedly represent and are geometric inscriptions. They could be Native or colonial or both; they have yet to be studies to determine their origin. Fringe theorists have simply scoured various Old World scripts looking for similarities, and didn’t do a very good job of it, either. Nevertheless, Manchester commemorates these fringe interpretations with its interpretive sign." The city of Manchester itself has said that "While some historians believe this
1271-532: The town under water, in some places by as much as 9 feet (2.7 m). 31 homes and 1 other building were flooded in Booneville. A road connects a left branch of Crane Creek via a gap to the Wildcat Branch of Goose Creek. A road connects a left branch of Upper Teges Creek to Crane Creek. Red Bird River The Red Bird River (a.k.a. Red Bird Creek or Redbird Creek ) is one of two tributaries at
South Fork Kentucky River - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-482: The west of the Red Bird, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from the then Jacks Creek post office. The third move took it upriver in 1949, and at its closure in 1988 it was still on the west side of the Red Bird, at the junction of Kentucky Route 66 and Jacks Creek Road. The Spring Creek post office was established on 1876-07-10 by postmaster Jesse Mattingly. It was located at several sites on Spring Creek at or just upstream of
1353-409: Was after some person whose name in turn was taken from Biblical figure Herod Antipas , no such person being recorded in the area, however. The third, and least likely, account, from George R. Stewart's American Place Names dictionary, is that it was named after antepasti . The Gardner post office was established on 1931-05-31 and run by postmaster Ray Kevil Carter until August 1940. It served
1394-401: Was established on 1876-10-24 by postmaster Richard Wilkerson Asher. It was located at the mouth of Cow Creek and remained there as it passed through the hands of successive family members. When R. W. Asher died in 1884 it passed to his daughter Amanda "Mandy" Jane, who married one William R. "Bill" Knuckles. She attempted to rename the post office Knuckles, but she misspelled it as Nuckles on
1435-444: Was established on 1892-06-20 by postmaster Harriet Burns. She had wanted the names Burns Store, Hector, or Hayes (after a local family). It was located 5 miles (8.0 km) upstream on Hector Creek, and closed in August 1893. The Hector post office was established on 1900-12-28 by postmaster Arazona Davidson. It was originally 3.5 miles (5.6 km) upstream on Hector Creek, but was moved in 1924 by postmaster Jane L. Chadwell to
1476-534: Was established on 1907-01-29 by postmasters John A. and Lucy F. Roark. Located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) upstream on (Upper) Jack's Creek it has been operated by members of the Roark family, all descendants of early John Coke Roark from Roanoke, Virginia . It is still there today. A family named Asher settled in the Upper Red Bird Creek area in the 19th century, descendents of early settler and local landowner in
1517-421: Was established on 1924-09-29 by postmaster Jable L. Stewart. It was located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) upstream on Flat Creek at the mouth of its Rocky Fork. Stewart's first choice of name had been Sand Hills after the creek's headwaters, but this was rejected by the USPS. It closed in September 1938. The Creekville post office was established on 1928-09-01 by postmaster Bascom C. Bowling, one-time postmaster of
1558-642: Was here, some 2.5 miles (4.0 km) upstream of Oneida, that it closed in November 1936. There are several competing hypotheses recorded for the origin of its name. Clay County historian Jess D. Wilson , in his book When They Hanged The Fiddler , gives the most directly sourced: a story from his own family lore about the local preacher waiting for "Andy's passing" in the middle of church services, as Wilson's great-grandfather Andy Baker would drunkenly and noisily pass by. Another account, supported by George R. Stewart 's American Given Names dictionary, states that it
1599-586: Was murdered near the river, according to a 19th-century tale that traces back at least to an early settler and preacher named John Gilbert. The story goes that a Chief Red Bird with his housekeeper Jack were murdered just upstream of the creek mouth of Hector Creek, at the former site of the Red Bird River Petroglyphs . Jack's Creek (the Lower one) is named after the Jack in the tale. Gilbert, or his son Abijah,
1640-519: Was originally located just below and across from the mouth of Sugar Creek. Some time before 1928 it moved upstream by 1 mile (1.6 km) to across from the mouth of Gilbert Creek. It closed in June 1984. The Antepast post office was established on 1910-01-20 by postmaster Wilson T. Martin. It was originally located on Red Bird 1.5 miles (2.4 km) downstream of the mouth of (Lower) Beaar Creek, and moved 2 miles (3.2 km) further downstream in November 1932 under postmaster Howell T. Bowling. It
1681-664: Was spent clearing obstructions from this reach. One of the biggest impediments was an area known as The Narrows , a 1.2-mile-long (1.9 km) reach of the river 4.5 miles (7.2 km) downstream of the Goose Creek/Red Bird fork where it descended by 12.5 feet (3.8 m). A survey of the reach between the Salt Works and the Soft Fork mouth was performed in 1836–1837. It recorded the entire length as 68.5 miles (110.2 km) descending 206.7 feet (63.0 m) in total, with