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Copyright 2001. The Lazy 'C' - All rights reserved.
history
The state seal imprinted on a field of navy blue was approved by the General Assembly in 1928. The original flag is displayed in Frankfort at the Kentucky History Museum.
Nickname: The Blue Grass State.
Capital: Frankfort.
Constitution: The 15th State.
Statehood: June 1st 1792.
Motto: United we stand, divided we fall
History:
As long as 15,000 years ago, Indians probably lived in what is now western Kentucky. Early white explorers found many different tribes in the region.
In 1750, Thomas Walker, a pioneer scout, made the first thorough exploration of Kentucky. James Harrod and Daniel Boone led settlers into the region during the 1770's. Kentucky became a county of Virginia in 1776.
Kentucky stayed in the Union during the American Civil War (1861-1865), but many Kentuckians favoured the South. The state was affected by the depression that hit the South after the war. From 1904 to 1909, farmers in western Kentucky broke a tobacco-buying monopoly, during a series of raids known as the Black Patch War.
Strip mining, a method of coal mining that causes soil erosion and water pollution, came under attack during the 1970's. In 1978, a federal law went into effect that requires strip mine owners to restore the land.
Bird:
Cardinal - The pleasant melodies of this red-crested song bird are heard year round in Kentucky. The male boasts a vivid red plumage; the female is light brown with red highlights.
Economy:
Agriculture: Horses, cattle, tobacco, dairy products, hogs, soybeans, corn.
Industry: Transportation equipment, chemical products, electric equipment, machinery, food processing, tobacco products, coal, tourism.
Flower:
Goldenrod - Solidago altissima The golden plumes of this wildflower line Kentucky's roadsides in the fall. Native to all of Kentucky, 30 of nearly 100 species of this herb are found here.
Nickname:
BLUEGRASS STATE -- Bluegrass is not really blue--it's green--but in the spring, bluegrass produces bluish-purple buds that when seen in large fields give a rich blue cast to the grass. Early pioneers found bluegrass growing on Kentucky's rich limestone soil, and traders began asking for the seed of the "blue grass from Kentucky." The name stuck and today Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State.
Origin of state's name:
Based on the Iroquois Indian word "Ken-tah-ten," meaning "land of tomorrow".
Tree:
Sometimes called the tulip poplar, this tree is not a poplar at all, but a member of the magnolia family. It can grow to 145 feet and live for 200 years. It blossoms in May with yellow-green flowers resembling tulips.
COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY -- Kentucky is one of four states to call itself a "commonwealth." In 1792 when Kentucky became the 15th state—the first on the western frontier—both "commonwealth" and "state" were used. Commonwealth, meaning government based on the common consent of the people, dates to the time of Oliver Cromwell's England in the mid-1600s. The other U.S. commonwealths, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, were originally British colonies. Kentucky, once part of Virginia, chose to remain a commonwealth when it separated from Virginia.
As long as 15,000 years ago, Indians probably lived in what is now western Kentucky. Early white explorers found many different tribes in the region.
In 1750, Thomas Walker, a pioneer scout, made the first thorough exploration of Kentucky. James Harrod and Daniel Boone led settlers into the region during the 1770's. Kentucky became a county of Virginia in 1776.
Kentucky stayed in the Union during the American Civil War (1861-1865), but many Kentuckians favoured the South. The state was affected by the depression that hit the South after the war. From 1904 to 1909, farmers in western Kentucky broke a tobacco-buying monopoly, during a series of raids known as the Black Patch War.
Strip mining, a method of coal mining that causes soil erosion and water pollution, came under attack during the 1970's. In 1978, a federal law went into effect that requires strip mine owners to restore the land.
Bird:
Cardinal - The pleasant melodies of this red-crested song bird are heard year round in Kentucky. The male boasts a vivid red plumage; the female is light brown with red highlights.
Economy:
Agriculture: Horses, cattle, tobacco, dairy products, hogs, soybeans, corn.
Industry: Transportation equipment, chemical products, electric equipment, machinery, food processing, tobacco products, coal, tourism.
Flower:
Goldenrod - Solidago altissima The golden plumes of this wildflower line Kentucky's roadsides in the fall. Native to all of Kentucky, 30 of nearly 100 species of this herb are found here.
Nickname:
BLUEGRASS STATE -- Bluegrass is not really blue--it's green--but in the spring, bluegrass produces bluish-purple buds that when seen in large fields give a rich blue cast to the grass. Early pioneers found bluegrass growing on Kentucky's rich limestone soil, and traders began asking for the seed of the "blue grass from Kentucky." The name stuck and today Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State.
Origin of state's name:
Based on the Iroquois Indian word "Ken-tah-ten," meaning "land of tomorrow".
Tree:
Sometimes called the tulip poplar, this tree is not a poplar at all, but a member of the magnolia family. It can grow to 145 feet and live for 200 years. It blossoms in May with yellow-green flowers resembling tulips.
COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY -- Kentucky is one of four states to call itself a "commonwealth." In 1792 when Kentucky became the 15th state—the first on the western frontier—both "commonwealth" and "state" were used. Commonwealth, meaning government based on the common consent of the people, dates to the time of Oliver Cromwell's England in the mid-1600s. The other U.S. commonwealths, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, were originally British colonies. Kentucky, once part of Virginia, chose to remain a commonwealth when it separated from Virginia.