Evidence shows the Native Americans lived as well as hunted in Kentucky some 13,000 years ago. However, once the Europeans arrived, they brought epidemic diseases with them which harmed the Native American population quite a bit. By mid-1700s, just a few Native Americans lived in Kentucky and these were primarily the Cherokee, the Shawnee and the Mingo.
In the 1750s and 1760s Dr Thomas Walker, John Finley, Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone praised Kentucky for its natural abundant and game. This attracted many settlers to Kentucky. However, it was James Harrod who established the first permanent settlement in 1774. Later, Fort Boonesborough was constructed in 1775 and then a plethora of other settlements was created.
On June 1, 1792, Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the fifteenth state but preferred to be known as a Commonwealth. The first governor of Kentucky was Isaac Shelby and the state capital was Frankfort.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky became prosperous with agriculture and tobacco was its main cash crop. It was also one of the main suppliers of hemp, which was used in making rope and fiber products. The other main crop of Kentucky was corn, which is the main ingredient in Bourbon whisky that was developed in 1789 by Reverend Elijah Craig.
When the Civil War started in 1861, Kentucky was caught in the middle. Although Kentucky proclaimed itself to be neutral, both the Confederates and the Union realized its importance and openly recruited men for their armies. In fact, Abraham Lincoln, the Union president, and Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, were both born in Kentucky just 100 miles apart.
After the Civil War ended, Kentucky's tobacco production increased drastically because of the development of burley tobacco. Even today the state is one of the major producers of burley tobacco. However, it is transportation equipment which is the state's mainstay when it comes to revenue generation. Along with this tourism is the state's third largest industry given its 49 state parks and hundreds of historical and cultural attractions.
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