Blue Licks Battlefield State Park

Blue Licks Battlefield State Park

Infobox park
park=Blue Licks Battlefield State Park



image size=300px
caption= Historical marker at the battle site. In the background, a crowd watches a reenactment of the battle.
type=Kentucky state park
location=Robertson County, Kentucky
coordinates=
size=148 acres
opened=
operator=Kentucky Department of Parks and the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission
annual visitors=
status=Open year-round

Blue Licks Battlefield State Park is a park located near Mount Olivet, Kentucky in Robertson County. The park encompasses convert|148|acre|km2, and features a monument commemorating the August 19, 1782 Battle of Blue Licks. The battle was regarded as the final battle of the American Revolutionary War.cite book |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter |title="The Kentucky Encyclopedia" |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=0813117720 |chapter=Parks, State]

History

In 1782, British Captain William Caldwell led a force of Indians against the small Kentucky settlement of Bryan's Station. Caldwell met stiff resistance, and after two days, retreated toward the Ohio River. The pioneers – Daniel Boone among them – were inclined to wait for reinforcements before pursuing the enemy, but Major Hugh McGary made a brash and fateful decision to pursue immediately, engaging Caldwell at Blue Licks. In the battle that followed, 60 of the 176 men who followed McGary were killed, Boone's son Israel among them. Another 7 were captured. Reinforcements under George Rogers Clark eventually arrived and drove Caldwell's forces from Kentucky for good.cite book |title="Encyclopedia of Kentucky" |chapter=Blue Licks Battlefield State Park |publisher=Somerset Publishers |location=New York, New York |year=1987 |isbn=0403099811]

By the mid-19th century, the Blue Licks area had become a health resort, due in large part to the nearby saltwater springs that had been used for "salt making" since the 1770s. The mineral water found in the springs was rumored to cure everything from asthma to gout. By 1896, however, the area's last spring had gone dry. Efforts to locate another spring unearthed several geological and historical artifacts. A more extensive excavation of the area was conducted in 1945.

The battlefield was once on the National Register of Historic Places, but the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program determined in the 1990s that the site's integrity was too destroyed, causing the removal of the battlefield from the Register. However, a team from Morehead State University is to search the battlefield using modern equipment to explore for artifacts relating to the battlefields. Enough success in this endeavor could mean the return of the battlefield to the Register. [Crawford, Bryon. Team to seek signs of Blue Licks battle "Courier-Journal" February 17, 2008]

Natural features

The park is located along the Licking River, and offers canoing and fishing. The Licking River Trail offers a one-mile (1.6 km) hike along the riverbank.cite book |last=Bailey |first=Bill |title=Kentucky State Parks |publisher=Glovebox Guidebooks of America |location=Saginaw, Michigan |year=1995 |isbn=1881139131 |chapter=Blue Licks Battlefield State Park]

The park also contains a 15 acre nature preserve that is home to the endangered Short's goldenrod. The annual Short's Goldenrod Festival is co-hosted by Blue Licks State Park and the [http://www.naturepreserves.ky.gov/ Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission] . The festival raises money to support the nature preserve and promote the survival of the species. [cite web |url=http://www.naturepreserves.ky.gov/newsroom/goldenrodfestival.htm |title=Short's Goldenrod Festival |publisher=Kentucky Department of Parks |accessdate=2007-02-05]

Attractions

The Pioneer Museum is the park's major attraction. It houses a variety of artifacts, from a mastodon tooth found during an excavation of the site to relics from the American Civil War.

Events

The Battle of Blue Licks celebration is held annually in mid-August, and features a re-enactment of the Battle of Blue Licks.

The [http://www.naturepreserves.ky.gov/newsroom/goldenrodfestival.htm Short's Goldenrod Festival] is a celebration of one of the rarest plants in Kentucky and the United States. The festival is held annually on the last week of September. Learn more about Short's goldenrod by visiting the [http://eppcapps.ky.gov/nprareplants/ Kentucky Rare Plants Database] .

References


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