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The Kentucky River flows generally northwestward across Kentucky. Its headwaters are in the Cumberland plateau, part of the Appalachian Mountains. The Kentucky has three major headwaters, the South, Middle and North forks. These meet near the small town of Beatyville, southeast of Lexington. In this part of its course, the river cuts swiftly into the plateau, creating a deep steep-sided, and often forested valley. As the Kentucky leaves the Appalachians, its valley widens and it meanders across the blue-grass country, reaching the Ohio at Carollton, midway between Louisville and Cincinnati. The distance between headwaters and mouth is about 420 kilometres (260 miles). The main tributaries are the South, Middle, and North Forks, the Dix, and the Red River. The Kentucky was used as an important routeway for exploration. Memorials to this period are the Boonesboro Park and Museum, marking where Daniel Boone built a fort in 1775. The major city on the Kentucky is Frankfort, the state capital. The Kentucky is navigable in its lowest reaches as a result of a series of locks in much the same way as the Ohio has been turned into a deepwater channel. |
