The Kentucky River flows almost 225 miles from its origin near Pine Mountain in eastern Kentucky to Carrolton, where it joins the Ohio. In the Bluegrass, between Frankfort and Boonesborough, the meandering river is framed by palisades imposing cliffs that rise more than 250 feet above the river's surface. The palisades were formed over several million years, as the river cut slowly downward into the hard limestone and dolomite. The rocks you see are about 460 million years old the oldest exposed rocks at the surface in Kentucky.
The wooded corridors of the Kentucky River Palisades ecosystem serve as a migration route for birds and a travel corridor for wildlife. They are home to several endangered plants, including cleft phlox and mountain lover. Salamanders found nowhere else in central Kentucky live high above the river and four species of endangered bats, including Gray bats, Indiana bats and the rare Keen's bat, inhabit the cliff caves. The only natural vegetation remaining in the Inner Bluegrass Region is found in this ecosystem.
Of the artists inspired by the Kentucky River, Paul Sawyier is the best known. Sawyier, born in 1865, grew up in Frankfort. He studied art in Cincinnati and New York for several years, returning to Kentucky in 1891. He began concentrating on landscape painting, primarily in watercolor,
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his favorite medium. Between 1908 and 1913 Sawyier spent a good deal of time on the Kentucky River, living and working aboard a houseboat docked at the foot of High Bridge. The paintings he created during those years include some of his most popular work.
Location. 37° 49.069′ N, 84° 42.987′ W. Marker is near Wilmore, Kentucky, in Jessamine County. It is on Old Park Road 0.1 miles east of Lock 7 Road, on the right when traveling east. Marker is in High Bridge Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wilmore KY 40390, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Bluegrass Region and in Greater Lexington Area. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 5, 2023
Also see . . . Paul Sawyier. Sawyier worked mostly in watercolor and is best known for his scenes in the Frankfort, Kentucky area and New York. (Completely Kentucky Wiki) (Submitted on March 15, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 553 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 15, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
