Cloverport History 1729-1802

Cloverport History 1729-1802. . , Cloverport's early beginnings occurred midway through the westward movement in the Kentucky Territory. The vast resources Kentucky had to offer attracted people before 1729. Interest in the trading potential of the river and thick virgin woods brought the first settlers to Cloverport. Many of these settlers left the Cloverport area to continue westward to Texas where several became prominent in the Mexican War and politics., Joseph Houston arrived in 1797, five years after Kentucky became the fifteenth state, and was among the first influential settlers in the area. The East Side of Clover Creek interested Houston and within a couple of years he purchased property around the creek. The area was soon known as Joe's Landing and Houston built the first wharf and warehouse., Over the next several years Joe's Landing would see fast growth and changes. Construction of the county's first road from Joe's Landing to the Breckinridge County Courthouse began in 1801 under the supervision of Jacob Weatherholt. On October 15, 1802, Houston was granted a license to run a ferry, which became known as the upper ferry and may have been located about Clover Creek near Slick Creek. The ferry handled salt and merchandise then later carried wood to and from rafts, flatboats, and keelboats.