Kentucky Off the Beaten Path® by Zoe Strecker

Author:Zoe Strecker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Globe Pequot Press
Published: 2015-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

Iron Country

If these United States can be called a body, Kentucky can be called its heart.

These words are from the first stanza of “Kentucky Is My Land,” a poem by the late poet laureate of Kentucky, Jesse Stuart, a wholesome, hopeful writer whose work was deeply rooted in his eastern Kentucky homeland. Because W-­Hollow was Stuart’s home and source of inspiration, more than 700 acres have been made into a pastoral museum and maintained as Stuart knew it—cattle graze in some pastures and young forests are being allowed to grow to maturity. The Jesse Stuart State Nature Preserve lies between Highways 1 and 2 just west of Greenup, off US 23. Visitors can walk the hills and fields Stuart walked and visit Op’s Cabin, the old white clapboard house where he did some of his writing. For those who know his work, the fictional Laurel Ridge is Seaton Ridge. His home borders the preserve but is private property. The Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission (502-573-2886; ky.gov/naturepreserves/Pages/jessestuart.aspx) maintains the nature preserve and the Jesse Stuart Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and sharing Stuart’s work. To order books, write the foundation at 1645 Winchester Avenue, Ashland 41101, call (606) 236-1667, or visit jsfbooks.com.

Continue south on Highway 1 to Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, where the lodge is named after Jesse Stuart and even includes a reading room where you can enjoy his novels, short stories, and poems. The last weekend in September the park hosts a Jesse Stuart Weekend, during which speakers lecture on the life and works of Stuart, a guided tour of W-­Hollow is given, and exhibits are open. Otherwise, the lake is marvelous for fishing, the dining room is popular, and camping is available. The 24-mile-­long Michael Tygart Trail connects the park with the Jenny Wiley National Recreation Trail. Call (606) 473-7324, or check ky.gov/resortparks/Greenbo-Lake/default.aspx for more information about the park or the festival.

Poetry in Motion—Relocated to Eastern Kentucky

It has been 150 years since large numbers of elk ranged freely in these mountains. In fact, every elk was entirely extirpated from Kentucky until now. Every year for the next decade, 200 elk will be released into the wild with the hope that in two decades their population will increase to more than 8,300. This program may be the largest relocation of game animals in modern times. Initially the elk will be released in Perry, Knott, and Breathitt Counties in wildlife refuge lands inside the Robinson Forest and in the Cyprus Amax Wildlife Management Area. It all makes perfect sense. You just have to know the code.

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