Brooklyn’s Ghost on the Kentucky

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The BROOKLYN was built by Howard Shipyard, Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1930 as the HELEN H. Her hull was originally 85' by 22' by 4.3'. The vessel burned in 1942 at Davenport, Iowa. It was rebuilt at Paducah in 1943, lengthened 14' and given the name COURTNEY H. The owner at this time was Walter G. Hougland & Sons. The overall dimensions of the vessel were now 120' by 24'. She was sold to the Cumberland River Sand & Gravel Company in 1948.

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In late 1956 Captain Charles T. Jones acquired her for Amherst Barge Line and renamed her EMMA No. 3. This was the name of an old packet boat (Way #1822) and was in memory of Captain Jones’s great grandfather, L.W. Jones, who lost his life in the fire and sinking of that boat on February 19, 1870.

Point Towing Company, of Point Pleasant, West Virginia bought the vessel in 1959 and sold her in February 1960 to Captain John L. Donaldson. Captain Donaldson refurbished the tow and placed her in his Blue Grass Barge Company, putting her to work hauling sand down the Kentucky. He renamed her BROOKLYN after the site where he often docked below lock #7. In 1962, he repowered the vessel with a 380 horsepower Caterpillar D-353 diesel.

The BROOKLYN proved to be too big and slow to remain a solvent business venture and compete with smaller tows (let alone rail transportation) on the narrow, meandering Kentucky. Captain Donaldson stripped her in 1972 and sold the hull to Linvill Puckett, who used her for a marina and beer depot for a few years.

After an attempt to turn the old boat into a floating restaurant, the drought conditions in 1988 dropped the Kentucky River level so low the BROOKLYN lodged permanently on the sharp limestone ledge, piercing her aged hull. She never refloated with subsequent high waters, relegating the old ghost once and for all to shipwreck status. Not the kind of tourist curiosity the new owners had in mind. But a marvelous curiosity she remains.

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“Curiosity is natural to the soul of man, and interesting objects have a powerful influence on our affections.” ~ Daniel Boone

When Daniel Boone and his men reached the Kentucky River on April 1, 1775, they quickly moved to establish Kentucky’s second settlement; the site still known as Fort Boonesborough.

Our expedition begins at the Ft. Boonesborough State Park boat ramp via KY 627 at exit 95 on I-75 in Madison County. After launching, we will paddle a half mile upstream and explore the old #10 lock and dam that has been abandoned for years and is silting in. http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/2/d/0/event_152009392.jpeg

Eye in the Sky view of Lock and Dam # 10: http://goo.gl/maps/LzGtW

From the earliest days of the Commonwealth, the Kentucky River was a main artery for transportation through Eastern and Central Kentucky, connecting those regions to the Ohio River and the world beyond. Progressing from rafts to keelboats to steamboats, commercial traffic was especially heavy on the river through the 1800s and into the early 1900s. During this period, lumber, coal, agricultural products and other goods were transported along most of the 225-mile length of the Kentucky River.

“Every bend, eddy, suck, and rocky shoal in the Kentucky River was a challenge to manly courage and venture.” ~ Thomas D. Clark, Kentucky’s Historian Laureate

For many industries, merchants and farmers in the Kentucky River basin, development of a system of locks and dams was critically important to ensuring navigation of the river and access to commerce throughout the year.

In the 1830s, the Kentucky Legislature recognized the value of establishing a series of locks and dams, and five were developed during this period. In the 1880s, the federal government took the lead as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began an effort that would result in a total of 14 locks and dams by 1917. One of those was Lock & Dam #10, located 176 miles above the river’s mouth at the Ohio River. Construction of the concrete structure was completed in 1905.

As networks of highways and railroads were built and improved, commercial traffic on the Kentucky River was virtually eliminated by the mid-20th Century, and the locks were relegated almost entirely too recreational boaters.

The Kentucky River Authority (KRA) was formed in 1986 by the state government to take over their management. KRA was charged with ensuring water supplies for communities that depend on the river. Approximately 15 percent of all treated water used in Kentucky is drawn from the Kentucky River. Operation of the locks by professional lockmasters was discontinued, and by 2000, most of the locks, including Lock #10, were in disrepair and had been welded shut.

Today, many of the dams are in poor condition, with little more than patchwork repairs made over their 100-plus-year existence. KRA has made efforts to shore up and maintain the locks and dams, and to replace those in the worst disrepair.

Deep in the geologic past, the rocks under the Inner Bluegrass Region lifted up and fractured. The uplift forced the ancestral Kentucky River into the breach. The waters flowed against and cut down into the rocks, forming the Kentucky River Palisades.

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The oldest exposed rocks in Kentucky occur at the foot of these incredibly scenic cliffs that run along the Kentucky River.

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A float and paddle on the tranquil pools between the dams, is the best way to experience the unique beauty of the Kentucky River Valley.

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Heading back downstream two and a half miles, the Kentucky River takes a hard bend to the left. In the middle of the bend, Lower Howard Creek enters the mainstream on the Clark County side near the hamlet of Lisletown. A rock ledge running just downstream of Lower Howard Creek is where the sternwheeler tow BROOKLYN, met her fate.

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Magnificent scenery and the bridges for I-75 and old U.S. 25/421 come into view as you float downstream. Toward the end of a long straight stretch, Boone Creek enters the Kentucky River on the right just past a river level rock cliff.

A paddle up Boone Creek and into the lower Boone Creek gorge reveals a version of how the Kentucky River once looked before the coming of the locks and dams in the 19th Century.

Our expedition concludes roughly 7 miles downstream. Once we float under the old U.S. 25 (KY 2328) bridge, the take-out is on the right, just past the Riptides Restaurant, where we can dine and enjoy an adult beverage.

Disclaimer: I have paddled a little past the Brooklyn and back to the park, which is all that I know of the area. I know that you will find the Kentucky River as interesting and beautiful as I did! History and photos were pulled off line.

TO RECAP:

When – October 20, 2012 @ 9:00am

RAIN DATE: OCTOBER 21

Where – Ft. Boonesborough State Park 4375 Boonesboro Rd. Richmond, Ky. (I will be at the I-75S rest stop in Florence, Ky. 1 mile south of exit 178; the Ky. 536, Mt. Zion Rd. exit at 7:30am for those that want to follow. I will be in the car parking area).

Experience - Know your limits as we will be paddleing roughly 7 miles downriver. We will stay together as a group, and plan on stopping along the way to enjoy the light lunch that you brought.

TAKE OUT - Ripetides Restaurant - We will have to leave a car or two here; details to be worked out.

Pre-Paddle - Everyone is responsible for their own grub and fluids.

What To Bring – Yak,/PFD/life vest (must be securely worn and fully buckled), / proper clothing / water / light lunch/camera. Come on, you know what you need, we’re adults here.

Restrooms – Restrooms at the park and Riptides

Sunrise - 7:52 am

Sunset - 6:53 pm

Weather Forecast –

Saturday, October 20 at 1am
Temperature: 45 °F Wind Chill: 41 °F Surface Wind: SW 7mph
Sky Cover: 61% Precipitation Potential: 12%
Thunder: <10% Rain: <10%

Saturday, October 20 at 5pm
Temperature: 59 °F Wind Chill: N/A Surface Wind: W 7mph
Sky Cover: 35% Precipitation Potential: 12%
Thunder: <10% Rain: <10%

Post-Paddle Sustenance – Riptides

Liability Waiver – As always, by joining in this event you are acknowledging that you have read and agree to abide by the Tri-State Kayakers liability waiver. You can find this waiver on the Tri-State Kayakers web site, at: https://www.meetup.com/Tri-State-Kayakers/pages/Legal_Waiver/

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