Caching on Sunday in Paducah 4/19/2009

Well even though we lost our GPS yesterday true cachers couldn't let that stop them.....hahaha. We took our Tom-Tom out along with the Garmin unit that we had had repaired last year and off we went. Most of our caches were really NRV (no redeeming value) so I will just highlight the better ones from now on. One of the first caches we did was at the Temple of Israel Cemetery. The cemetery is surrounded by wrought iron fences and gates and the graves are much closer together than most other cemeteries. The cemetery is very well maintained. Because of the size and variety of markers, it gives one the impression of an ideal old country cemetery. Although some burials occurred during the Civil War era, most of the older markers date from the 1870s and 1880s. A number of these also have partial inscription in German, Hebrew, or Yiddish. Even on the older stones, Jewish symbols are rare. Victorian symbols and art such as sleeping lambs are common. The earlier stones often list the birthplace of immigrants such as the southern German towns of Hechingen and Hohenzollern. Place of death is also listed on a number of markers, recording that Jewish settlers from other towns in southern Illinois and western Kentucky were buried in Temple Israel Cemetery. Many of these early markers are in good condition; few inscriptions are rather faint. Most graves seem to be arranged in family plots, although there are a number of single burials. Around 1900, a number of families set up large mausoleums while others began to use a standardized flat-to-the-ground slab as marker. These slabs were rather plain and never display Jewish symbols, Hebrew letters, or any information beyond names and dates. More recent stones are typical contemporary Jewish headstones - some Hebrew and symbols.
Next interesting cache was at the site of a "Lone Oak" tree. There are 2 stories that describe how the town of Lone Oak was formed. The first, as told by Mrs.Elizabeth McCarty in 1975, states that James Potter and George Rogers established a homestead in the 1830's between what is now Clinton and Lovelaceville roads. They were given slaves in exchange for building a dirt road to help society.
The second, and more widely accepted, states that Doctor W.T. Pepper, in 1875, bought 100 acres lying south of the city of Paducah because, "It was high, beyond the reach of the rivers. A good dirt road (possibly the Potter road) ran to it from Paducah". He built a grist mill that became the center of activity between the communities of St. John's, Fremont, Oaks Station, Florence Station, and Harmoney for they were too far from Paducah back in that day. The mill stood at intersection of U.S. 45 and Lovelaceville Road. From here, a toll road to Paducah was established in 1887. In 1899, D.M. (Doc) Potts, owner of the first store in Pepper's Mill, applied for a post office. That name could not be used, so a post office was approved for "Lone Oak," hastily named for a massive stubby landmark not far from the mill site. What happen to the LONE OAK? It was not a FLASH of lightning. Three years later as the story goes: "Playful young men made a Christmas Night bonfire using the tree for the consummation of the fire." As the community grew, Pepper School, the forerunner of the schools that now serve Lone Oak, was built not far from the site of the mill in the area known as the Cambridge subdivision. It as well as Lone Oak Baptist, Lone Oak Methodist, and the Highland Cumberland Presbyterian churches, became the center of the crossroad life: pie suppers, spelling bees, and other gatherings. In 1888, Professor Joe Ragsdale founded the "college" of Kentucky Western School, one of the first schools beyond eighth grade. It has two stories and its outside basketball court is now covered by the Lone Oak High School gym. Lone Oak almost became the site of the first McCracken County High School in 1910, but that honor, as well as the honor of having the future consolidated school, went to Heath. In 1919, Lone Oak High School succeeded Kentucky Western School. It continued in the old college building until it burned down in the mid-1920's. On December 26, 1971 and Feburary 2, 1972, LOHS was again destroyed by fire. Despite these events, the Lone Oak schools have the distinction of serving more students in McCracken county than any other school community. After the flood of 1937 devastated Paducah, many Paducah residents were attracted to the high ground of Lone Oak. This influx of citizens led to the establishment of a water system, a volunteer fire department, a public park, a civic center building, and other improvements. U.S. 45, from Lone Oak to Paducah, was the first paved road (1921) and the first truly four-laned road (1960s) in McCracken County. The tiny community of Lone Oak was incorporated as a city in 1979 and then dissolved in 2008. Lone Oak High School, first established in 1919, is due to consolidate with the county's other two high schools in 2012. However, the community of Lone Oak will continue to exist.
Next cache with a story was at a small park in the middle island along a major Paducah road. The park was dedicated to Martin Luther King and had a memorial to him. Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin. His grandfather began the family's long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor. Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated. After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family.
Next cache was a multi-cache which started in Paducah's Betsy Ross Park which was a memorial to Sara Campbell 1890-1965 who designed and presented the Official Flag of the City in 1961.
Next was a cache that was located at a historical marker that had to do with the Jackson Purchase. The Jackson Purchase is an 8500 square mile tract of land formerly tribal land of the Chickasaw Indians. The United States paid $300,000.00 for the tract in 1818 after negotiations by General Andrew Jackson and Governor Isaac Shelby. The Jackson Purchase is a region in the state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and Tennessee River to the east. Although technically part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until 1818, when Andrew Jackson and Isaac Shelby purchased it from the Chickasaw Indians. Kentuckians generally call this region the Purchase. Jackson's purchase also included all of Tennessee west of the Tennessee River. In modern usage the term Jackson Purchase refers only to the Kentucky portion of the acquisition. The Tennessee region directly to the south is typically called West Tennessee. The Purchase comprises eight counties with a combined land area of 2,394.797 sq mi, or about 6.03 percent of the state's land area.
Last interesting cache was a Earthcache in the downtown area along the floodwall. This area is known as the 4 Rivers area. (Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers join together within 40 miles of here) This could cause major flooding if the water can not do downstream. The Ohio River is the largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. It is approximately 981 miles long and is located in the eastern United States. The river is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From Pittsburgh, it flows northwest through Allegheny and Beaver Counties, before making an abrupt turn to the south-southwest at the West Virginia—Ohio—Pennsylvania triple state line, from which point it forms the border between West Virginia and Ohio, upstream of Wheeling, West Virginia. The river then follows a roughly southwest and then west-northwest course before bending to a west-southwest course for most of its length. It flows along the borders of West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, until it joins the Mississippi near the city of Cairo, Illinois. The Ohio's drainage basin covers 189,422 square miles (490,603 km²), including the eastern-most regions of the Mississippi Basin. States drained by the Ohio include:
Illinois (the southeast quarter of the state),
Indiana (all but the northern area of the state),
Ohio (the southern half of the state),
New York (a small area of the southern border along the headwaters of the Allegheny River),
Pennsylvania (a corridor from the southwestern corner to north central border),
Maryland (a small corridor along the Youghiogheny River on the state's western border),
West Virginia (all but the eastern panhandle of the state),
Kentucky (all but a small part in the extreme west of the state drained directly by the Mississippi River),
Tennessee (all but a small part in the extreme west of the state drained directly by the Mississippi River and a small area in the southeastern corner of the state which is drained by the Conasauga River),
Virginia (most of Southwest Virginia),
North Carolina (the western quarter of the state),
Georgia (the northwest corner of the state),
Alabama (the northern portion of the state), and
Mississippi (the northeast corner of the state).
The river had great significance in the history of the Native Americans. It was a primary transportation route during the westward expansion of the early U.S. It flows through or along the border of six states, and its drainage basin encompasses 14 states, including many of the states of the southeastern U.S. through its largest tributary, the Tennessee River. During the nineteenth century, it was the southern boundary of the Northwest Territory, thus serving as the border between free and slave territory. It is sometimes referred to as the "Mason-Dixon line" as it is commonly acknowledged as the western natural extension of the original Mason-Dixon line that divided Pennsylvania and Delaware from Maryland and West Virginia (then a part of Virginia) thus being the unofficial, and at times disputed, border between the Northern United States and the American South or upland South.
The Ohio River is young from a geologic standpoint. The river formed on a piecemeal basis beginning between 2.5 and 3 million years ago. The earliest Ice Ages occurred at this time and dammed portions of north flowing rivers. The Teays River was the largest of these rivers, and the modern Ohio River flows within segments of the ancient Teays. The ancient rivers were rearranged or consumed by glaciers and lakes.
The upper Ohio River formed when one of the glacial lakes overflowed into a south flowing tributary of the Teays River. The overflowing lake carved through the separating hill and connected the rivers. The resulting floodwaters enlarged the small Marietta valley to a size more typical of a large river. The new large river subsequently drained glacial lakes and melting glaciers at the end of several Ice Ages. The valley grew with each major Ice Age.
The middle Ohio River formed in a manner similar to formation of the upper Ohio River. A north-flowing river was
temporarily dammed southwest of present-day Louisville, Kentucky, creating a large lake until the dam burst. A new route was carved to the Mississippi River, and eventually the upper and middle sections combined to form what is essentially the modern Ohio River.
Because the Ohio River flowed westwardly, it became the convenient means of westward movement by pioneers traveling from western Pennsylvania. After reaching the mouth of the Ohio, settlers would travel north on the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri. There, some continued on up the Missouri River, some up the Mississippi, and some further west over land routes. In the early 19th century, pirates, such as Samuel Mason, settled at Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, waylaid travelers on their way down the river, killed them, stole their goods, and scuttled their boats. The folktales of Mike Fink recall the keelboats used for commerce in the early days of European settlement. In 1843 the Ohio river boatmen were the inspiration for Dan Emmett's The Boatman's Dance.
Because it is the Southern border of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, the Ohio River was a part of the border that divided free states and slave states in the years before the American Civil War. The expression "sold down the river" originated as a lament of Kentucky slaves being split apart from their families and sold in Louisville and other Kentucky locations to be shipped via the Ohio River down to New Orleans to be sold yet again to owners of cotton and sugar field plantations.
The charter for Virginia went not to the middle of the Ohio River but to its far shore, so that the entire river was included in the lands owned by Virginia. Therefore, where the river serves as a boundary between states, the entire river belongs to the states on the east and then the south, i.e., West Virginia and Kentucky, that were divided from Virginia. It is for that reason that Wheeling Island, the largest inhabited island in the Ohio River, belongs to West Virginia, even though it is much closer to the Ohio shore than to the West Virginia shore. Kentucky brought suit against Indiana in the early 1980s because of the building of the Marble Hill nuclear power plant in Indiana, which would have discharged its waste water into the river. The U.S. Supreme Court held that Kentucky's jurisdiction (and, implicitly, that of West Virginia) extended only to the low water mark of 1793 (important because the river has been extensively dammed for navigation, so that the present river bank is north of the old low water mark.) Similarly in the 1990s, Kentucky disputed Illinois' right to collect taxes on a riverboat casino docked in Metropolis, citing their control of the entire river. Aztar opened their own casino riverboat that docked in Evansville, Indiana at about the same time. Although cruises on the Ohio river were at first done in an oval pattern up and down the Ohio, the state of Kentucky soon protested and cruises were limited to going forwards then reversing and going backwards on the Indiana shore only. The riverboat casino never leaves the shore now.
Water levels for the Ohio River are predicted daily by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The water depth predictions are relative to each local flood plain based upon predicted rainfall in the Ohio River basin in five reports as follows:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Hannibal Dam, Ohio (including the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers),
Willow Island Dam, Ohio, to Greenup Dam, Kentucky (including the Kanawha River),
Portsmouth, Ohio, to Markland Locks and Dam, Kentucky,
McAlpine Locks and Dam, Kentucky, to Cannelton Locks and Dam, Indiana,
Newburgh Dam, Indiana, to Golconda, Illinois.
So what does all of this have to do with this gaging stations? As mentioned earlier, the Ohio River drains over 189,422 square miles (121,230,080 acres) and therefore is a major waterway for the Ohio River basin. Since it flows almost 1,000 miles, rain in one area can drastically affect this area. With more and more houses and roads being built, the rainwater does not have a chance to soak into the ground. This area has suffered many flooding events from snow melts upstream when Paducah had no snow all winter.
Here are the historic crests for the area.
(1) 60.60 ft on 02/02/1937
(2) 54.30 ft on 04/07/1913
(2) 54.30 ft on 02/23/1884
(4) 53.30 ft on 02/13/1950
(5) 52.00 ft on 03/21/1867
(6) 51.79 ft on 03/11/1997
(7) 51.40 ft on 04/03/1975
(8) 50.90 ft on 03/25/1897
(9) 50.70 ft on 02/25/1883
(10) 50.40 ft on 04/17/1886
60.6 This flood will exceed the highest stage on record. Large amounts of property damage can be expected. Evacuation of many homes and businesses becomes necessary.
56.0 Many of the industrial plants upstream in Calvert City are affected at this stage and higher and may begin to shut down.
52.0 Major flooding occurs and is widespread on both sides of the river.
49.5 The first gate is closed in the floodwall in Paducah.
47.0 Property damage begins on the the Illinois and Kentucky sides of the river.
43.0 Moderate flooding occurs affecting several small unprotected towns.
39.0 Minor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottomland and surrounding low lying areas.
After we finished this cache we did a little more sightseeing around downtown like the National Quilt Museum and lot more historical markers and older homes. Then it was on back to the RV as we were expecting some more thunderstorms and rain. We had dinner and called it a day. Still no phone call either. Well until next time we love and miss you all. Mom & Dad