Cycling the Underground Railroad--Part 1

DAY 23:  GRAND RIVERS, KY TO CAVE-IN-ROCK, IL

Enjoying another (kind of) flat portion in the Kentucky countryside.

Today's ride had a bit of everything--hills (of course), undulating farmland, riverside views, even a ferry ride.  I ended up in beautiful Cave-in- Rock State Park, IL.

My first point of interest today was Smithland, Kentucky, which sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers.  It was a very strategic location for the Union Forces during the Civil War as they moved into the Deep South. 

Smithland, at the confluence of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers.

Kentucky was unique during the Civil War, declaring itself "neutral," neither aligned with the North or the South.  Kentucky was a "slave state," but it's citizens strongly believed in One Nation.  Neutrality didn't last, as the Confederacy invaded Kentucky, who would then side with the Union.

The strategic location of Smithland provided the North with a place to launch gunboats and steamships for moving troops.  Smithland also became an important recruiting post to enlist former slaves into the Union military after the Emancipation Proclamation. 

A narrow bridge with no shoulder and little room for bicycles spans the Cumberland River at the north edge of Smithland.  A couple in a truck pulled up alongside me, and said they wanted to follow behind me over the bridge to protect me from traffic.  Once again, I was impressed and grateful for the kindness of strangers!

From here until I reach Louisville (the end of this ride), I'll be following the Ohio River (more or less), with some deviations inland where there is no suitable route close to the River.  Today I had the pleasure of riding quite a number of miles with the Ohio in sight.

Today I was treated to a number of miles along the Ohio.

There was a lot of flat farmland ("flat" hasn't been something I've seen much of this trip!) along the middle part of the journey today.  I stopped for lunch, sitting on the grass, eating my Kentucky Ham and cheese sandwich from a small deli in Smithland. 

Lunch break outside Smithland.

While the focus during the pre-Civil War era usually focuses on the plight of slaves, another removal/extermination of people "who don't look and act like 'us' [whites]" was taking place.  The "five civilized tribes" of the Southeast--Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Seminole--had already negotiated with the U.S. government to retain and live in their ancestral homelands. These tribes had, for the most part, adopted the ways of white Americans (hence they were "civilized"), including owning Black slaves.

Several miles on the Trail of Tears.  Actually, there is more than one Trail of Tears where Native Americans from the Southeast were removed to Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

President Andrew Jackson, partly due to pressure from white settlers who wanted those lands, "renegotiated" those agreements, "trading" their homelands for parcels in what would become Oklahoma.  Not all these Native Americans wanted this deal, so the U.S. Congress passed "The Indian Removal Act." Any of the tribal members who had not voluntarily relocated to Oklahoma by 1830 would be forcibly removed and marched on foot to Indian Territory.  Between 1830 and 1850, over 100,000 natives, along with more than 4,000 of their slaves, were sent packing on what would become known as "The Trail of Tears."  Many died on the way to the West, and many others died after arriving, unable to adapt.   I was riding on one such Trail.

To get to freedom, "runaway" slaves from the Southern states would have to cross the Ohio River to one of the three free states on the other side.  There were no bridges over this wide river with its strong current, and it was almost impossible to swim across (assuming one knew how to swim, which most slaves didn't).  A trip by boat was usually the only option, and fugitives were usually assisted in this by a "conductor" of the Underground Railroad.  

But freedom seekers didn't normally cross the Ohio at this point.  Even though Illinois and Indiana were technically "free states," most residents on the Ohio in these parts were not sympathetic to runaway slaves, and the chances of being recaptured were great.

But there are today still places on the Ohio where the crossing is made by boat.  One such place is to my destination tonight, on the Illinois side of the river at Cave-in-Rock.

On the ferry across the Ohio River to Illinois.

Kentucky Road 91 North ends in the water at the south bank of the Ohio.  Illinois Highway 1 resumes on the north shore.  The Cave-in-Rock ferry, which has been in operation since the 1800s and is privately owned (contracted by the highway departments of the two states) operates the ferry free of charge, 16 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It took me less than 20 minutes (including the loading and unloading of all the cars and one bike) to make the trip across.

State #6 at Cave-in-Rock, Illinois.

Illinois is the fifth state on my trip.  My destination is Cave-in-Rock (more detail on the place tomorrow). 

Cave-in-Rock is an idyllic State Park.

The State Park has the only accommodations for miles around.  The modest but comfortable (except for the paper-thin wall I shared with the adjacent cabin) room has an absolutely awesome view overlooking the Ohio River. 

View from my cabin at Cave-in-Rock.

Today's Mileage: 56.0

Total Distance to date:  833 miles