Kentucky Department of Tourism

HISTORY AND HERITAGE IN KENTUCKY A Proud & Inspiring History Kentucky’s story begins in prehistoric times, when mammoths roamed the Ohio River Valley at Big Bone Lick. Over thousands of years, indigenous people, Native Americans, lived here. Explore America’s First Frontier and trace the footsteps of Daniel Boone, who forged the Wilderness Trail through Southern Kentucky. Walk Revolutionary-era forts, Civil War battlefields and portions of the Trail of Tears. Hear Kentucky's fascinating stories at our historic sites and museums. And explore the legacies of Kentucky icons, from the early life of Abraham Lincoln to the untold stories of Kentucky's African American trailblazers.