Green River

State: Kentucky

Lat/Long: 37.440228, -84.710925

A tributary of the Ohio River, the Green River rises in Lincoln and Casey counties in central Kentucky and flows west, entering the Ohio River between Henderson and Owensboro. In the Revolutionary period, the Green River became a major artery for transportation and trade. In the 1820s and 1830s, the Kentucky General Assembly appropriated funds to clear obstacles and build a system of locks and dams so the river could accommodate steamboats. During the Civil War, commerce along the river diminished as the state allowed the locks and dams to fall into disrepair.

Helen B. Crocker, "Green River," John E. Kleber, ed., The Kentucky Encyclopedia (Lexington, University Press of Kentucky, 1992), 387-88.