Golden Pond, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Golden Pond
|
|
|---|---|
Historic marker at the site of Golden Pond
|
|
 Golden Pond, Kentucky
Location in Kentucky
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Trigg |
| Elevation | 407 ft (124 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 270 and 364 |
| GNIS feature ID | 508108 |
Golden Pond was a small town in western Trigg County, Kentucky, United States. Today, it is no longer a town. Instead, it is the main office for the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. This area is about 11 miles (18 km) west-southwest of Cadiz. Golden Pond was founded in the 1800s. It became known for making homemade alcoholic drinks during the Prohibition era, when alcohol was illegal. In the 1930s, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) changed this area. The TVA built dams to control floods and make electricity. The last people living in Golden Pond had to leave in 1969 when the recreation area was created.
Contents
Where Did the Name Golden Pond Come From?
Golden Pond got its name from a pond located about 2.25 miles (3.62 km) west of the town. The most common story says that people named the pond because sunlight on its surface looked like melted gold.
Another story, which is probably just a legend, says that someone put gold dust near the pond. They hoped this would start a gold rush and make property values go up. However, this story is not widely believed.
Where Was Golden Pond Located?
Golden Pond was located in western Kentucky, close to the Tennessee border. It was on a piece of land between two large lakes: Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. These lakes were made by people building dams on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. The town was about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of Lake Barkley.
Because of the lakes, this area is almost like an island. You can only get there by roads from Tennessee or by crossing the lakes.
Roads Around Golden Pond
U.S. Route 68 and Kentucky Route 80 both passed through Golden Pond. These roads connected the town to Marshall County in the west and the rest of Trigg County in the east. When Golden Pond was an active town, it stretched for almost 1 mile (1.6 km) along this main highway.
Another important road, called The Trace, runs west of Golden Pond. It connects the area to Livingston County, Kentucky in the north and Stewart County, Tennessee in the south.
Golden Pond is about 11 miles (18 km) west-southwest of Cadiz, which is the main town of Trigg County. Even though Golden Pond is gone, the Cadiz post office still serves the area. The name Golden Pond is still used for the recreation area's mailing address.
A Brief History of Golden Pond
The name Golden Pond was first used for a United States post office on December 28, 1848. We don't know exactly where this first post office was, but it might have been near the pond. In the early days, post offices were often inside stores or people's homes. The town at its known location was officially started by European settlers in 1882.
Town Life and Challenges
The town's early economy depended on the natural resources around it. These included wood from forests, iron ore, and good soil for farming. In 1898, a big fire destroyed Golden Pond, but the people rebuilt it. In 1936, another major fire hit the town, but again, it was rebuilt.
During the Prohibition era (when making and selling alcohol was illegal), Golden Pond became known for making homemade whiskey. This whiskey was sometimes sold secretly in cities like Chicago, Detroit, and St. Louis.
The End of the Town
In 1964, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) opened its first office for the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Golden Pond. The United States government bought all the land within this new recreation area. They bought homes from residents, and sometimes, if residents didn't want to sell, the government used a process called eminent domain to buy the land.
The last people living in Golden Pond left in 1969. By 1970, all residents had left the entire peninsula. Many of these families moved to a new place in eastern Calloway County. This new community was later named Little Golden Pond in 1989.
