Trace Fork facts for kids

Trace Fork (also called Trace Branch) is a small creek located in Perry County, Kentucky, in the United States.

It is a smaller stream that flows into Lotts Creek. It joins Lotts Creek about 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream from where Lotts Creek ends, at a height of about 825 feet (251 m) above sea level.

Exploring Trace Fork's Branches

Trace Fork has several smaller streams, called tributaries, that flow into it. Think of them like the branches of a tree!

History of the Area

The area around Trace Fork has a rich history, especially with early settlements and coal mining.

Holliday Post Office

The very first post office in the Lotts Creek area was called Holliday. It opened on October 4, 1901. The first postmaster was Sherman B. Holliday.

According to records, this post office was located about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Hazard. It was also about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of the Dwarf post office, which was on Troublesome Creek. This means it was at the mouth of a branch of Trace Fork known as Godsey Fork.

Sherman B. Holliday wanted to name the post office "Orear" after Edward C. O'Rear, a notable person. Sherman Holliday was a descendant of John H. Holliday, who came to Troublesome Creek in 1821 and was an early judge in Perry County. There was also a Holliday mine about 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream from where Trace Fork joins Lotts Creek.

The Brushy, Godsey, and Danger Forks

One of Trace Fork's branches was known by several names: Brushy Fork, Godsey Fork, and Danger Fork.

Heiner and Whitsett Mining Towns

A coal mine was opened on this branch by the Pioneer Coal Company. The mining camp built there was named Heiner. The land for this mine was owned by Charles Godsey. It was also called Danger Fork because of a local landowner known as "Danger Nick" Combs. Heiner was also the end point for a railway line.

A post office named Heiner was opened on October 18, 1918. Further upstream, there was a small village called Whitsett. The Kentucky River Coal Company, run by R. C. Whitsett, had a special structure called a tipple and a conveyor belt at Whitsett. These were used to load coal.

The Heiner post office and railway station were officially renamed Pioneer on November 22, 1927. However, by 1936, they went back to being called Heiner. The post office closed in 1944.

Ralph Crowford Whitsett was a very important person in the coal mining business. He was the president and general manager of three coal companies, including the Kentucky River Coal Mining company in Hazard. In 1919, this company rented the rights to mine coal about 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream along Danger Fork.

Bulan: Pistol City

Another railway station on the Danger Fork line was called Downing. The Bulan post office was opened on May 15, 1919, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) up Trace Fork. It served the Downing railway station and a nearby mining camp run by the Lotts Creek Coal Company.

In 1922, the Bulan post office moved about 300 yards (270 m) south to serve the Duane railway station. The town of Bulan still exists today, located between the mouths of Jake Branch and Godsey Fork. The post office is still open (37°17′22″N 83°10′45″W / 37.28951467444462°N 83.17913442895295°W / 37.28951467444462; -83.17913442895295 (Bulan post office)), and there are stores and homes there.

In the 1920s, many people in Bulan carried guns. Because of this, the town earned the local nickname Pistol City.

Jake Fork's Railway and Mines

Jake Branch was important because a special railway line was built there by the L&N railway company in 1918. This line connected Duane station to Hardburly. It was finished on September 30, 1919. At the same time, another L&N railway line was completed from Danfork to Whitsett. The main line from North Hazard to Danfork had been finished earlier that year, on March 13, 1919.

The Tribbey post office opened on October 2, 1919. It was located between Bulan and Hardburly on Jake Fork. There was also a railway station named Tribbey on the spur line down Jake Fork. Both the post office and station were there to support another coal mine. The post office stayed open for a long time after the mine closed, finally closing in 1984. Other mines along Jake Branch were owned by Noah Smith.

Hardburly: A Mining Community

The mining town of Hardburly started as a railway station at the end of the Jake Branch railway line. It was first named Burlingham after William Burlingham, who owned the Hardy-Burlingham Coal Mining Company.

A post office was opened there on April 17, 1918. It was also supposed to be named Burlingham, but it was instead named Hardburly. The town and the railway station were then renamed to match.

Hardburly was a full mining town. It had its own company store, a hospital, a doctor's office, a dentist, a dry cleaner, a baseball field, tennis courts, and a Y.M.C.A. building. The mining company even provided free electricity to the boarding houses and homes for about 487 mine workers.

The mine in Hardburly closed in 1955. However, the post office (37°18′04″N 83°07′46″W / 37.30110707645007°N 83.12931581974907°W / 37.30110707645007; -83.12931581974907 (Hardburly post office)) and several houses from the mining camp are still there. This is partly thanks to local efforts in 1966. With help from a specialist from the USDA and the University of Kentucky, people in the community formed the Hardburly Association. They worked together to create a water system, a local dump, garbage collection, and a park. They raised the money needed by holding community events.