The Timeline.  It’s incomplete and will never be finished.  But it is a start, attempting to present key events in the Four Rivers Region.  Additions are always happening here.  Enjoy!

1780
Fort Jefferson, Kentucky

Construction begins on Fort Jefferson with the civilian town of Clarksville, Kentucky.  Soldiers and townsfolk abandoned the area the following year due to hostilities and lack of provisions.

1797
Port Royal, Tennessee

The town of Port Royal officially incorporates, although European explorers and traders were here as early as the 1600s.

1818
The Birth of Jackson’s Purchase

Jackson's Purchase is negotiated with the Chickasaw Indians by Andrew Jackson and Isaac Shelby, obtaining land from the Mississippi River to the Tennessee River.

1820
Boyd’s Landing, Kentucky

The first post office was established in Boyd's Landing, Kentucky (now Canton), with settlements here dating back to 1799.

1821
Hickman County, Kentucky

The Kentucky General Assembly approves the creation of Hickman County, encompassing all of Jackson's Purchase in Kentucky.

1822
Calloway County, Kentucky

Calloway County is the second formed in the Jackson Purchase, splitting from Hickman County.

1823
Canton, Kentucky

Canton, Kentucky's first post office established after the town incorporated the year before.  Previously known as Boyd's Landing.

1824
Graves County, Kentucky

Graves County, Kentucky forms from Hickman County, the third such county in the Jackson Purchase.

Wadesboro, Kentucky

The first post office opens in Calloway County at Wadesboro, the county seat.  The first settlers arrived there around 1818.

1825
McCracken County, Kentucky

The first McCracken County Court was held in Wilmington.

1827
Wilmington, Kentucky

The town of Wilmington, Kentucky is officially established, the first seat of McCracken County.

1829
Feliciana, Kentucky

The first post office is established in Feliciana, which has a wild tale of how the town got its name.

1830
Bear Spring Furnace Opens

The first Bear Spring Furnace opens for business in 1830, although the exact date is unknown.

1835
New Concord, Kentucky

After establishing a post office two years prior, New Concord incorporates as a town.

1837
Callowaytown, Kentucky

The town of Callaway is officially incorporated by the Kentucky General Assembly, later to be known as Callowaytown.

1842
Ballard County, Kentucky

Ballard County, Kentucky is formed from the western portion of McCracken County and part of Hickman County.

Marshall County, Kentucky

Due to an influx of population into Calloway County, the Kentucky General Assembly carved Marshall County out of Calloway.

1845
Blandville, Kentucky

The community of Blandville was picked as the Ballard County seat in 1842 with incorporation officially happening on this date.

Fulton County, Kentucky

Fulton County, Kentucky was created out of Hickman County.

1846
Clarks River, Kentucky

The first post office of Clarks River, Kentucky, a community in Calloway County opens.  The location is somewhat disputed.

1848
Golden Pond
Golden Pond, Kentucky

The first post office was established in Golden Pond.  The town was eradicated with the creation of Land Between The Lakes in the 1960s.

1850
Shiloh, Kentucky

The first post office is established at Shiloh with the town incorporating in 1876.

1856
Iron Mountain, Tennessee

The Iron Mountain, Tennessee post office opened, later becoming Tharpe in 1886.

1857
Olive, Kentucky

After residing shortly at nearby Bishop's Mills, the post office moved two miles northwest and was renamed Olive.

1860
Birmingham, Kentucky

The town of Birmingham, Kentucky is officially established, which today is under Kentucky Lake.

1861
Linton, Kentucky

After being known as Olive's Landing and Shipsport, the town of Linton incorporates in Trigg County.

Camp Beauregard Established

Nearly 3,000 men arrived at this Confederate training camp, which for six months, was riddled with disease and atrocities.

1867
Henrietta County, Kentucky

Kentucky lawmakers passed a bill creating Henrietta County, Kentucky, but voters in Trigg County killed the measure.

1872
Old Kuttawa
Kuttawa, Kentucky

Kuttawa, Kentucky is incorporated by the Kentucky General Assembly.  Parts of the original town are now under Lake Barkley.

Star Lime Works, Kentucky

A post office opens up at Star Lime Works, site of a large quarry and is now partially submerged by Kentucky Lake.

1873
Backusburg, Kentucky

The first post office known as "Backusburgh" is established, named after Asa Backus, who opened grist mill here in 1869.

1880
Graves County Atlas Published

A detailed atlas is published of Graves County in 1880 (exact date unknown), showing landowners, roads, towns and much more.

1886
Tharpe, Tennessee

The Iron Mountain, Tennessee post office changed its name to Tharpe.

Carlisle County, Kentucky

The creation of Carlisle County was the last in the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky, splitting from Hickman County.

1887
Model, Tennessee

The first post office known as "Model" begins.  Other post offices were here prior to the Civil War, one known as "Bass".

1890
First Train Arrives in Murray

Although this exact date conflicts with another resource, the first train arrived in Murray in 1890.

Dexter, Kentucky

A post office was established at Dexter, Kentucky, after the completion of the new railroad, marking the beginning of the community.

1893
Bear Spring, Tennessee

Although seeing significant economic activity since 1830, the first post office opens in Bear Spring, Tennessee.

Faxon, Kentucky

The first post office at Faxon, Kentucky opened with George A. Hale as postmaster and lasted for 15 years.

1898
Tennessee & Cumberland Railroad Opens

The first train heads down the new Tennessee & Cumberland River Railroad, but closed 23 years later.

1899
Wooldridge Monuments
Wooldridge Monuments

Colonel Henry G. Wooldridge is buried at his Wooldridge Monuments, called "The Strange Procession Which Never Moves".

1901
The Cadiz Railroad

The Cadiz Railroad incorporates and is completed the following year.

1902
The Abandoned Cross Creeks Bridge Opens

The now-abandoned Cross Creeks Bridge opens for traffic.

1920
Blood to Newburg, Kentucky

After being known as Newburg, Williams Ferry, Warburg, and Blood, the post office at this location adopted Newburg as its name on this date.

1924
Jefferson Davis Monument Opens

The 351-foot Jefferson Davis Monument in Fairview, Kentucky opens to the public.

1925
Cerulean Springs Hotel Burns

The famous Cerulean Springs Hotel burned, which was a popular spot for travelers for decades before automobiles.

1932
First Eggners Ferry Bridge Opens

The first Eggners Ferry Bridge opens to traffic, spanning the Tennessee River at Aurora, Kentucky.

1943
Raising of Eggners Ferry Bridge Begins

Construction crews closed the Eggners Ferry Bridge for seven months to raise the bridge's height by 22 to 25 feet to make room for Kentucky Lake.

1945
B-29 Bomber Crashes in Marshall County

Nine of ten crew members aboard a B-29 bomber perished when it crashed in southwestern Marshall County.

1963
Pasty Cline Plane Crash Near Camden

Pasty Cline's airplane crashed near Camden, Tennessee, causing the famous 30-year old singer to lose her life along with three others.

1966
Barkley Dam
Barkley Dam is Dedicated

Barkley Dam is officially dedicated by the US Army Corps of Engineers.  The project began in 1957 with the lock operational in 1964.

1968
Golden Pond
Golden Pond, Kentucky Disappears

The post office closed on this date as part of the elimination of Golden Pond, Kentucky, by TVA for the creation of Land Between The Lakes.

2013
Discovery Park of America Opens

The 50-acre Discovery Park of America opens to the public in Union City, Tenn.

2016
Second Eggners Ferry Bridge Opens

Traffic moves to the new Eggners Ferry Bridge, replacing the original 84-year-old bridge across Kentucky Lake.