Golden Pond, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Golden Pond is a ghost town
in western Trigg County
, Kentucky, United States. The town is located in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
11 miles (17.7 km) west-southwest of Cadiz
. Golden Pond was established in the 19th century and became known for its moonshining activity during Prohibition
. The settlement was abandoned in 1969 when the land in the recreation area was evacuated.
and subsequent property boom. The community was allegedly also named Fungo for the entertainment at the local saloon. This name may have referred to a community further west which later merged with Golden Pond, and may not have been used at all.
border. It is situated in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, a peninsula lying between Kentucky Lake
and Lake Barkley
, which are formed by the Tennessee River
and Cumberland River
respectively; the town lies 2.5 miles (4 km) west of the latter lake. The two lakes isolate the peninsula from the rest of Kentucky, as the region can only be accessed via Tennessee or by crossing the lakes. U.S. Route 68
and Kentucky Route 80 pass through the community concurrently
, providing access to Marshall County
to the west and the remainder of Trigg County to the east; during its existence, the community ran for almost 1 miles (1.6 km) along this highway. Another road, known as The Trace, runs west of Golden Pond and connects the peninsula to Livingston County
to the north and Stewart County to the south. Golden Pond is 11 miles (17.7 km) west-southwest of Cadiz, the county seat
of Trigg County. The area is served by the Cadiz post office; the name Golden Pond is still accepted by the U.S. Postal Service and is used in the recreation area's mailing address.
whiskey, which was later sold in speakeasies
in Midwestern cities such as Chicago
, Detroit, and St. Louis. In 1964, the Tennessee Valley Authority
opened the first office for the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area at Golden Pond. The land within the recreation area was subsequently evacuated; Golden Pond was abandoned by 1969, and the last residents left the peninsula in 1970. Many of the residents moved to a location in Calloway County which was named Little Golden Pond in 1989.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in western Trigg County
Trigg County, Kentucky
Trigg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1820. As of 2000, the population was 12,597. Its county seat is Cadiz. The county is named for Stephen Trigg, a frontier officer in the American Revolutionary War who died in the Battle of Blue Licks...
, Kentucky, United States. The town is located in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
The Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in Kentucky and Tennessee between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. The area was designated a national recreation area by President John F. Kennedy in 1963...
11 miles (17.7 km) west-southwest of Cadiz
Cadiz, Kentucky
Cadiz is a city in Trigg County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,373 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Trigg County. It is an old town located close to the Land Between the Lakes, a popular recreation area, and was a base of Union and Confederate operations in the American...
. Golden Pond was established in the 19th century and became known for its moonshining activity during Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
. The settlement was abandoned in 1969 when the land in the recreation area was evacuated.
Etymology
Golden Pond shares its name with a pond located at 36°46′45"N 88°03′48"W, 2.25 miles (3.6 km) west of the town. The most accepted story of the name's origin states that it arose when sunshine on the pond caused it to resemble melted gold. Another story, likely to be legend, states that the community was named for a man who placed gold dust in the vicinity of the pond in an attempt to trigger a gold rushGold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
and subsequent property boom. The community was allegedly also named Fungo for the entertainment at the local saloon. This name may have referred to a community further west which later merged with Golden Pond, and may not have been used at all.
Geography
Golden Pond is located at 36°47′08"N 88°01′27"W, which is located in western Kentucky near the TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
border. It is situated in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, a peninsula lying between Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. Created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River by Kentucky Dam, the lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the...
and Lake Barkley
Lake Barkley
Lake Barkley, a reservoir in Livingston, Lyon, and Trigg counties in Kentucky and extending into Stewart and Houston counties in Tennessee, was impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1966 upon the completion of Barkley Dam. Both the lake and the dam are named for Vice President Alben...
, which are formed by the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
and Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
respectively; the town lies 2.5 miles (4 km) west of the latter lake. The two lakes isolate the peninsula from the rest of Kentucky, as the region can only be accessed via Tennessee or by crossing the lakes. U.S. Route 68
U.S. Route 68
U.S. Route 68 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from northwest Ohio to western Kentucky. The highway's western terminus is at U.S. Route 62 in Reidland, Kentucky. Its eastern terminus is at Interstate 75 in Findlay, Ohio...
and Kentucky Route 80 pass through the community concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
, providing access to Marshall County
Marshall County, Kentucky
Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 30,125. The 2007 Census Bureau population estimate was 31,258. Its county seat is Benton. It was a dry county until 2004, when residents of Calvert City voted to allow sales of liquor by the drink in...
to the west and the remainder of Trigg County to the east; during its existence, the community ran for almost 1 miles (1.6 km) along this highway. Another road, known as The Trace, runs west of Golden Pond and connects the peninsula to Livingston County
Livingston County, Kentucky
Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 9,804. Its county seat is Smithland. The county is named for Robert R. Livingston...
to the north and Stewart County to the south. Golden Pond is 11 miles (17.7 km) west-southwest of Cadiz, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Trigg County. The area is served by the Cadiz post office; the name Golden Pond is still accepted by the U.S. Postal Service and is used in the recreation area's mailing address.
History
The name Golden Pond was first applied to a post office in the area on December 28, 1848; the location of the post office is unknown, though it may have been near the pond of the same name. The town at the recognized location was established in 1882. The early town's economy was based on the area's natural resources, which included timber, iron ore, and fertile soil for agriculture. In 1898, a fire destroyed Golden Pond, which was subsequently rebuilt; a second conflagration burned the town in 1936, though it again recovered. During Prohibition, Golden Pond earned a national reputation for distilling moonshineMoonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
whiskey, which was later sold in speakeasies
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
in Midwestern cities such as Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Detroit, and St. Louis. In 1964, the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
opened the first office for the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area at Golden Pond. The land within the recreation area was subsequently evacuated; Golden Pond was abandoned by 1969, and the last residents left the peninsula in 1970. Many of the residents moved to a location in Calloway County which was named Little Golden Pond in 1989.