A few spots left for Outlaw Tours

Maps of the Outlaw Trail are available at
Crittenden County Public Library.

Excitement is building for this weekend’s highly-anticipated climax to the Ferry Tales history series as two driving tours on Friday and Saturday may help answer questions and perhaps shed newfound light on some of the heralded river pirate stories from a bygone era.

A number of books and a History Channel documentary have been among the envoys of stories from pioneer western Kentucky and southern Illinois that paint a dark and dangerous passage from the developed Eastern Seaboard to the frontier of early America. Grants from Kentucky and Illinois humanities councils and local efforts by historical societies, tourism agencies and the Crittenden County Public Library have made possible a three-month program aimed at revisiting tales of outlaws, murderous Harps and the fundamental role of our Ohio River in Manifest Destiny’s western expansion and industry.

The tour will leave Marion mid morning both days and will wind its way through rural Crittenden County and southern Illinois well into the evening hours. There will be various stops at places of historic interest, some typically not open to the public. Tours require registration as space is limited. As of early this week there were four spots open for Friday's tour and one for Saturday. Contact the Crittenden County Public Library to register. Call 270-965-3354. There is no charge for this tour. Funding has been provided by the Kentucky Local History Trust and Illinois Humanities for all Ferry Tales programming. The Ohio River Outlaw Trail map has been generously funded by the Marion, Ky., Tourism, Convention and Recreation Bureau and the Hardin County, Ill., Tourism Board

“We are really excited about the interest that Ferry Tales has generated,” said Librarian Brandie Ledford, who has been instrumental in getting the project going along with other local organizers such as historians Brenda Underdown and Brennan Cruce of Marion and Todd Carr of Hardin County, Ill.

Ledford says that much of legendary history is folklore, some of it solid myth and part of it true. 

“A lot of people just didn’t know ... for the rest of this article, see this week's full edition of The Crittenden Press, which is available in print form or electronically online. Go Here to Subscribe.