Department of Parks
“Women on the Frontier” Will Be June 9-10 At Fort Boonesborough State Park

RICHMOND, Ky. – The adventures and exploits of explorer Daniel Boone are well known and have become the subject of books and television shows. But what was life like for his wife, Rebecca, and the other pioneer women who faced hardships as they helped settle the wilderness?

Fort Boonesborough State Park will help answer that question with the “Women on the Frontier” program on June 9-10. Visitors will be able to see demonstrations of daily life on the frontier and hear from experts about what pioneer life was like. Or participate as a reenactor and join in the skills course, clothing workshop, basic horse sense class and more.

Demonstrations will cover how to start fires, make clothes, use firearms, throw a tomahawk, and work with horses. Events run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The programs are free with paid admission to the fort. (Adults are $6 and children ages 6-12 are $4. Children under 6 are free.)

There will also be demonstrations on blacksmithing, cooking, laundry, leatherworking, music and toys and games.

The featured speaker for the weekend is Ellen Eslinger, a professor of history at DePaul University in Chicago and author of “Running Mad for Kentucky: Frontier Travel Accounts,” published by University Press of Kentucky. Eslinger will speak at 11 a.m. Saturday about women in frontier society and at 1:30 p.m. Sunday about frontier domestic life.

“Life in a war zone demanded exceptional personal qualities,” Eslinger said. “In these presentations I’ll talk about the experience of Kentucky’s frontier women.”

Fort Boonesborough has been reconstructed as a working fort complete with cabins, blockhouses and furnishings. Resident artisans perform craft demonstrations and give modern-day visitors a true sense of what life was like for pioneers in Kentucky. The park, located along the Kentucky River, has a campground, swimming pool, gift shop, mini-golf, Kentucky River Museum and hiking trails. For information, call 859-527-3131.

Fort Boonesborough is located near Richmond. From I-75, take exit 95 to KY 627. On I-64, exit at Winchester to KY 627.

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The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 53 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges -- more than any other state. Each year, Kentucky parks draw 7 million visitors and contribute $317 million to the economy. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our Web site at http://www.parks.ky.gov