Coming up on Kentucky Life...

There are nine counties in Kentucky named after men killed or captured in a single battle of the War of 1812.

We'll take you to Monroe, Michigan, to tell the story of the Battle of the River Raisin.

We'll visit one of the most iconic and beautiful vistas in all of Kentucky, Natural Bridge State Resort Park.

And we'll check in with Somerset artist Dan Dutton on his farm he calls Dandyland.

All that's next on Kentucky Life.

█ █ █ █ Hey, everybody, and welcome to Kentucky Life.

I'm your host, Chip Polston.

Welcome to the incomparable Natural Bridge State Resort Park.

If you're looking for just one place to show people the incredible beauty of our Commonwealth, this would have to be near the top of your list.

The bridge is a natural sandstone arch that spans an impressive 78 feet and is more than 65 feet high.

And the Kentucky Geological Survey believes this was created some 270 million years ago.

A little later in our show, we'll hear more about the arch and exactly how it was created.

But first, you learned about American wars and battles in history class back in the day, but there's one that might have gotten by you.

The Battle of the River Raisin was fought as a part of the War of 1812.

And even though it was fought in what is now Michigan, a contingent of Kentucky soldiers played a key role in what happened there.

It so struck the consciousness of our young state that there are nine counties in Kentucky named after native sons who died or were captured there.

And it led to what is regarded as the first battle cry in our nation's history, Remember the Raisin.

█ █ █ █ This is Monroe, Michigan.

At first glance, this tiny strip of land surrounded by an industrial area looks rather unremarkable.

It's bordered on one side by Lake Erie and on another by its namesake, the River Raisin.

But like with a lot of history, when you peel back the layers of what happened on this very land in 1813, you learn how a bloody battle that took place right here in many ways reshaped our nation.

And at its forefront were men from Kentucky who came to fight.

The battle was part of the War of 1812.

This was fought between the US and British forces who were arguing over land and resources.

Native Americans fought alongside the British in an effort to preserve tribal lands.

Even though our country was relatively young, the majority of soldiers who fought in the War of 1812 were Kentuckians.

They were found down in New Orleans and Baltimore and New York.

I believe it was partly because of patriotism and tradition.

You have to remember, War of 1812 is only 25 years after the Revolutionary War.

And so it was their fathers, their uncles that fought in that war.

And so it is the family tradition that if war happens...

If America's being threatened, Kentuckies go put that out.

Yes.

The British had taken Detroit and all of Michigan.

And when word of this spread across Kentucky, militias were formed to go and take back the land.

Groups met in Georgetown in the summer of 1812 and marched almost 300 miles toward Detroit.

Later that winter, British and Native Americans had taken the settlement of Frenchtown at the mouth of the River Raisin, which was a key supply depot right off Lake Erie.

Three regiments from Kentucky headed that way in January of 1813 and pushed them out of the area when they arrived, but they were in bad shape.

This was all hand-to-hand, in-your-face, tomahawk fighting, not the line up in a straight row like they did in Washington, DC.

This was in-your-face fighting.

We had to go through a great swamp.

They had to go through all these areas being attacked throughout, and their supplies were lost.

They did not have food.

They were starving.

And so they let their guard down.

Letting that guard down proved fatal.

Four days after the Kentuckians took back the settlement, the British and Native Americans combined to attack at dawn.

In just 20 minutes, the Kentuckians were quickly overwhelmed.

Many were killed and others who ran across the frozen River Raisin were captured.

Those who were captured were marched through 3 feet of snow toward Detroit.

It was what happened to the 50 or so men who were left behind that horrified the nation.

Those who could not travel were left here in the care of two surgeons and inside the homes of the French settlers that were here.

And unfortunately, we don't know exactly who it was.

We know it was a contingent of native warriors.

But for them, the war and the battle was not over.

Native Americans started arriving in the village and they began looking around for souvenirs, for trophies.

Little by little, more and more Native Americans gathered until you had quite a mob that surrounded the hospital buildings.

Those buildings were entered finally.

The inhabitants were pulled out of them and taken away as prisoners if they could walk.

If not, they were killed, and the buildings were set fire.

They drug them out, they burned the buildings.

Those that couldn't come out, they burned them in the buildings.

And that's what got the dander up of that, the Americans.

Word quickly spread about the deaths at the River Raisin and led to what has been described as the first battle cry of America.

"Remember the Raisin" was reportedly yelled by Kentuckians on horseback who arrived in September of that same year to avenge the losses at the Battle of the Thames in Canada.

The battle so resonated in the Commonwealth that there are nine counties in Kentucky named after men who fought at the River Raisin and were either killed or captured.

Allen, Graves, Ballard, Edmonson, Hart, Hickman, McCracken, Meade, and Simpson Counties all bear those names.

Since the battle took place before photography existed, there aren't images of many of the Kentuckians who fought at the River Raisin, but we do have a couple.

This is Lieutenant Colonel John Allen, the namesake of Allen County.

He served in Kentucky's General Assembly, assisted Henry Clay in the defense of Aaron Burr, and ran for Kentucky governor in 1808.

He raised one of the first regiments in Kentucky when the War of 1812 broke out and represented Shelby County in the Kentucky Senate at the time of his death.

And serving under Colonel Allen was this man, Captain William Bland Ballard, the namesake of Ballard County.

He moved to Kentucky in 1779, worked with George Rogers Clark through many expeditions, and was wounded at the River Raisin.

He was one of the men taken prisoners and marched out by the British.

Allen survived his captivity and passed away at his home in Shelby County at the age of 95.

Hart County was named after Captain Nathaniel G.S.

Hart.

He was murdered on the 23rd by a couple of Native Americans who both claimed him as a captive, but then killed him and then divided the spoils.

A group of people from Kentucky came up to look for him because he was well-known in Kentucky, was connected to Henry Clay and others.

And they tried to find his burial spot.

And the local legend goes that they did find it, and they removed a jawbone and took it back to Kentucky with them.

The namesakes of some of the other counties also had interesting backstories.

One of them, John Simpson, was elected to the United States Congress in 1806.

Five of the namesakes had served in Kentucky's General Assembly.

One of those was Benjamin Franklin Graves.

He was twice elected to the State House from Fayette County.

Records show he was one of the wounded found by the Indians at the battle site, was taken captive by the Potawatomi Tribe, and never heard from again.

John Montgomery Edmonson also lived in Fayette County.

In spite of being over 50 years old when the war broke out, he rallied friends and neighbors to form a company to fight.

Edmondson was killed during the battle.

And another member of the General Assembly was Virgil McCracken.

He represented Woodford County in the State House.

He was wounded and left behind after the battle.

A report at the time said he initially survived and was taken prisoner by the Native Americans.

But the report goes on to say, "After some time, McCracken was stripped and examined, an Indian scalp was found next to his bosom, which induced them to kill him."

The history of the battle has fallen to the ravages of time.

Many Kentuckians probably have never heard of what happened on this tiny stretch of land.

Even those who lived in nearby Monroe, Michigan, didn't know about the significance of this area.

This is actually my hometown and I didn't know about this battle and this battlefield until 2009, when I was actually working in Washington, DC.

Wow.

So this is a story that literally was buried.

Why do you think it was buried?

Because we lost.

I think it was a great tragedy.

Either way you look at it, it was a great, great tragedy.

And it was the largest American defeat in the entire War of 1812.

A higher percentage of Kentuckians volunteered and died in the War of 1812 than any other state.

Less than half of the Kentuckians who left to fight ever returned home.

In the heart of Monroe, Michigan, stands a memorial where unknown Kentuckians killed in the Battle of the River Raisin were laid to rest.

The monument stands as a permanent tribute to Kentucky and the militiamen who came to the aid of those who lived in the territory of Michigan.

And as a symbol of the state's sacrifice, the memorial is one of only a few places outside of Kentucky where the Kentucky State Flag is authorized and continues to fly to this day.

█ █ █ █ Back in 1924, Kentucky's General Assembly convened a commission.

Their charge was significant, to identify Kentucky's most beautiful and naturally significant sites and turn them into state parks.

They identified four locations that best captured how stunning the vistas can be here in the Commonwealth.

And one of those four original state parks was right here at Natural Bridge.

And a century later, this amazing scenery is still enjoyed by visitors from all around the world.

I had a chance to check it all out just a little while back.

Let's take a look.

█ █ █ █ We're here at lookout point at Natural Bridge State Resort Park.

This is Samantha Evans.

She's the naturalist here.

Samantha, thanks for letting us be here today.

Yeah, thank you for having me with you, guys.

I'm excited.

So the origin story of this, how did this actually form here?

So really simple process, erosion.

So water and wind erosion millions of years ago helped create the arch.

And when you're underneath the arch, you can see all the ripples from the water.

And that gives us a good indication that at some time, this was probably all seawater, which is pretty crazy if you think about it.

So every day it's constantly eroding.

When it rains, we have the erosion.

And you can see is our feet, all the sand is what was carved away to make the arch.

And then we kind of suggest that a couple million years after the first erosion process, an earthquake came, helped shear off the back wall and create the squeeze that everyone kind of goes through to get up on top of the natural bridge.

When people come here for the first time, Samantha, what do they tell you?

What is their takeaway from getting to see this?

A lot of people think the bridge is manmade, which it's not.

Wow.

So that's really fun to tell them exactly what we just told you, show them how the process is started.

And then, a lot of people - we actually talk to people not from Kentucky on a regular basis.

So we usually just get to talk to folks, whether they're here on their first time, having a family vacation.

So it's really fun to teach people about the area, the Red River Gorge, and the park.

And with this being in the Red River Gorge, the explosion that we've seen in the gorge, how has that impacted the area?

And where do you think that's going to go?

The foot traffic and discovering the Red River Gorge and the natural bridge came mostly from COVID.

So outdoor recreation really became the number one staple activity, which again, with the Red River Gorge and us, like we're so affordable, and we try to offer all these family-friendly experiences.

And all of those people, again, help us with stewardship and just take care of the area.

And that's what we try to focus on when we're here is to just teach the people who are here why these are important and why our history is important.

A lot of folks, especially locally from Kentucky, some of their history started right here on these trails.

The 100th anniversary of the state park system, what does it really mean to you all, Samantha, to be celebrating that centennial mark here?

That's a major accomplishment for all the Kentucky State Parks So just like you said, for 100 years, we've been here for Kentuckians and folks outside of Kentucky, providing local tourism, education, and in turn creating job opportunities, as well.

So all the state parks, just like our shirts say, Team Kentucky, we truly are a team for everybody here, whether we're teaching about Leave No Trace, just maybe helping you.

We've helped with proposals and engagements.

So whether we're just helping with that or just providing natural disaster relief, like the parks are always here for everybody.

And I think that's one of the big accomplishments for us is it's been 100 years, and we've always been here.

That's amazing.

Well, I want to check out the arch.

Can you guide me over there?

For sure.

Yeah, absolutely.

Let's go.

You lead the way, all right?

All righty.

Let's hit it.

█ █ █ █ As I took in this breathtaking view, I was thinking about the many who have done the same in the past 100 years of the state park system here in Kentucky and how many more people there are to come.

We then waved goodbye as I departed on the skylift for our interview at the Slade Welcome Center.

We've had a great time here today at the Red River Gorge.

This is Pete Fingerson.

He's Executive Director of Powell County Tourism.

Pete, thanks so much for being with us today.

Thanks for having me on.

So why do you think the gorge in the area here has brought in so many tourists over the recent years in particular?

So many people want to be here.

Why is that?

It's been a popular destination, well, really since the late 1800s.

If you want to go back that far even, back when the trains would bring people from Cincinnati, Lexington, and Louisville to the area just to see Natural Bridge, essentially.

We have people from Brazil, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, you name it, they're here.

And what is that impact on folks who live here in Powell County?

Is it a big job creator and does it means a lot here?

Yeah, it does.

It's the biggest industry in the area by far.

It's created so many different jobs.

There's, you know, restaurant jobs and hospitality, that kind of thing, have really just taken off over the last few years.

So if you brought somebody here who had never been to Powell County before and you could show them one thing, what would you take to let them check out?

The first thing I would take them on would be the original trail at Natural Bridge, just because it is so iconic.

That was the first trail that they had there.

It takes you right up to the bridge, and it's just such a beautiful trail.

My other favorite points of interest at Natural Bridge are actually across the street at Whittleton Campground.

They have a Whittleton Arch over there and then another little arch called Henson's Arch, which is a really neat one.

How was that transition from Louisville to Powell County?

You know, going to sleep, listening to the Whippoorwills every night instead of the trains and airplanes going overhead, it's been life-changing.

That's awesome.

█ █ █ █ One of the really cool things about our show is that it's a time capsule for the State of Kentucky.

We've spent the past 30 seasons capturing the people, places, and moments in time that make our Commonwealth so special.

With the show 30 seasons now in the making, we're sometimes blessed with the opportunity to revisit some of the people we met in the past and in doing so, allow you to revisit them, as well.

This is the case with Somerset-based artist Dan Dutton, who we first talked to more than two decades ago.

Dan allowed us back onto his farm, which he belovingly calls Dandyland, to catch up on his endeavors over the past two decades.

Let's take a look.

█ █ █ █ Dan's one of the rare individuals that art is Dan, Dan is art.

He does art because that's what he does.

You could put him in a blank box with just him in it and I guarantee you art would come out of him.

There's no form or fashion of art, whether it be theater, it be acting, be film, music, you know, I mean, he does it all.

And he's not doing it to sell it.

He's not doing it like a lot of people do that they'll watch something, say, on TV and then they'll draw a copy of it.

Dan don't do that.

It comes straight from his heart, from his soul into his artwork.

Well, now, we turn from the artistry of nature to artistry from the hand of man.

For Pulaski County and Dan Dutton, painting is one way he's found to communicate with the world around him.

If you think this part is exciting, just wait until we watch the paint dry.

[laughs] I'm trying to discover an emotional element or an emotional charge.

So I try to keep from stating anything at all so that something can emerge in the painting itself.

Plus, any object can have a very different meaning to different people.

For people who've seen, you know, paintings in museums, these kinds of objects evoke a certain response to the people that I live with here.

Rural farmers and rural people, they have a very different type of response.

And I can only imagine that the people I go out to see in the Southwest, the Navajos would have a very different response to this whole thing too.

So I don't try to cause the painting to have an effect on people.

I just try to make the object the best way I know how and then see what kind of response people have to it.

I mean, that way I'm learning something, not only about myself, but other people too in the process.

My name is Dan Dutton and I'm an artist.

My earliest memory is being aware of the primary colors and how that you could make any color with them.

So I think I started as an artist before three, and I just never stopped.

I've done it my entire life.

It's the only thing that I have done.

Both of my parents were artistic, and they loved the arts.

They were farmers, first and foremost.

But both of my parents were singers, and they sang traditional music and other music.

We sang together.

I sang with my parents quite a bit, and I learned a number of traditional ballads and traditional songs from them.

But they also keenly appreciated that I painted and drew from the beginning.

So they're couldn't have been more encouraging or more appreciative parents, really.

I heard so many times, "You'll have to leave.

You'll have to leave.

You've got to go to New York City.

You can't stay here.

You've got to go someplace else."

And I just resisted that idea totally.

And I thought, "No, I don't have to leave.

I'm gonna do it right here."

And as it turns out, that was a good choice.

And artists from all over the planet have come here to experience what is here as well.

You know, Kentucky is a very rich state culturally and its natural beauty is very magnificent.

Somewhat underappreciated actually, perhaps by us, by the natives who live here.

Other people who come from other countries are sometimes much wowed by it, so.

Jean Ritchie was my friend and mentor for many years, and I learned ballads from her.

And I think I was 14 or 15 when I first heard her and fell head over heels in love with her.

I would go up some holler and pick some wildflowers, and I knew she was gonna perform in Kentucky somewhere.

I would take her a bouquet of wildflowers I had picked.

She knew that I had gone to some effort to court her as a teacher.

Dan Dutton, he is like a feat of nature.

He's a legend.

He's always been one of my best friends through my whole life.

I met him through my parents when I was, you know, before I was born.

He knew my parents and used to play music with my dad.

And through the years, you know, like he's really helped me out, you know.

I had some pretty wild adventures in childhood through school with me being a wild artist, you know, drawing monsters and things like that, you know.

A lot of the teachers at the time really thought that was something wicked or evil, you know, and kind of messed me up a little bit.

And if I drew like a monster or a skull, you know, back in elementary school, they seen it like it was a sign of witchery or something.

Dan was right there, you know.

I ended up reaching out to him, and he helped me through that whole adventure.

And through that, you know, I got to continue my art.

But there was a time period where I was a little shook up over that whole ordeal.

And then, Dan was the one as a mentor to be there to tell me, "Hey, man, we're all artists and art can't be, you know, understood by everybody because there are so many different types of art."

What would you say to a child version of yourself now that you've got all of this life behind you?

Did you ever think you would be where you are today?

And what advice would you give that younger version of yourself?

█ █ █ █ I wouldn't, I wouldn't.

I wouldn't give any advice.

Instead, I would say, "Tell me about it."

I would ask them to tell me what they had seen, what they had heard, what they did.

I would ask them if they knew a song.

I would sing with them.

Maybe I would paint or draw with them, but no, I don't have any advice at all.

There is no advice that's helpful on the path of art.

You just need to have the devotion and determination to do it.

But what good does it do for some old fogey to tell you that you need devotion and you need to sacrifice?

You're going to need to sacrifice on this path.

[laughs] No, I wouldn't, I wouldn't say that.

I'd just open the door just saying, "What do you think?

What do you want to do?"

And then I'd try to help.

█ █ █ █ What an amazing time we've had here today at Natural Bridge State Resort Park.

Now for those of you who have been here before, you're going to appreciate this.

We're now gonna load all of our gear onto one of the most spectacular chairlifts you've ever seen to get back down to our vehicles.

The adventure just never stops for us.

If you enjoyed our show, please share and like the Kentucky Life Facebook page or subscribe to the KET YouTube channel for more of what we call Kentucky Life Extras, where you'll have access to lots of other great videos.

Until then, I'll leave you with this moment.

I'm Chip Polston, cherishing this Kentucky life.

[birds chirping] [chirping continues] [birds chirping] [chirping continues] █ █ █ █