- 5 - ·
Historical Sketch (First entry, P_ 117)
Establishment of Hardin's Station
The first pioneer to settle in this section of the State was Captain
William Hardin, a renowned hunter and Indian fighter. Early in 1780,
Hardin and several companions set out by boat down the Ohio River in·search
of a desirable location for a colony. Without mishap they reached the Falls
of the Ohio, where the city of Louisville stands today. Not satisfied to
settle there, however, they floated on to the mouth of Sinking Creek. Scarce-
ly had they landed at this spot, when Indians seized their boat. One mem-
` ber of the party was killed; the others made their way to Hines Fort (Hynes
Station), the present site of Elizabethtown. No place favorable for settle-
ment was decided upon at this time, and in the spring of 1730, Hardin rc-
turned and brought his family and twenty other families down the Ohio to the
mouth of Sinking Creek. After proceeding up the creek, the party landed
near the present site of Hardinsburg. The spot was well chosen. In the
midst of beautiful hills, with plentiful game and a spring and a cave con-
veniently near, whore provisions could be safely kept, it was a most dc-
sirable location for the establishment of a com unity in the wilderness. (9)
Work was begun immediately. The only instruments used in planning and sur-
veying the fort were a grapevine and an ax, since no surveying instruments
were available in the wilderness. Four of the most experienced hunters in
the group guarded the workers as they brought in the logs and dug the post
holes for the new station; those busy with its erection kept their weapons
close at hand because of the menace of Indian attacks. In April 1780,
Hardin’s Station was completed.
Settlement of Hardin's Station was not accomplished without difficulty
and succeeded only as the result of the foresight of Captain Hardin. When
he learned that the Indians were settling across the Ohio, too near for the
safety of his own people, he attacked before the Indians could surprise
the little settlement. After considerable loss on both sides, the Indians
were forced to withdraw, and from that time the continued occupancy of
the station was assured. (10)
Early Scttlsrs
8)
Disaster frequently overtook bands of pioneers as they made their
·· _ way to the new fort in the wilderness. William Mcbaniels and John Bruner
IONS brought their families and household goods by flatboat as far as the
Q;" "Falls" in Sinking Creek. The men departed to obtain assistance in trans-
porting their possessions to Hardin’s Station, leaving a Negro slave with
their families for protection. In hiding, awaiting their opportunity,
Indians closed in around them shortly after LcDanicls and Bruner had left.
9. HARY ALLEN ccoesew, gbBp1p;s [pg; ppp LIS Fppwpgp, Loe1sv1LLs, KY., 1924, PP. 1-6;
WILLARD R. JILLSON, E1opgsa ggwjppgij FsAmKrosT, MY., 1934, P. 85.
10. RICHARD H. COLLINS, HISTORY Qf KENTUCKY, 2 VOLS., LOUISVILLE, MY., 1924, VOL. 2,
PP. 97,98.