HARLAN

city, seat of Harlan county, southeastern Kentucky, U.S. It lies in the Cumberland Mountains, on the Clover Fork of the Cumberland River. It was settled in 1819 by Virginians led by Samuel Hoard and was known as Mount Pleasant until renamed for Maj. Silas Harlan, who was killed at the Battle of Blue Licks (Aug. 19, 1782). After the railroad arrived in 1911, the town developed as a shipping point for lumber and coal. Between 1900 and 1938, and again in 1974, Harlan was the scene of violent labour disputes between the miners and the operators of the local coal mines; this continual unrest played an important role in the development of organized labour. Coal and hardwood timber remain the city's economic mainstays. Kingdom Come State Park and the Redbird Purchase Unit of the Daniel Boone National Forest are nearby. Pop. (1990) 2,686.