LOUISVILLE

largest city in Kentucky, U.S., and the seat of Jefferson county, opposite the Falls of the Ohio River. Louisville is the centre of a metropolitan area including Jefferson county, Ky., and Clark and Floyd counties, Ind. Bridges spanning the Ohio link the city with New Albany and Jeffersonville, Ind. The first recorded visit to the area by white men was on July 8, 1773, when Captain Thomas Bullitt arrived to survey the lands with a commission from William and Mary College in Virginia. George Rogers Clark settled (May 1778) on Corn Island (since swept away by floods) opposite Beargrass Creek and organized a base for the conquest of the British-held Old Northwest. Most of the settlers who came with him moved ashore the following winter and established Fort-on-Shore (Fort Nelson) within the present city limits. The town was organized in 1779 and incorporated and named (1780) for Louis XVI of France. By 1811 Louisville had become an important frontier and river-flatboat trading place, and its development was further stimulated that year when Captain Nicholas Roosevelt docked the New Orleans, the first successful steamboat to ply Ohio-Mississippi waters. The city had become a major river port by 1820, and further stimulation came about with the construction (182530) of the canal around the 25-foot- (7.6-metre-) high Falls. Louisville's commercial influence extended over a vast area of the South and the Middle West. During the American Civil War, Louisville served as a military headquarters and a major Union supply depot. The city escaped the ravages of war and became an important way station for slaves seeking freedom in Indiana, across the river. A vigorous campaign to reclaim the South's trade followed the war. In the 1880s the Louisville and Nashville Railroad was extended to Jacksonville, Fla. The city's economy was boosted during World War I with the building of nearby Camp Zachary Taylor and, later, with the enlargement of Fort Knox. Periodic flooding of the Ohio necessitated extensive protection work; a destructive flood in 1937 caused widespread damage. The city is a leading producer of bonded bourbon whiskey and cigarettes. Manufacture of the famed Louisville Slugger baseball bats has been moved across the Ohio River to Indiana. Other products include synthetic rubber, paint and varnish, aluminum items, automobiles, pottery, and printed matter. The American Printing House for the Blind (1858), which publishes books in Braille, is located in Louisville. The University of Louisville was founded in 1798 as Jefferson Seminary. The city is also the seat of two Roman Catholic institutionsSpalding University (1814) and Bellarmine College (1950). Southern Baptist (1859) and Louisville Presbyterian (1853) theological seminaries are also in the city. The J.B. Speed Art Museum and the Louisville Museum of Natural History and Science are also notable institutions. As the scene of the annual Kentucky Derby (q.v.), held every May at Churchill Downs since 1875, the city's name has become synonymous with horse racing. The Kentucky State Fair, one of the oldest agricultural fairs in the United States, features an annual horse show that closely rivals the Derby in interest. Many historical buildings, including the homes of George Rogers Clark and President Zachary Taylor, are open to the public. The sternwheeler Belle of Louisville holds its annual race with the Delta Queen during the Kentucky Derby Festival. Inc. city, 1828. Pop. (1990) city, 269,063; Louisville MSA, 952,662.