South on the Lexington Branch of the Wilderness Road

Leaving Lexington on 31 October, Clark travels along present-day Upper Street, crossing Town Branch, then following the Nicholasville Road, US 27, south toward the Kentucky River. Travel for the day was 24 miles over rolling hills, except for the Kentucky River palisades section. They passed though Nicholasville and the future Camp Nelson Civil War Supply Depot and Hospital (37°79710N, 84°60251W), now a National Park Service -National Monument. Camp Nelson also served at one of three recruiting stations for U. S. Colored Troops during the Civil War with 40% of the 23,703 African American recruits passing through Camp Nelson⁽¹⁾ The Camp Nelson National Cemetery adjoins the National Monument.

The difficulty in crossing the Kentucky River by the Clark party can be seen on both sides of the river at the 121-acre Hickman Creek Nature Center Preserve⁽²⁾ or the 908- acre Tom Dorman Nature Preserve on the South side of the Kentucky River.⁽³⁾ Both preserves are accessible from US 27.

The river crossing or ford, used by the Clarks, was the result of stones being pushed into the river for millennia by rain water. The water was approximately 18 inches at the ford and 220 feet below the top of the palisades, considered the Grand Canyon of the East.

Travelers going to the Hickman Creek Nature Preserve from US 27 on KY 1268 -Sugar Creek Road- (37°81571N, 84°59824W), will find signs to First Vineyards a restored vineyard and winery, first chartered in 1799 by Kentucky General Assembly. The vineyard was established by John James Defour, a Swiss emigrant, on the site overlooking the Kentucky River.⁽⁴⁾

Clark said, Crossed at Mr. Hickman and stayed all night at Mr. Hagins (James Hagin) Bryantsville, KY, cost 4.00.

Sources:

(1) https://www.nps.gov/cane/index.htm

(2) https://jessaminetrails.com/hickman-creek-nature-center/

(3) https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/thomas-dorman-state-nature-preserve/

(4) https://www.firstvineyard.net/history.html