The United States of America won its' independence from Great Britain in 1776 and 13 states comprised the new found country. Over the next few years, independent families continued to immigrate from these 13 States, westward to Kentucky and other outposts. With land grants being given to families and veterans, Kentucky territory was beginning to be composed of farmers, ranchers, loggers and other permanent type settlers that would tame the land and build cities and towns. Kentucky Territory was a part of Virginia and in 1791 both houses passed an act accepting the Kentucky district as a State of Kentucky. In 1792 Kentucky became the the fifteenth state of The United States. It would be the first state west of the Appalachian Mountains to join the Union. By the year of 1810, many immigrants had settled along the Green River in Ohio County, mainly along Lewis Creek. The high land just up river from Lewis Creek looked inviting, as well as the land just down river from Lewis Creek. Soon two major settlements of Rockport and Ceralvo would become thriving towns. Ironically, these two towns became sister-like communities. When one town got a ferry to cross the Green River, soon the other had a ferry. When the railroad built a bridge across the Green River in one town, another railroad built a railroad bridge to cross Green River in the other town.

For the next hundred years, these two Green River cities, some six miles apart, continued to grow and prosper. Rockport probably peaked at 750 population and started to decline in population around the middle of the twentieth century. I doubt that Ceralvo's population ever reached 750 people and it too started to decline just after the start of the twentieth century.

In 1870, the citizens of Rockport petitioned the state government and were given a charter for the town to become incorporated and over the years, it continued to grow and prosper. When the new twentieth century started in the year of 1900, this small river town of Rockport was what one would call a boom town in this time frame. The downtown and the river area were bustling with business including, but not limited to, a sawmill, drug store, doctors offices, a dentist office, a relator, several restaurants, dry good store, several grocery stores, movie theatre, floating theatre, grist mill, blacksmith shop, butcher shop, fish market, several churches and a livery stable. And of course, I have left out others. And just a few years later, William and Mannie Wilson would open a restaurant next to a beautiful hotel in downtown Rockport.

Thanks for looking and reading. Enjoy your day.
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