I want to visit that little nub of Kentucky that is separated from the rest of the state in the far south western part of our state. I have been told that the Mississippi River changed course during an earthquake and that is how it got separated. On the map, I cannot see any roads that lead to it from either Tennessee or Missouri.  I am not even certain of the name.  Someone told me it was the Madrid ledge.  I saw in the election results map in the Herald-Leader that it was colored blue, so SOMEONE must live there.  How do I get there and what is its name?  I think it is in Fulton Co.

The area is known as Madrid Bend, and is, in fact, the westernmost tip of the state, in Fulton County. It has been known by several names. The French called the land inside the loop Greasy Bend. Today it is variously called Madrid (pronounced MAD-rid) Bend, New Madrid Bend, Bessie Bend or Kentucky Bend. The Herald-Leader wrote a story in 1989 about the history of the locale.

Filed under: Kentucky history, Kentucky info