Description
The Big Sandy Valley — sometimes called Kentucky’s last frontier — has been shaped by a series of extraordinary individuals and families over the course of the past 200 years. Hidden Heroes of the Big Sandy Valley profiles and celebrates an exclusive group of these people. The hardback book, compiled and edited by James M. Gifford, contains 22 biographical essays and one cultural essay by 17 authors.
From the beginnings of Appalachian history until the present, outsiders have defined Appalachian people and Appalachian ways in negative terms,” Gifford writes in the book. “The people who are profiled in this book are true representatives of millions of people who have populated the Big Sandy Valley for more than 200 years. I invite you to read their stories and discover the reality of a great regional people.”
Essay Profiles
- Mary Schrader (1755-1847)
- Jenny Wiley (1760-1831)
- Daniel Williams (1763-1820)
- Colonel George Gallup (1828-1880)
- John C.C. Mayo (1864-1914)
- Effie Waller Smith (1879-1960)
- Jean Bell Thomas (1881-1982)
- Martin Himler ( 1888-1961)
- Fred Vinson (1890-1953)
- Russell Williamson (1903-1993)
- Loretta Preston Spears (1911-2004)
- Cratis Williams (1911-1985)
- Leonard Roberts (1912-1983)
- Verna Mae Slone (1914-2009)
- Don Osborne and his siblings (1926-)
- Eula Hall (1926-)
- Billy C. Clark (1928-2009)
- Chad Perry (1929-2010)
- George Wolfford (1935-)
- Donnis Butcher (1936-2012)
- Ira Potter (1942-)
- Sam McKinney (1951-)
The Big Sandy Valley
The Big Sandy Valley is a geographical corridor approximately 120 miles in length, stretching from Pikeville to Cattletsburg along the Kentucky-West Virginia border. The valley is a function of the Levisa Fork and Tug Fork rivers that flow through southeastern Kentucky. The two rivers are approximately 25 miles apart and flow north in parallel fashion until they converge at Louisa and flow into the Ohio River near Cattletsburg. The Big Sandy Valley is almost 5,000 square miles of mountainous land that includes the counties (going from north to south) of Boyd, Lawrence, Johnson, Floyd, Martin, and Pike counties, along with the southeastern sections of Magoffin, Knott, and Letcher counties.
HARDBACK
Compiled and edited by James M. Gifford
