Poplar Plains Trail

The "Lost Trail" between Olive Hill and Flemingsburg/Poplar Plains

Several old maps document a trail across Carter County that passed through today's Olive Hill and proceeded northwest
along a route that does not exactly follow any existing roads. Notably, the most common way to reach Flemingsburg
from Olive Hill today passes through Morehead, Ky.

A section of the 1823 Tanner/1826 Finley map showing a trail across what is now Carter County, directly to Flemingsburg


A section of the 1836 Tanner map showing the trail closer to the location of Olive Hill


A section of the 1839 Burr map.


A section of the 1845 Morse map. Poplar Plains and Upper Tygert are identfied as intermediate points along the trail.
Note that neither Rowan County nor Morehead yet exist.


A section of the 1865 Ruger map. This is the latest map I have found that shows the old trail.
Once Rowan County was created, the center of gravity appears to have shifted away from Flemingsburg, and the
trail that linked Carter County with Flemingsburg became redundant. That, and the fact that the Midland Trail passed
through Grayson and Olive Hill, and proceeded west through Morehead, rather than through Flemingsburg.


Here I've marked up a current map with my first guess as to the most probable path of our "Lost Trail".

Route 60 east of Olive Hill at the turn north. Route 1662 follows the eastern edge of Flat Fork Creek's valley.


From Tygerts Creek looking north, this trail rounting would be easy to detect, even if the valley was heavily forested.


Route 1662 creek valley is not wide but would have been easily navigated by foot, on horseback or by wagon.


Turning west off of Route 1662 to Route 1024

The trail-traveler would have followed the creek at the base of this ridge line.

Dry Branch Road (and the trail) passes over a modrate ridge that the trail would have had to negotiate.
It is the only significant physical obstacle on the path between Olive Hill and Poplar Plains.

Dry Branch is in a narrow creek valley, but it goes in the desired direction and is easily followed

We turn left off of Dry Branch Road on to Route 377, which leads us to Stockton Road

Route 377 follows a broad creek valley.

Here we turn west to follow Route 799

Route 799 follows a broad valley created by the creek

The road tends to follow along hillsides and ridges, avoiding the narrow creek flood plain that the trail would have followed.

The road/trail turns west toward Poplar Plains where Routes 32 and 156 intersect

The trail passed through a flat area (it was probably not so open then), so several alternative routes could be easily taken.

A low range of hills direct the traveler to the west.

Route 156 east of Poplar Plains

Entering Poplar Plains from the east

Looking north toward Flemingsburg

Looking South along Route 111

Looking south from downtown Poplar Plains.

The large homes and commercial buildings indicate that Poplar Plains was a substantial community in an earlier era,
and that may explain why the trail diverted through Poplar Plains before continuing on to Flemingsburg.

Route 156 west from Poplar Plains. From this point, the trail went northwest over a rolling plain toward Maysville.