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Tolls Removed from Daniel Boone Parkway and Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway; Daniel Boone Parkway Renamed Hal Rogers Parkway
Posted: 15-Jul-2003 9:17AM CDT
Topics: [Adair County] [Barren County] [Clay County] [Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway] [Daniel Boone Parkway/Hal Rogers Parkway] [Laurel County] [Leslie County] [Metcalfe County] [Governor Paul E. Patton] [Perry County] [Pulaski County] [Russell County]
Midnight June 1, 2003 marked the end of tolls on the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway and the Daniel Boone Parkway. Transportation officials and U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers commemorated the occasion on June 9 at the London toll both on the Daniel Boone Parkway. At the ceremony, Congressman Rogers personally manned a bulldozer and knocked over one of the toll booths. It was also revealed at this ceremony that the Daniel Boone Parkway would be renamed the Hal Rogers Parkway. U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers serves the 5th district of Kentucky; the 5th district stretches from Somerset to Pikeville. Rogers is the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation; in this position, Rogers helped to obtain $13 million in federal funding to help pay off outstanding bonds on these two parkways. The funding also allowed Kentucky to refinance the debt on the remaining toll roads. Renaming the parkway in his honor has sparked controversy. Many Kentuckians are proud of Daniel Boone's history in the state, and are offended by the political nature of this renaming. Though seven of Kentucky's nine parkways have been renamed for politicians, the Daniel Boone is the first of the two which were originally named for people to be renamed and the only to be renamed for politician still in office. The other parkway named for a person is the Audubon Parkway which is named for 19th century naturalist John James Audubon. The Jackson in Jackson Purchase Parkway (now Julian M. Carroll Parkway) refers to President Andrew Jackson; however, the name Jackson Purchase is used to refer to Kentucky west of the Tennessee River. The area was purchased from natives during Jackson's presidency. The renaming of the Daniel Boone Parkway sparked protest editorials such as this one from Prestonsburg's The Floyd County Times (reprinted in the Bowling Green Daily News) Pictures:
More information: KYTC Press Release: Daniel Boone Parkway is now the Hal Rogers Parkway (June 10, 2003) |
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| Comment posted by Marsha Reynolds, Bonaire GA on 17-Jul-2003 4:26AM CDT |
| I really think it is a shame that you changed the name of Daniel Boone Parkway. Why do states think they have to change history for one person. Our world is coming to an end faster and faster the way it is and then for you to go and change a road from someone as great as Daniel Boone to a nobody that really has not done anything for the state like Daniel Boone. It is really ashame that you feel you have to change history. No wonder our kids today do no know their history, because one person complains and everything is changed without thinking it through. And with everything costing the monies that they do today, it seems that states would not want to make a unreasonable cost that is really not necessary and that they would use that money to spend on the schools or something else that would help in the state instead of making it worst. |
| Comment posted by Sherrie Paty Sell on 18-Jul-2003 10:03PM CDT |
| Daniel Boone gave much to this country. You need to have left his name upon the roadway. Mr. Boone and family are examples of how his great country of ours was established, literally in blood, so that the today we can bask in freedom of travel!! |
| Comment posted by Carolyn Beyner on 18-Jul-2003 10:35PM CDT |
| Although I commend Sen. Rogers for his service to his people by getting the debt paid and the tolls removed, I do think it unwise of the State to have slighted a man such at Mr. Boone. Daniel Boone and his entire family contributed so much to Kentucky and her people and to rename this is to dishonor them. I would think politically speaking, Sen. Rogers has made a gaff! |
| Comment posted by Ethel Lawson on 19-Jul-2003 2:47AM CDT |
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I have always been proud of my affiliation with a Kentucky family and have extensively studied Kentucky history. It is a bitter blow that the Commonwealth should dishonor one who suffered so much for Kentucky. Since there is little chance the highway will be renamed, please find another significant venue to remind all of Kentucky's number one pioneer. |
| Comment posted by Nancy Stone on 19-Jul-2003 3:41AM CDT |
| How conceited can one be? To take the name of a great American down and add yours? What a shame!! |
| Comment posted by Ruby Martin on 19-Jul-2003 3:55AM CDT |
| I am sure there are other 'roads' that could have been named for Hal Rogers, rather than The Daniel Boone Parkway. How about a mountain or something? If I were in Hal Rogers' shoes, I would hate to think history would record me as the person responsible for removing Daniel Boone's name from this highway. Regardless of the good he may have done for the state economically, he has brought shame on himself and the state by his actions. If I ever travel Kentucky highways again, I will be sure to avoid the Hal Rogers Parkway. |
| Comment posted by Yvonne Prough on 19-Jul-2003 7:57AM CDT |
| What a shame to rename the road for a politician. People who visit your state will have no idea who Hal Rogers is or was. Daniel Boone's name is known world wide. Hal Rogers could reverse this by asking that his name not replace that of Daniel Boone but will he? Kentucky this is disgraceful to treat the memory of a great Pioneer with such disregard. |
| Comment posted by Bob Hoover Jr. on 19-Jul-2003 9:01PM CDT |
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I agree with Yvonne completely!! I live in GA and have absolutely no idea who Hal Rogers is or was. Daniel Boone was a famous American Frontiersman & Patriot THAT all Americans should know about. Men like him opened the expansion westward that led to the US becoming the great and wonderful country it is!! All though I'm not a Kentuckian, I can relate to the hardships the Boone family went through as my ancestors were some of the earliest settlers of what is now West Virginia! We also lived for 5 years in Winstom-Salem and we visited the 'Boone family Cave' several times. With idiotic actions like this, is it surprizing most of us no longer really trust our governments (at all levels) or our 'elected' officials who are supposed to do 'our will' (not THEIRS!!!)???? I wish we still did 'Tar & Feathers' and 'Riding out of town on a rail' like was done in Daniel's days. The 'politicians' responsible for this travesty of justice deserve that kind of treatment!!!!!! |
| Comment posted by Danny Lewis on 20-Jul-2003 8:56AM CDT |
| Meh... it really doesn't matter. Once Interstate 66 is built, there will be little use for the parkway unless one wanted to travel the 2-lane limited access road (called a super 2) for its scenic value. Unless the KYTC is going to upgrade the parkway for use as part of I-66 (but I don't think that's the plan) then it will be known as I-66--not Hal Rogers or Daniel Boone. |
| Comment posted by Jorie Walsh on 23-Jul-2003 12:35AM CDT |
| Two words: Nobody cares. |
| Comment posted by Anne Shelby on 24-Jul-2003 6:06PM CDT |
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WELCOME TO HAL ROGERS COUNTRY By Anne Shelby This column appeared in THE MANCHESTER ENTERPRISE July 24, 2003. Well me and my husband went over to London a-Saturday to visit with my sister that lives over there she. We didn’t go on the old Daniel Boone Parkway we went on the new HAL ROGERS PARKWAY. Hit seemed like hit was about as bumpy from coal trucks and log trucks and about as dangerous and took about the same amount of time as the old Daniel Boone Parkway. There wasn’t no toll booths on it but I swear I’d ruther pay a toll ever time as to have to call it the HAL ROGERS PARKWAY. Hit just don’t sound right, sorty like changing the name of the First Church of God to Joe’s Bar and Grill. Some say Daniel Boone warn’t nothing but a man that left his family to go off and claim the best land for the rich people and leave the rest of it for us. And I reckon if Ol Danl hadn’t of found the Cumberland Gap and pointed the way west, somebody else would have probly figured it out sooner or later. We wouldn’t be all still backed up along the coast, crowded up, no elbow room, wondering which direction to go. But whatever Ol’ Dan’l’s shortcomings in real life, in our minds he is bigger than life. He is a myth, he is a legend, he was a man, a big man, from the coonskin cap on top of Ol Dan to the heels of his rawhide shoes. Daniel Boone is a symbol of courage, independence, and closeness to nature. Whereas Hal Rogers is, well, a Republican from Somerset. I hope this is not the start of a trend. I don’t want to live in the HAL ROGERS National Forest nor ride the HAL ROGERS Transit nor view a outdoor drama named THE LEGEND OF HAL ROGERS. I don’t mean to throw off on Hal Rogers but if they was bound and determined to name something HAL ROGERS I wish they’d a named something HAL ROGERS that didn’t already have a perfectly good name and something that was maybe a little bit closer to Somerset. Now that’s just the way I feel about it and you can call it the HAL ROGERS PARKWAY if you want to but I’ve been calling it the Daniel Boone for thirty years and don’t aim to change now they can put up all the signs they want to. |
| Comment posted by M. Miles on 7-Aug-2003 1:29AM CDT |
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Yes, it dishonors BOONE once again but IT ALSO DISHONORS KENTUCKY! Mr. Hal Rogers may have done a good job in Ky - but he was doing just that; HIS JOB. A job he has been very well compensated for. All monies that he has spent on Ky came from Kentuckians, many of them were even descendants of Daniel Boone. He hasn't spent his own money for Ky. He is VERY well paid - and with VERY big checks and benefits for the rest of his life! We all know that as a politician he reeps countless benefits that most of us will never have, in addition to his big paycheck - so why does he have to replace the name of an historic figure with his own? These are the things that make American people hate politicians. Daniel Boone had no money so he gave something much more valuable. He gave TWO sons to Kentucky and he grieved mightily for those sons as long as he lived. He gave countless other family members and friends too. He gave a big portion of his own life to Ky. What was his compensation? Nothing. Not one thing. He left Ky. very hurt and disheartened because Ky. even took his land from him. He left and he said he never wanted to go back. In the end, Ky. even took THAT CHOICE away from him by taking it upon themselves to dig up his body and that of his wife and move them to Ky. to promote tourism in a new Frankfort, Ky. cemetery! Oh we know that he still rests in Missouri soil - no matter what the controversy because you see, when they dug into the grave they thought was Boone's, there was nothing left but a few small remnants and that is what they took to Ky. So no matter what, Daniel's body (whether it was his grave or someone else's) is still in Missouri. BUT Ky. DID take Rebecca. Yes, they even took his beloved wife from him to rest somewhere far away from him. One would think that now that so much time has passed, Kentucky would be trying to rectify some of those past errors in judgement. Kentucky has done VERY little to honor the true "Father of Kentucky." They put his name on a few signs here and there - Kentucky gained more from that than they were giving - they profit from his name. Now they have insulted him once AGAIN by putting a politician on a bulldozer and having him knock down road signs bearing the name of Daniel Boone. What a stupid, stupid thing to do - a BIG error in judgement - a very bad idea by whomever thought this one up. A very bad idea for Mr. hal Rogers to go along with it and even welcome it! What the rest of the country must be thinking about us now! Yes, it dishonors BOONE once again in the state he loved but EVEN MORE IT DISHONORS KENTUCKY! M. Miles, Born & Raised in Kentucky |
| Comment posted by Johnny Blevins on 8-Aug-2003 10:43PM CDT |
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Renaming the forest just might save the trees. Surely the loggers would not cut down Hal's trees. Somerset Ky |
| Comment posted by M. Creekmore on 26-Aug-2003 11:36AM CDT |
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I agree with M.Miles 100%. Daniel Boone is Kentuckys history,He is known around the world.It is a disgrace for his name to be removed and then replaced by a briefcase carrying man who is WELL paid for doing his job. WE the people are paying him, also for the NEW Hal signs.The honorable thing for Hal to do would be to come forward and ask that Daniel Boones signs be put back up and it be *Daniel Boone Parkway again* That is what it will always be to us anyway. Down the road it will be WHO's Hal? What did he do? Who was he ? answer..Just a man getting paid for doing a job.NO honors there. J.Blevins has a point to. Are they going to rename Daniel Boone National Forest The Hal Rogers Forest? Hal Rogers Country, hahaha NO WAY. This is our beloved Kentucky settled by Daniel Boone. Thank You. |
| Comment posted by D. Wells on 31-Aug-2003 8:32AM CDT |
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I find it interesting that hostility is being expressed towards Hal Rogers and Republicans. You might find it interesting that it is the Democrats that control this. Apparently this was a plan masterminded by our esteemed Governor Patton. Maybe your hostility towards Rogers was just what they had in mind... http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/6599326.htm "Gov. Paul Patton's spokesman, Rusty Cheuvront, acknowledged yesterday that the changing of the Daniel Boone Parkway to the Hal Rogers Parkway came at the governor's recommendation. And Kentucky's transportation secretary only angered descendants further by saying it was about time the state started honoring some new heroes. "There are no bears to slay, nor gaps to discover on treks to the West, so the heroes of our time follow new paths to greatness," Transportation Secretary James Codell III wrote in a letter to the Boone Society." Both the Governor and the Transportation Secretary are Democrats. Rogers is a Republican. Maybe we have to read between the lines. Can you see a liberal Democrat calling a conservative Republican a "new hero" to replace Daniel Boone? Yes, I love Kentucky frontier history and agree it should remain the Daniel Boone Parkway. But, doesn't something smell fishy here? Dave |
| Comment posted by Shari M. on 2-Sep-2003 3:18AM CDT |
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Very interesting. I got on this site looking for information on Kentucky. We are going to be traveling to your state soon. My son is named Daniel, and Daniel Boone has always been a favorite hero of his. We will be going to the Daniel Boone National Forest. The name and the history are what set this area apart from others. I must admit that I've never heard of Hal Rogers. He may be a good man. He may be a good politician. But, I'm afraid his name does not inspire a tourist to travel KY roads. |
| Comment posted by J. A. Pennington on 3-Sep-2003 6:23AM CDT |
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Is anybody listening?? I recently saw the new signs for the Hal Rogers Parkway and in my humble opinion ... whatever politician decided to re-name the Daniel Boone Parkway for Hal Rogers should be kicked out of office. This is utterly a ridiculous idea and if Hal Rogers had an ounce of genuine honesty in him, he would say, "Thanks but no thanks." After all being a politician is a job to him (he does get paid!) Daniel Boone gave much to this country and Hal Rogers has lined his pockets with a Kentucky congressman's pay which should be enough. CHANGE THE NAME BACK TO THE DANIEL BOONE PARKWAY! Ten years from now nobody will know who Rogers is/was anyway. Why immortalize another politician??? My opinion! Kentuckian by heritage! Kentucky Colonel, James A. Pennington |
| Comment posted by on 24-Sep-2003 7:10AM CDT |
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Hal Rogers should help pass one last item of legislation... PUT the Boone Name back on the parkway!!! Come on Hal, you can get a road or street somwhere. Dan was here before you! |
| Comment posted by Roger on 9-Oct-2003 6:22AM CDT |
| Here! Here! I agree with most of the previous posts. I think we should start a petition drive or something for the General Assembly to let them know just how many Kentuckians are outraged by this. Better yet, maybe we should all call and email our respective legislators prior to the January 2004 session. Based on recent history, it's very doubful they are actually going to take on any other substantive issues facing the state such as a horifically funded state education syste, the economy, or health care! |
| Comment posted by Ronald D. Mullane on 5-Nov-2003 8:56AM CST |
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Dear Sirs: When I was a young man of 23 years of age, I was honorably discharged from the U. S. Army. After my tour of duty, I returned to my home town in California. I bought a car and my Father and I decided to take a road trip across this beautiful country of ours. We drove to Santa Monica, Caifornia where we picked up U.S. Rt. 66 and headed east on the most enjoyable trip I have ever taken. We went to Portsmouth, N.H. where my father was born in 1894 in his parent's home. We stayed in this same home that was still owned by his three elderly wonderful sisters for over six weeks before returning to California via a different route. I can still close my eyes and see us motoring east on the Daniel Boone Highway, oh what a beautiful part of our wonderful country. After returning home, I met my bride of thirty six plus years. I have told her many many times about that road trip and your scenic state. We have always wanted to retrace that trip. We have decided to do just that in the next couple of years after retirement. I would just hate to see someone else's name on the Daniel Boone Parkway when we come through your state, for many reasons. When I was a kid, all of my buddies and I would play cowboys and indians and all sorts of games. I can remember we would always fight over who was going to be Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, or Jim Bowie when we wanted to be frontiersmen. I always wanted to be Daniel Boone, I have read everything I could find about Daniel Boone's life and accomplishments. What a treasure this man was to our country. I'm sure his memory will live in American history forever, as it should be, as he belongs to all of America and Americans everywhere. Please do not change the name of the Daniel Boone Parkway, it should be a monument to your greatest native son. Thank you for listening to my ramblings. Ronald Mullane P.S. I now live in the Pacific N.W. and I Know of no one that has ever heard of Hal Rogers, but everyone knows of Daniel Boone. (Father of Kentucky) ( I mean no disrespect to U.S Congressman Hal Rogers) |
| Comment posted by on 30-Apr-2004 1:11AM CDT |
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