Lost Bluegrass: History of a Vanishing Landscape - Softcover

The Bluegrass region has come to define what makes Kentucky a place unlike any other. What began as the homeland of native tribes developed into ideal farmland for early settlers. Development continued as the region evolved into the premier breeding grounds for world-famous thoroughbreds, helping to bring the Bluegrass international recognition as the epicenter of American horseracing and equestrian culture. Yet development of the region has never stopped. The rolling hills, limestone fences and legendary horse farms that once defined the landscape continue to vanish as suburban sprawl stretches into the far reaches of the Bluegrass. Join author Ronnie Dreistadt as he tracks the history of the Bluegrass, what's been lost and the ongoing efforts to save what remains.

Ronnie Dreistadt has worked for the Kentucky Derby Museum for thirteen years and is considered an expert on the history of the race. He has written several newspaper/magazine articles pertaining to general Kentucky Derby history and has been the outreach education coordinator for the Kentucky Derby Museum for eight years. He has also written and researched all of the tours the Kentucky Derby museum now offers: historic walking tour, barn and backside stable tour, behind the scenes tour and the horses and haunts tour (ghost stories). He has researched and written six education programs, including the "Vanishing Bluegrass" program, on which much of this book is based. This program was developed and produced for grades five through eight in 2007 and was adapted and expanded for an adult audience in 2010. Originally, this topic was the subject of a temporary exhibit displayed in the Kentucky Derby Museum.