Barbecue History
Owensboro commands a sweeping view of the Ohio River from its downtown riverfront. The historic river helped give birth to the city nearly two centuries ago and nurtured its growth by bringing steamboats laden with passengers and goods to the city's doorstep. Among other things, Owensboro is famous for barbecue, which draws barbecue fans from all over the world.
The first barbecue on record here, but probably not the first in county history, was on July 4, 1834. Since then the barbecue fires have been burning almost continuously from summer to summer. Some families are now on their fifth generations of barbecue cooks.
What distinguished Owensboro's barbecue from the barbecue in the rest of the world? It's the local popularity of barbecued mutton. Yet why is barbecued mutton so popular here? There seem to be about as many answers to that question as there are sheep roasting over the pits.
Some say that the early Welsh settlers who made Daviess County home raised enormous herds of sheep; so it was only natural that if a barbecue was in order, mutton would be the meat. Agricultural records for early Daviess County seem to support that argument. In 1860, for example, there were more than 11,000 sheep, compared to 6,570 beef cattle, obviously radically different from today's records. With packs of wild dogs ravaging the farmer's flock, sheep herding is not as popular in Daviess and surrounding counties as it once was.
The BBB GeoTour (GC497)
Gather up the family and friends and plan a road trip to enjoy three old-fashioned Kentucky traditions with a side of geocaching. Barbecue Mutton smoked from wood, not from a sauce, and definitely not from a bottle. Bourbon, world-renowned Kentucky Bourbon, made from a local natural limestone water source then aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of two years. Bluegrass Music completes the trio as Owensboro Kentucky is just minutes away from the home place of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass. We invite you to experience these three traditions through the Barbecue, Bourbon, and BlueGrass GeoTour; set within the award-winning Smothers Park, located on the Scenic Ohio River.
GeoTour Passport & Reward
Passports are no longer required to obtain a BBB GeoTour Geocoin! June 1st 2023 coins will be available to everyone. Check back then for a link to get a GeoTour Geocoin.
GeoTour Locations:
