The Naming of Bullock Pen

Crittenden Ky  9/21/1953   Kentucky State Historial Society   your letter addressed to J.M. Pollitt (should have been J.M. Collins) came to me today on the subject of how “Bullock Pen” Creek came by its name – you don’t know – Now I can tell you and I have every reason to believe it is correct. In the days before the “Civil War” and before the “Cincinnati Southern” and “L&N Shortline” railroads were built – there was in Covington Ky the largest packing house in our “U-S”. Farmers in Scott, Grant, Owen and parts of Pendleton and Harrison Co.’s used to drive their live stock through the dirt roads to Covington. I myself have seen droves and droves going by. I am 84. Those coming through Crittenden would go down, what is now called the “Violette” road and 1 ½ mi. from Crittenden they came to a creek and across the creek then is a flat piece of ground of about an acre. Those who reached this place near night fall would herd their stock on this flat for the night. It got to be such a habit that the flat was fenced in and called the “Bullock Pen.” From that the creek got it name. John R. Stephens (80) told me that Mr. John Myers who if living, would be about 145 yrs. old told him when he was a small boy that that was how the creek came to be so named. I think this is correct. I knew Mr. Myers when I was a small boy.   Very truly yours J.M. Collins  

from a letter in the files of the Kentucky Historical Society