Paducah, originally known as Pekin, was settled around 1815. Settlers were attracted to the community due to its location at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. In 1827, William Clark (of the Lewis and Clark expedition) arrived in Pekin with a title deed to the land, which was issued by the United States Supreme Court. The town was platted out and named in honor of the largest nation of Native Americans that ever roamed North America, the Padouca Indians. The community was incorporated in 1830.
The Clyde F. Boyles Greenway Trail currently has two completed sections with the third phase under construction, and an additional phase planned. The Paducah Greenway is funded in part thanks to income from an endowment from the Boyles estate. Lanelle Boyles, who died December 31, 2005, bequeathed a portion of the estate to the City of Paducah to be used for walking and biking trails in memory of her husband, Clyde F. Boyles. The endowment is managed by the Community Foundation of West Kentucky, Inc.
The trail is open to non-motorized traffic from dawn to dusk. Once completed, the Paducah Greenway will stretch five and one-half miles linking residential neighborhoods with numerous city parks and lead downtown to the bustling and beautiful riverfront. The Greenway will link the following four parks when completed: Perkins Creek Nature Preserve, Stuart Nelson Park, Noble Park, and Schultz Park.
