Yellow Banks, Kentucky, was the name of the rustic community founded by pioneer

William Smeathers William "Bill" Smeathers ( 1767 – August 13, 1837), also known as Smithers or Smothers, was a pioneer settler of Kentucky and later Texas. Not much is known about his early days. He is believed to have been born in either Pennsylvania, Virginia ...

or Smothers around 1790 on the banks of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

. The name was derived from the yellowish banks along the river. In 1817, Yellow Banks became the established town of Owensborough,Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office. "Owensboro, Kentucky". Accessed 18 September 2013. in honor of

Col. Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Abraham Owen Abraham Owen or Abram Owen (1769–1811) was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, in 1769. He moved to Kentucky in 1785. Owen served in the wars with the Indians under generals James Wilkinson and Arthur St. Clair in 1791, and served wit ...

(also the namesake of Owen County in Kentucky).

References

Unincorporated communities in Daviess County, Kentucky Unincorporated communities in Kentucky Populated places established in 1797 Owensboro metropolitan area {{DaviessCountyKY-geo-stub