Quicksand, Kentucky
Quicksand | |
|---|---|
Quicksand Location within the state of Kentucky Quicksand Quicksand (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 37°31′44″N 83°20′42″W / 37.52889°N 83.34500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Breathitt |
| Elevation | 810 ft (250 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 41363 |
| GNIS feature ID | 501479 |
Quicksand is an unincorporated community located in Breathitt County, Kentucky, United States. This small community is along the North Fork of the Kentucky River, directly across the river from where Quicksand Creek flows into the river.
The community post office closed in 1996. Prior to that, its population had been reported in 1987 at roughly 100.
Of the community 19th-century naming, postmaster Rosa Lea Davis told the Los Angeles Times, "a man was returning on his horse and as the horse neared the center of the river the horse began to sink. The man cried out for help. People ran to the river bank, but before they could get to him the man and horse sank from sight, never to be seen again." Despite the story and the location's name, no actual quicksand is known to exist in the area.
Historians and Board-Certified genealogists have proven that Joseph Back (1745–1819) was the first member of the Back (or Bach) family to settle in Quicksand, and that he was the great-grandson of Johann Christoph Bach, who was a cousin to Johann Sebastian Bach, the famous classical musician. This has been documented in many books, including The Bach (Back) Family from Southeastern Kentucky by Dr. Mary Back Simpson, The Kentucky by Dr. Thomas D. Clark, and In the Land of Breathitt by the Kentucky Writer's Project (and the WPA).