Blue Grass Chicken

I am sitting in the living room contemplating what to eat tonight. While I love burgers and steaks, it is time for chicken. When we think of fried chicken, what comes to mind? Mashed potatoes, perhaps. Corn on the Cob, probably. US 25 and Dixie Highway, most would go huh? That is where one of the most famous men of the 20th Century began his journey, Corbin, Kentucky.

Colonial Harland Sanders began his chicken enterprise in the former reaches of the Dixie Highway. This north-to-south route ran in four divisions. The western division ran from Chicago to Miami, Florida. The Central division was a short cut off between the western division in Macon, Georgia and the eastern division in Jacksonville, Florida. The Carolina division cut the distance between Knoxville and Waynesboro, Georgia. While the eastern division began in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan and finished in Miami. One of the stops along this route was US 25; it ran in two directions east and west, Corbin lies on the western portion of 25.

In 1930, the Colonial operated a service station in Corbin. It was here where he served hungry motorists stopping for gas and a bite to eat. While he did not operate a restaurant, Sanders' guests ate from his own dining table in the station's living quarters. At which point, the Colonial created the "home meal replacement". He sold full meals to those who did not have the time to fix their own meals. The Colonial called this "Sunday Dinner, Seven Days a Week."

It was not until 1935 when Sanders was given the moniker, Colonial. The title was designated to him by Kentucky Governor Ruby Lafoon. As the 1940's progressed, the Sanders Court and Cafe attracted more and more people who stopped by just for the food. Within a decade "he perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices", which is still used today. However, when the route planned in the 1950s for what would become Interstate 75 bypassed Corbin, Sanders sold his properties and traveled the U.S. to sell his chicken to restaurant owners. By 1955, the fried chicken was clucking its feathers as the Colonial created a franchise. In 1964, Sanders sold the business and within a year, Kentucky Fried Chicken had more than 600 franchises throughout the United States and Canada. Over the next forty years, KFC went through three ownership changes. Today, you will find many KFC's connected with other franchises such as Taco Bell as part of Yum! Brands.

While KFC may seem like another franchise, just remember the hard work and humility put in by the Colonial and its true essence, a roadside delicacy off a blue highway.


Source:
http://www.corbinkytourism.com/sandersKFC.htm