Daviess Co. Ky: In 1780, the first white settlers came, via the Ohio River, to what is now Daviess County. Early settlers included Joseph Blackford and William Smeathers. Smeathers came in 1798 and built his cabin on a site near the river, which is now St. Elizabeth Street in Owensboro. From this dwelling constructed by Smeathers, the first settlement began. The city was originally called "Yellow Banks" in reference to the color of the soil along the banks of the Ohio River and was selected as the county seat when the county was formed in 1815. Daviess County, the 58th county to be formed in Kentucky, was named in honor of Colonel Joseph Hamilton Daveiss, a distinguished lawyer and soldier. In 1817, the city's name was changed to Owensborough (later changed to Owensboro) in honor of Colonel Abraham Owen. Owensboro is the industrial and cultural hub of western Kentucky. Located along the southern banks of the Ohio River, Owensboro is the third largest city in terms of population in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Owensboro is located 32 miles southeast of Evansville, Indiana; 123 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee; 109 miles southwest of Louisville, Kentucky; 203 miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri; and 205 miles southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio.