Proposed in 1946 and opened in 1951, Cherokee State Park was the only state park in Kentucky developed for African Americans. It closed by 1964 after Gov. Combs's 1963 Exec. Order ended segregation in public facilities. The 300-acre park included a beach, rental cottages, a kitchen and dining hall, and a picnic area, and 2,000 attended its opening. Black families from near and far vacationed there. Known as the state park for Kentucky's "Negro" citizens, it was a product of "Jim Crow" segregation, built when African Americans fought to integrate recreation facilities in Louisville and other parts of Kentucky. Some considered the park overdue, while others saw it as an obstacle to full equality.