PIKE COUNTY, Mo. — It was 80 years ago Thursday that an iconic American singer recorded a famous folk ballad with a local connection.

Illinois native Burl Ives did his version of “Sweet Betsy from Pike” on February 11th, 1941. You can find it on the internet.

The forlorn tale about a woman from Pike County Missouri and her lover, Ike, was written by John Stone, who went by the nickname Old Put.

The song became popular during the California Gold Rush and was finally published for the first time in Put’s Golden Songster of 1858.

“Sweet Betsy” was a huge hit and helped put Pike County on the lips of people around the nation.

Most versions were cleaned up, but the one sung in Gold Rush mining camps reflected brutal conditions prospectors had found on their way to California and after they got there.

Dozens of other artists have recorded the tune over the years, but Ives probably had the best description of why it strikes a chord across generations.

The singer said ballads such as “Sweet Betsy” allow people to better understand America.