“Almost heaven”… West Virginia certainly is beautiful. The infamous Hatfields and McCoys hail from the Mountain State. The feud started in the Tug River Valley in Aug. 1882 when Ellison Hatfield was killed by three McCoy brothers. Supposedly there was a stolen hog involved but court records indicate a long standing dislike between the families as early as the Civil War.
West Virginia was originally a part of Virginia. Residents were isolated by the terrain causing conflicts between the highland pioneers and the tidewater easterners which became difficult to overcome. By the time the Civil War broke out the divide escalated. When Virginia seceded from the Union, West Virginia seceded from it. President Lincoln declared West Virginia the 35th state in 1863.
I couldn’t help humming John Denver’s Country Roads as I entered the state from Maryland and wound my way along narrow curvy roads to Clarksburg. While gritting my teeth with overloaded trucks passing me and biding my time to do some passing of my own I suddenly felt very American. Not really a patriotic politician type of American but these were my people too, even if they were trying to run me off the road. West Virginia is not my home but even if I leave the USA next week and never return I will be an American and all of the millions of other American are my people whether I want them of not. I didn’t want to die on the road amongst “my people” but it definitely gave me something to ponder.
My WV book (see below) yielded a quote that spoke to me: “…now I know people not from here probably don’t understand our feeling for these hills. Our love for land was not spectacular. Our mountains are not like Western ones, those jagged awesome ones, your eyes pulled to their tops. But that is the difference, I decided. In the West, mountains are mostly horizontal. We live in our mountains. It’s not just the tops, but the sides that hold us.”173 I come from the world of big, Western mountains but understand the way these mountains envelope you must be a sensation you always crave if this is home.
The Clarksburg / Bridgeport area was my home for the night. I selected the destination rather randomly based upon geographic location rather than any specific points of interest. The town of Clarks burg was pleasant to stroll through but offered little culture. I should have been there a few weeks earlier when they were hosting the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival. There were a few very promising looking Italian restaurants. Confederate General Stonewall Jackson was born in Clarksburg in 1824
The next day I made my way north through the home of West Virginia State University, Morganville. West Virginia forms a peninsula at the top squeezing between Ohio and Pennsylvania. The intriguing community of Moundsville sits along the banks of the Ohio River. The Adena Indians created artificial hillocks 2,000 years ago near Moundsville as vertical graveyards. In the mid 20th century Moundsville was home to the Marx Toy. Co., at one time the largest toy manufacturer in the world. Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em Robots and other toy classics are on display at the museum.
West Virginia rates dead last in the League of America Bicyclists rating. I had no problem believing that statistic based on my impression of the roads, though there are several good mountain biking trails.
West Virginia produces 15% of all the coal in the US. Much of the troubled history of the state involves the coal industry. In 1920 the Matewan Massacre lead to widespread clashes between unionizing coal miners, coal operators and law enforcement. In 1972 the Buffalo Creek mining dam collapsed, killing 118 and leaving thousands homeless.
My West Virginia book recommendation came from 50 States of Literature: Strange as this Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake. I received a crash course in the consequences some mining practices have brought upon the area. From the back cover: “In a West Virginian town, people live with the constant threat of a black flood that could wash out their world without notice. The latest coal boom, is upon them and mountaintop removal is turning the mountains to dust and wastewater. Workers struggle with layoffs, families fight to stay together, and children seek escape from the blasted moonscape craters. This is the world of Ann Pancake’s lyrical and passionate debut novel, based on interviews and real events, which explodes into a harrowing – yet life-affirming – conclusion.”I know that there is so much more to this state but my strongest impression is what the pursuit of energy sources has wrought.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC8nDdPM_Qk
www.wvihf.com
www.marxtoymuseum.com
http://www.bikeleague.org/news/090508bfs.php
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