Fun Facts: West Virginia

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West Virginia is the state where I was “born and raised,” as they say. I moved to Colorado after I got married and lived there for two and a half years. Now, I live in Virginia. West Virginia is a beautiful state and I love the mountains. You may not know that ALL of West Virginia lies within the Appalachian Mountains, including (east to west) the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Ridge and Valley region, the Allegheny Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau, that covers three-fifths of the state. Spruce Knob, on which I have stood, is the state’s highest point at 4,863’. Compared to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, of which I have been to the top of Mount Evans and Pike’s Peak, among others, the West Virginia Mountains are not so tall. Colorado has dozens of mountains over 14,000’. Many ancient mound builders lived in West Virginia thousands of years earlier and their earthworks still exist. White settlers came to this area around 1670. West Virginia became a state in 1863, when the western delegates refused to join the Confederacy. Coal mining became the major industry, supplying northern industries with coal, timber, gas, oil and salt. There was a lot of violence from 1912 -1921 when there were efforts to form labor unions in the coal mines, and the U.S. Army and the National Guard were called in at least six times to settle disputes. There was a HUGE mine explosion in Monongah in the early 1900s. I graduated from Monongah High School. Most people don’t know how to pronounce that name. Mo-non-gah. About 15 years ago, West Virginia ranked third in the production of soft coal nationally. The town in which my husband was “born and raised” just a few miles from Monongah, has a town sign when you enter the town limits that says: “Welcome to Shinnston, the heart of the bituminous coal fields of West Virginia.” That’s soft coal. There is an unending list of beautiful parks and recreation areas all over the state. Probably the most popular is the New River Bridge area. The bridge, when it was built was the tallest steel arch bridge at the time. On Bridge Day, bungie jumpers and parachutists jump off the bridge. Around 80,000 people visit the bridge on Bridge Day. We have been there many times. There's a link below for more information. There is also rafting on the New River. White Sulphur Springs is a resort area that attracts many famous and important people. Presidents and movie stars alike have stayed at the Greenbrier Resort. Fort Henry, built in 1769-70 was the scene of the last battle of the Revolutionary War. There is a lot to see in West Virginia. Picture of the New River Steel Arch Bridge by Pixabay