Show I i Editors Editor's Note This Is another er cr in the Stories of the States series 5 ries By EDWARD V ED ARD EMERINE Features Chust look at dis Its It's coal John Peter Peter- Salley one of an exploring party had picked up what seemed to be another be bitu- bitu rock and found it to coal Today West Vir Vir- Virginia Virginia Virginia ginia with its mines often is referred to as the coal bin of America When William Tompkins used nat nat- natural natural ural urai gas as fuel to evaporate water from rom brine in 1841 he became one of the first men in the United States to use gas for industrial uses West Virginias Virginia's natural gas production production production tion in 1944 was billion cubic feet In 1797 Elisha Brooks Br began ex ex- extracting extracting ex- ex extracting salt for commercial pur pur- purposes purposes purposes poses from a brine spring in Kana- Kana Kanawha Kanawha Kanawha wha valley near the present site of Charleston Other West Virginia salt snIt works have been operating for more than years ears Develop New Industries As early as 1790 a furnace was built by Peter Tarr of Kings Creek bear near the present site of Weirton W now one of the biggest steel producing cities in America Cannon balls made here were used by Commodore Perrys Perry's fleet in the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813 I Michael J. J Owens son of of a coal c al miner invented a machine in 1903 and started a new epoch in that industry West Vest Vir Vir- Virginia Virginia Virginia ginia produced in prewar years glass china and pottery valued at I 50 million dollars annually Miflin Marsh made stogies and sold them to passengers on Ohio river boats in 1840 M. M Marsh Son Wheeling Is reputed to be the largest stogie manufacturer in the United States And back in 1915 when World War I cut off the German supply of playing marbles Agate was founded at Clarksburg and today the concern makes over half hall of the worlds world's glass marbles But lest West Virginias Virginia's in in- industrial industrial industrial achievements blind us to her other claims to fame and distinction let us look farther than bituminous coal production production production tion natural gas petroleum chemicals salt stone hardwood timber Umber steel and iron manu manu- manufacture manufacture manufacture facture textiles glass pottery ceramics and others There is also the romantic and historic West Nest Virginia And there is the mountainous and scenic West Nest Virginia which has become one of the nations nation's greatest recreational recreational areas s Q p Z y M CHIEF EXECUTIVE Clar Clar- Clarence Clarence Clarence ence Watson Meadows 1 was elect elect- elected elected elected ed the governor of West Vest Vir Vir- Virginia Virginia Virginia ginia in 1944 1914 A former lawyer he had served as state attorney general and judge of the judicial circuit court before his election lie He is a native of Beck- Beck Beckley Beckley Beckley ley W. W Va where w ere he was born February 11 1904 I The first white men went into what is now West Virginia as as a's early as 1719 and a few years later cabins were being built After 1735 South Branch valley began to fill up with the overflow from Shenandoah val val- valley valley valley ley and from Pennsylvania and Maryland Settlers were of several nationalities and the composition of the people of West Virginia al always al- al always always ways has been different from that of the country east of the mountains Story of Controversy West Virginians heartily hear Jy support support- supported ed the Revolution and sent troops to help New England and the Mid Mid- Middle Middle Middle dle Colonies but the history of west west- western western western ern Virginia before 1801 is a story of controversy with eastern Vir Vir- Virginia ginia Socially politically and eco- eco economically the two sections were un- un unlike unlike like ike from the very beginning West West- Western Western Western ern Virginia was democratic while eastern Virginia was aristocratic The idea of separation was fore fore- foremost foremost foremost most long before the Civil war When war broke out between the states in 1861 there were bound to toe tobe tobe be e repercussions through the en- en enire enI entire entire I tire ire state Eastern Virginia was the I heart icart of the Confederacy Western Virginia was opposed to secession The long desired separation was ef ef- ef- ef not with the Civil war as as' a cause but rather as an opportunity On December 31 1862 the congress congress of the United States gave its consent con con- consent consent sent to admit West Virginia as a state stafe and the next spring on April 20 1863 President Lincoln issued his proclamation West Virginia be be- became became became came the state of the union two months later Many 1 Historic Shrines Three states and two rivers meet at historic Harpers Ferry where John Browns Brown's slavery anti-slavery raid was staged Blackwater falls faUs Seneca rocks Pinnacle rock the burial mounds at Moundsville the state capitol building the historic I shrines all aU are interesting and worthwhile From mountain tops to blue bluegrass bluegrass bluegrass grass farms the agricultural side of West Virginia is a revelation Anyone must mar mar- marvel marvel marvel vel at the agriculture and fruit that are produced in a state that ranks among the first in industry Prize beef and bitu bitu- bituminous bituminous bituminous minous coal Yes anything is possible In West Virginia Gen Stonewall Jackson was born at Clarksburg and West Vir Vir- Virginia Virginia Virginia ginia also gave the nation John W. W Davis Pearl S Sa S. Buck and Ann Jar- Jar vis In case youve you've forgotten it was Ann Jarvis who in 1907 asked a group of Philadelphia friends to wear white carnations on the first anniversary of her mothers mother's death and and thereby founded Mothers Mother's Day State of Contrasts The states state's northwestern border is the Ohio river the aquatic highway that opened the west But the Mo- Mo Monongahela Monongahela Monongahela and the Kanawha rivers are important too West Virginias Virginia's elevations range from to feet above sea level with the high high- highest highest highest est average elevation of any state east of the Yes its it's a mountainous state but every wooded hill every shady nook and every sparkling stream belongs to just such a state About 60 per cent of the states state's area is covered by for for- forest forest forest est with trees ranging from spruce in the highlands to prickly pear cactus and other semi-desert semi plants in the lowlands Scenery Scenery- wildlife and extensive semi-primitive semi areas combine to lure to West Virginias Virginia's two vast national forests the Monongahela hela and the George Washington The state also has 15 state parks and seven state forests Fishing hunting hiking riding swimming s golf goll tennis boating boating- well what do you want for recreation recreation recreation t And what is your trade what are arc your business ambitions your specifications for success And what of your dream home where nature is loveliest Perhaps the answer is in in West Virginia s r r Semper 2 r Liberi t tz z P E N N S Y L VA N I A a r r 1 r 1 V. V I rI THE PANHANDLE STATE I. I Surrounding the map of West Vest fw Virginia are typical scenes of the e ethe the state 1 Blackwater falls w 2 the administration building yM at Babcock state park 3 a modern coal tipple 4 New River canyon and 5 apple growing 4 V 5 |