For raging rivers cut deep into the mountains, West Virginia offers a variety of white water rafting opportunities with several rivers pushing the Class V rapids level. The New River cuts a 53-mile long swath through the state, located in the New River Gorge is said to be one of the oldest rivers on the continent.
West Virginia is the only state situated entirely in the Appalachian Mountain range and as such, proclaims itself as the Mountain State. The mountains were party instrumental in the formation of the state back in 1861 when it broke away from Virginia and came under a separate state constitution.
As a mountainous area, the western portion of Virginia had no use for slavery and was opposed to the practice and during the Civil War; it became the only state to be organized as a direct result of the war. It was admitted as a separate state in 1863.
The state capital Charleston is located where Interstates 64, 77 and 79 meet along the Alum River, which avails itself as a beautiful backdrop to this old city. Interstate 77 north, takes travelers into Ohio while I-79 heads into Pennsylvania. Traveling on Interstate 64 eastbound takes you through some of the state’s majestic mountain ranges and westward towards Nitro and Hurricane.
The eastbound trek, once over the mountains, the easier flat scenery rolls into Virginia and many of the historic locations of Civil War battlefields. West Virginia made the final payment of its debt to Virginia for work done prior to the split as a new state. The $12 million debt was determined by the United States Supreme Court shortly after the Civil War.
With salt mines mostly depleted, red salt became the state’s largest commodity until railroads were built through the states, giving a method of moving the state’s largest natural resource, coal. As coal mines in Pennsylvania and New Jersey were going out of business, West Virginia was just beginning to tap into this underground resource, making it one of the most popular states for mining companies.
Coal from West Virginia helped fuel the industrial revolution once railroad access made it possible to move large quantities of coal to other parts of the country. Prior to the railroads the state was aware of the uses for coal but a lack of transportation kept the mines at a small, family-operated size, many pulling out anthracite for their own use only.
In 1928, the Jones Diamond was discovered in Peterstown, West Virginia by the Jones family and its 34.48 carat weight remains the largest ever discovered in North America. A historical marker remains in the town as a reminder of the stone’s discovery. The family, having no idea what they had believed it was a piece of quartz, kept in their tool shed for 14 years, through the depression and after learning it values held onto it until 1970 when it was sold at auction through Southby Auction.
