The New River

Known as one of the oldest rivers on the continent, It sits atop the Appalachian Mountains. From this view it forms a gorgeous oxbow, which is currently cut off by trees.

Sunset on the New River

The New River in West Virginia at Sunset

View of Thurmond

Thurmond is a preserved relic of the area's life as a coal mining center. Once a boomtown on the Chesapeake & Ohio line, now down to 5 residents.

Thurmond Business District

Thurmond is one of the few towns left that still maintain the look of a 1920's Appalachian Coal town. As of the 2010 censu it had 5 residents. Amtrak still visits but it is the 2nd least used station on the line.

A Road to Nowhere

This view transfixed me and brought up memories of Gregory Crewdson's Beneath the Roses. Thurmond has no roads or sidewalks. It's bridge is a one rail affair, in or out. The little building on the left was the US Post Office until 1995. Thurmond had 7 residents, according to the 2000 census.

Up & Behind

Thurmond is silent, except for the occasional train and tourist. It has dark corners where one cannot see, but the green goes to reclaim it's own.

Former Thurmond US Postal Office & Friend

Fellow photographer, Don Brown, posed for us outside this disused Post Office in Thurmond, WV. It was in operation until 1995.

Here Comes the Train

We witnessed long coal trains crawling along the tracks next to the New River. This train went past in one direction and then went back in the opposite direction. It remained a mystery to us. The bridge is one way at a time.

Train Passing

CSX stands for Chessie-Seaboard Merger (the X means nothing)-as a child I had a beloved book about Chessie the railroad kitten, all tucked up and sleeping on the chesapeake Railway.

CSX Returns

This scene rminded me of an image from the movie, McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Human efforts scraped out of the mighty mountains, perched on the edge of the world.

New River and Thurmond Bridge

The rushing New River flowing under the Thurmond Bridge that brought the Chesapeake & Ohio into Thurmond Depot.

Thurmond Depot

I enjoyed pairing this historic recreation with the paraphanalia of contemporary life. West Virginia lovingly restored parts of it's coal mining history. I wonder what it looked like then, I imagine it in black & white. The coal mining and railroading lasted for 30 years, from around 1890 to 1920. Coal barons, workers and drama; all memories now.

Luggage Carriage Thurmond Depot

Thurmond Depot has been restored as a NPS visitor center. I was there with 4 other photographers two days before July 4th. We were the only people in Thurmond. Once a boomtown, bringing in the most money for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, there was never a road in Thurmond, or a sidewalk and the boom population was only several hundred.

The New River Bridge

A breathtaking example of bridge building.The single arch rises 876 feet above the New River and the brige stretches 3030 feet across the New River Gorge. Building was completed in 1977 and it is listed by the National Register of Historic Places as a significant historic resource.

Nuttalburg Coal Tipple

The Natonal Parks Dept. has information online about this part of the coal industy's history. The tipple dropped coal onto the railroad cars. There are also coal furnaces, now decorated in green. Reading about the work made me shiver for the ghosts of the men.

Nuttalburg Coal Tipple

From theNPS website: The mining towns of New River Gorge were initially developed in very remote areas, requiring the miners to live in company constructed houses. The houses were strategically segregated between racial and ethnic groups, black from white, Welsh and English from Irish, Italians from Polish, in order to help prevent unionization efforts among the miners. In spite of these attempts at segregation and polarization, each miner, no matter what the color of their skin or background, was there to make a living and depended on each other for safety in such a dangerous underground environment. As one miner said “We are all black at the end of the day when we come out of that hell hole.”

Coal Ovens

Of which there were 80 in Nuttallburg. Coal was put into the oven where it was heated creating choking smoke emissions. The end consumer product was called "smokeless" coal.

Nature takes it all back

This area feels like an idyll, only the abandoned coal machinery is a very present reminder of times not that long ago.

Sun on the New River Gorge Bridge

The setting sun picks out one line on the New River Gorge Bridge.

The Grist Mill at Glade Creek Falls

This mill is fully operational and was built in 1976 from the parts of 3 other mills. Situated in Babcock State Park it is a monument to the 500 or more mills that used to be in West Virginia.

Hawk's Nest Bridge

The New River from Hawks Nest Bridge, with a trestle bridge of the same name and railroad tracks.

Cathedral Falls Ampitheater

Called Cathedral Falls this is a 60 plus foot drop by a tributary of the New River, Cane Branch. This wide view displays the amphitheater lending to the cathedral effect.

Cathedral Falls

60+ feet high the Cane Branch tributary of the New River makes it's plunge from the mountains to the New River, a piece of heaven.

Sanstone Falls Pool

I had never before seen falls like Sandstone. Several hours of photography later I was still not successful in capturing it with my camera. It is a small hike with a bit of wet stone skipping. If not for my companions I would not have made it, but it is well worth the effort.