New River Gorge: Grand View
A few weeks ago I took a trip down to southern West Virginia to deliver some new prints to Tamarack and also to explore the area around Beckley. This region is generally described as West Virginia’s Coal Heritage region.
The New River Gorge is designated as a National River and is administered by the National Park Service. The overlook at Grand View provides a spectacular view of the New River.
(Click on the image to see a larger version.)
The New River Gorge. Down stream is to the left where if you look carefully you can just make out the small rail yard at Quinnimont.
Little remains of the myriad of coal mines and small towns that came up in the late nineteenth century to exploit the high quality “smokeless coal” that was found in the New River area. The rail line and the small yard at Qunnimont is still active.
Two days after capturing the panoramic shot, I returned and caught this freight train working its way along the New River bank. Also parked on a different track was a long line of empty coal hoppers.
For those interested in the history of West Virginia, the New River Gorge is one of the most important regions.
Light, Shadow, Form, and Texture 
[…] in the 1870s the New River Gorge was active coal producing region well into the middle of the 20th century. Supported by the […]
Nuttalburg Coal Mine | Light, Shadow, Form, and Texture said this on September 6, 2014 at 8:43 am