The American work ethic. Countless times on the 50/50 tour we’ve seen evidence of our citizen’s strength, perseverance, dedication, and just plain hard work. West Virginia provided us yet another glimpse of the incredibly difficult working conditions many of our countrymen and women have endured. Thanks to a slow-talking, quick-witted, highly knowledgable tour guide, we learned all about work in the coal mines.
We rode an open tram deep into a mountain for a close view of the miners’ work. It was dark. It was dirty. It was cold. The mine we toured was no longer operating, but back in the day, a miner would spend up to 16 hours with a shovel and pick ax, working alone except for a canary. Often, the conditions were so cramped, the miner was working in a prone or other convoluted position. In the dark, in the dirt, in the cold. The backbreaking work formed the backbone of the Industrial Revolution.
Thousands of miners have worked in West Virginia, and many lost their lives doing so. In 1907, a disastrous explosion claimed the lives of 362 men, but led to the creation of a federal agency to help regulate mine safety. Coal mining remains difficult, dangerous, and environmentally challenging. We left with a deep appreciation for coal miners and the contribution they’ve made to our country.
Back on the road, we saw plenty of evidence of mines operating today.
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The West Virginia State Capitol is a beautiful building.
But its prominent feature is one that we are now quite familiar with: the ubiquitous gilded dome.
Now, I love gilded domes as much as the next guy, but did you realize that 39 of 50 state capitol buildings have domes? We didn’t see them all, so I can’t verify this number exactly, but I can tell you that we saw an awful lot of cupolas (the fancy architectural term for dome). This was perhaps one downside of the 50/50 tour (don’t ask the kids — they’ll give you an abundance of downsides.) Anyway, passing capitol buildings one after another has made us jaded and unappreciative of their magnificence. You see one gilded dome, you’ve seen ‘em all, if you know what I mean. But it has also made me quite curious. Why have so many states opted for the same basic architecture?
West Virginia is heavily wooded and a beautiful playground for the outdoor enthusiast. An abundance of whitewater attracts plenty of people in watercraft.
The truly adventurous, or maybe truly insane, can visit West Virginia’s New River Gorge Bridge Our iconic photo features the bridge, which is one of the world’s longest and highest arch bridges.
As you can see, the Washington Monument and two Statues of Liberty would fit neatly under the bridge.
On the annual Bridge Day, crazy people jump off the bridge in a variety of ways, all planning to survive (thankfully, most do). Supposedly, the first person to jump for fun from the bridge was a coal-mine foreman. How appropriate.
Those less adventurous can visit the Greenbrier, a gorgeous resort we’d love to stay at some day. The Greenbrier is a far cry from the coal mines, but it also did its part to serve the country — a huge underground bunker sat ready as an emergency shelter for the US Congress during the Cold War. Wonder what it’s used for today?
We traveled along I-64 and I-77, and highways 60, 16, and 19 in West Virginia. Bill wanted to stop and sample the tasty treats at Biscuit World, but the rest of us just couldn’t stomach the thought of a hot bologna sandwich. Or a low carb biscuit, for that matter. Maybe we need to get jobs in a coal mine so we can work up a proper appetite for West Virginia’s cuisine. We could use a little more of that American work ethic in this family, especially if we hope to finish the 50/50 tour…..
38. West Virginia
New River Gorge Bridge