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34-757: Cheat Mountain follows the western side of Shavers Fork from Thorny Flat in Pocahontas County north to near Parsons in Tucker County . This ridge separates the Shavers Fork valley from the Tygart Valley River valley. Its high point is at Thorny Flat . Another notable point is where the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike (present-day U.S. Route 250 ) crosses Cheat Mountain at White Top . During

68-790: A party of Native Americans traveling the Shawnee Trail discovered the Foyle cabin and killed seven members of the family. One son escaped and alerted the Tygart family, allowing all to escape. (The Tygart-Foyle settlements were the first European settlements attempted anywhere within the Monongahela River watershed in present-day West Virginia.) No other European settlement was attempted in present Randolph County until 1772. Thomas Skidmore ( ca. 1733–1807), born in Maryland, obtained

102-404: A title to 400 acres of land (“by virtue of a settlement”) in the future Elkins area before 1778. This land, on the east side of the Tygart Valley River , was surveyed by John Poage in 1780 and included the land that is now most of downtown Elkins. Thus, Skidmore was probably the first European settler in what became Elkins. When Randolph County, Virginia ( now West Virginia ) was created out of

136-765: Is also home to the Gaudineer Scenic Area , a protected stand of spruce trees. Several other neighboring mountains are frequently considered to be part of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex. Much of the Shavers Fork area was heavily timbered in the early 20th century after the Western Maryland Railway and Durbin subdivision of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway opened, providing economic transport. By

170-503: Is an exceptionally high and rugged ridge situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia , USA. It is about 50 miles (80 km) long (north to south) and more than five miles (8 km) wide at its widest. Its highest point is at its southernmost end at Thorny Flat , which has an elevation of 4,848 feet (1,478 m). Several other knobs rise above 4,000 feet (1,200 m) along its length. The mountain

204-479: Is more remote. However, all but the northernmost 15 miles (24 km) or so of it is skirted by the Western Maryland Railroad , connecting (from north to south) the communities of Bowden , Bemis and Cheat Bridge . Cheat Mountain is crossed (east/west) by two federal highways: U.S. Route 33 in its northern third and U.S. Route 250 in its southern third. The Cheat River , a tributary of

238-552: Is water. It is the largest county in West Virginia by area. As of the 2020 census , there were 27,932 people and 10,065 households residing in the county. There were 13,035 housing units in Randolph county. The racial makeup of the county was 93.6% White , 1.6% African American , 0.4% Asian , 0.2% Native American , 0.5% from other races , and 3.8% from two or more races . Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.1% of

272-492: The 2000 census , there were 28,262 people, 11,072 households, and 7,661 families living in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile (10 people/km ). There were 13,478 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5.0/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 97.69% White , 1.07% Black or African American , 0.16% Native American , 0.38% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.16% from other races , and 0.53% from two or more races. 0.68% of

306-477: The American Civil War , it was home to the highest Union Army fortification of the war. Shavers Mountain and Back Allegheny Mountain are part of the same structural ridge that follows the eastern edge of Shavers Fork from Pocahontas County into Tucker County . North of U.S. Route 250 , the ridge is known as Shavers Mountain ; south, it is Back Allegheny Mountain . This ridge separates

340-602: The Monongahela , is formed at Parsons , just east of the northern tip of Cheat Mountain, by the confluence of Shavers Fork and Black Fork . Cheat Mountain was strategically important during the early Operations in Western Virginia campaign of the American Civil War . One engagement — the Battle of Cheat Mountain — took place here September 12–15, 1861. Gen. Robert E. Lee directed his first offensive of

374-545: The Shavers Fork watershed, which eventually flows to the Monongahela River , from the Greenbrier River watershed, which eventually enters the Kanawha River . One notable high point on Back Allegheny Mountain is Bald Knob , one of the highest points in the state. Just north of US 250 on Shavers Mountain is Gaudineer Knob , which provides scenic overviews of much of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex. It

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408-510: The 1870s: Clark became Valley Bend, Clay became New Interest, Green became Leadsville, Mingo Flats was abbreviated to Mingo, Reynolds became Huttonsville, Scott became Roaring Creek, and Union became Middle Fork. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,040 square miles (2,700 km ), of which 1,040 square miles (2,700 km ) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km ) (0.03%)

442-566: The 1930s, much of the land was completely denuded. This led to devastating floods and fires of the remaining trees. In the 1930s, reforestation of the land began in ernest through Civilian Conservation Corps projects of the Monongahela National Forest . The mountains in this area, particularly the Cheat and Back Allegheny, are notorious for their bad weather, especially in winter. Both record lows and record snowfall for

476-517: The Civil War against Brig. Gen. Joseph Reynolds ’s entrenchments on the summit of Cheat Mountain. The Confederate attacks were uncoordinated, however, and the Federal defense was so stubborn that Col. Albert Rust (who led the attacks) was convinced that he confronted an overwhelming force, when he actually faced only about 300 determined Federals. Lee called off the attack and, after maneuvering in

510-526: The Elkins, West Virginia, Micropolitan Statistical Area . The first attempt by Europeans to settle in present-day Randolph County came in 1752 or '53 when David Tygart — for whom the Tygart Valley River was named — and Robert Foyle (later called Files) located (separately) with their families in the vicinity of present-day Beverly . Although there had been no recent history of conflicts between Europeans and Native Americans in that immediate area, that summer

544-641: The Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike as it passed west into the Tygart River Valley . Cheat Summit Fort (Fort Milroy) was occupied from July 16, 1861, until April 1862 when it was abandoned due to extremes of weather as well as strategic developments. An account of the Civil War activity on Cheat Mountain can be found in Ambrose Bierce's article " On A Mountain ". The West Virginia timber industry grew rapidly toward

578-534: The connected Back Allegheny Mountain .) In 1974, the Snowshoe Mountain ski resort opened on the southern tip of Cheat Mountain near Thorny Flat . Randolph County, West Virginia Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia . As of the 2020 census , the population was 27,932. Its county seat is Elkins . The county was founded in 1787 and is named for Edmund Jennings Randolph . Randolph County comprises

612-500: The morning as each side maneuvered to gain the advantage. Finally, Milroy's troops were repulsed, and he retreated to his camps near Cheat Mountain. At the end of 1861, Johnson remained at Camp Allegheny with five regiments, with Henry Heth at Lewisburg with two regiments. The highest Union camp of the War was located at Cheat Summit , also known as White Top, at the southern end of Cheat Mountain. This commanding stronghold controlled

646-405: The new state's counties were divided into civil townships , with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts . Randolph County was divided into nine districts: Beverly, Clarke, Clay, Dry Fork, Green, Mingo Flats, Reynolds, Scott, and Union. Several of these were renamed during

680-481: The northernmost 4 miles (6.4 km) and the southernmost 5.5 miles (8.9 km) are within Randolph County. The western flank of Cheat Mountain is skirted by U.S. Route 219 which connects a string of communities in the Tygart River Valley (notably, from north to south, Montrose , Kerens , Elkins , Beverly , Huttonsville and Valley Head ). The eastern flank, overlooking the valley of Shavers Fork ,

714-442: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 11,072 households, out of which 29.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.70% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

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748-402: The population. There were 10,065 households, of which 44.8% were married couples living together, 30.2% had a female householder with no spouse present, 19% had a male householder with no spouse present.The average household and family size was 3.36. The median age in the county was 44.7 years with 19% of the population being under 18. The median income for a household in the city was $ 47,343 and

782-444: The population. In terms of ancestry, 26.3% were German , 15.9% were Irish , 12.0% were English , 10.2% were American , and 5.4% were Italian . Of the 11,695 households, 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.7% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size

816-539: The poverty rate was 15.2% As of the 2010 United States census , there were 29,405 people, 11,695 households, and 7,753 families living in the county. The population density was 28.3 inhabitants per square mile (10.9/km ). There were 14,189 housing units at an average density of 13.6 per square mile (5.3/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 97.3% white, 1.2% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of

850-551: The state of West Virginia have occurred here. Terrible storms and bitter cold are the norm from November to April, although it has been known to snow on the highest summits as early as mid-September and as late as June 7. Freezing temperatures and frost have occurred during every month and rime ice accumulations are common above 4,000 feet (1,200 m). As a rule of thumb, "if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change." Cheat Mountain Cheat Mountain

884-478: The troops of Floyd and Loring , but the operation was called off because of poor communication and lack of supplies. Lee was recalled to Richmond on October 30 after achieving little in western Virginia. In December, Confederate forces under Col. Edward Johnson occupied the summit of nearby Allegheny Mountain to defend the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike . A Union force under Brig. Gen. Robert Milroy attacked Johnson on December 13. Fighting continued for much of

918-512: The turn of the 20th century. In the early 1900s, Cheat was extensively timbered by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company and its Cass operation, West Virginia Spruce Lumber Company. By 1905, the summit had been reached by loggers and by 1960 the mountain was virtually barren. The timbering of Cheat has been chronicled in many books. Notable is W. E. Blackhurst's Of Men and A Mighty Mountain (1965) which details how difficult life

952-498: The vast Harrison County on October 16, 1787, it included not only present-day Randolph County, but parts of what are now eight other counties. It took its name from the surname of the then Governor of Virginia . The name of the new county seat, originally Randolph Court House, or Edmundton (the latter from the Governor's given name), was changed to Beverly by 1790. Beverly remained the county seat until 1890 when county government

986-611: The vicinity, withdrew to Valley Head on September 17, 1861. During the night of October 2–3, Reynolds with two brigades advanced from Cheat Mountain to reconnoiter the Confederate position at Camp Bartow on the Greenbrier River . He drove in the Confederate pickets and opened fire with his artillery. After sporadic fighting and an abortive attempt to turn his enemy's right flank, Reynolds withdrew to Cheat Mountain. Also in October, Lee renewed operations against Laurel Mountain with

1020-468: Was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 43.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 36,176 and the median income for a family was $ 47,071. Males had a median income of $ 34,903 versus $ 25,988 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 18,472. About 12.7% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over. As of

1054-401: Was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males. The median income for

Shavers Fork Mountain Complex - Misplaced Pages Continue

1088-545: Was moved to Elkins . Minor actions of the American Civil War which took place in Randolph County include the Battle of Rich Mountain and a part of the Battle of Cheat Mountain , both in 1861. These operations came in the course of the Western Virginia Campaign . Randolph was one of fifty Virginia counties that were admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. Later that year,

1122-410: Was on the mountain for the mostly immigrant workers of the lumber operation. A state park and tourist service, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park , opened in 1960 and takes visitors up the side of Cheat Mountain to Bald Knob via the same route the logging railroad used in the 1900s. (Contrary to popular belief, Cass Railroad does not take visitors to the summit of Cheat Mountain, but rather the summit of

1156-543: Was once home to the largest red spruce forest south of Maine and a large portion of it now lies within the Monongahela National Forest . Cheat Mountain traverses the entire length of central Randolph County, West Virginia , from a northern point just west of Parsons to a southern point about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south of the Randolph/ Pocahontas county line, near the community of Stony Bottom , where it impinges upon Back Allegheny Mountain . All but

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