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New River Gorge National RiverHistoric view of Thurmond.
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New River Gorge National River
History & Culture
 

The New River is like a ribbon tying together all the people, places and events sharing its course through time. New River Gorge National River protects a rich variety of this history: from the subsistence lives of the native peoples and the later pioneers, to the coming of the railroad and the many peoples involved in the ensuing boom and bust of the coal mining and logging industries. You can visit the remains of the former boomtown of Thurmond, retrace the path of pioneer Mary Draper Ingles amazing journey, learn of the legend and the facts of the "Steel Driving Man", John Henry, or read the oral history of an immigrant coal miner from the 1800s.

Historic Logging Railroad at Garden Ground  

Did You Know?
The New River Gorge was logged extensively thoughout the past century. The landscape is now recovering, with the park ecosystem returning to its more natural state, but there are still plenty of signs of the past activities.

Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:31 EST