WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 35 Today's Topics: #1 Excerpt from "The Potomac Naturali ["Koren Fae Rawlings" To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <000201bf7193$876c0dc0$bc264dc6@default> Subject: Excerpt from "The Potomac Naturalist" by J. Lawrence Smith Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit As many of you are interested in WV, and doing genealogical research in Pendleton , Grant and Hardy Counties, I thought I would transcribe some parts of the Potomac Naturalist, so that you may get some idea of the area your ancestors settled, and why they loved it. Today the county is not changed a lot. There is still rustic, rural, unspoiled areas to be seen and enjoyed. I will send several excerpts of different interest. Try to picture the land as your ancestors found it. The Potomac Naturalist The History of the Headwaters of the Historic Potomac 1968, by J. Lawrence Smith Introduction: From the Vantage Point {part 1} Come with me to the crest of North Fork Mountain above the Smoke Hole in Pendleton County, WV. We will climb the fire tower atop the mountain and make this our vantage point from which we can look across much of the three county area of Pendleton, Grant and Hardy as the mountains and valleys are unfolded before us towards the four points of the compass. As we stand on the tower and look in various directions, we can see many of the prominent features in this region of the upper Potomac and with binoculars it is possible to bring many of these outstanding features into sharper focus for a closer view as we look at them across the distance of several air line miles. From our vantage point on the fire tower we can gain a vast and sweeping picture of the landscape, the mountains and valleys, and many prominent natural features in the upper Potomac region. It is possible to encompass so much from this point on top of the mountain as we focus our view of the mountainous landscape that well be the subject of the following pages. Looking towards the south along the western side of North Fork Mountain, we can see Germany Valley. The name of the valley comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch settlers who were of German descent and moved into the valley, cleared the forests and began farming the rich soil. The River Knobs can be seen that rise abruptly along the western edge of the valley and seperate the valley from the North Fork River and its course northward into Grant County. Towering above the course of the North Fork stands Seneca Rocks, but we cannot see this widely known natural feature in Pendleton County from our vantage point due to the mass of the mountain obstructing our view. Shifting our view in a more westerly direction, we can see the massive ridge of Spruce Mountain. On this mountain is located the highest piece of solid ground in the state of West Virginia at Spruce Knob. Towards the west we look into the great cleft in the mountain ridge that has been cut by Seneca Creek as it rushes from the mountain heights and flows into the North Fork River at Mouth of Seneca. Green Knob lifts its head above the other knobs in the west. U.S. route 33 can be seen winding its way up from the valley of the North Fork as it climbs the face of Allegheny Mountain before it drops down the mountain's back into Randolph County. In the northwest we can see the long and flat-topped ridge of Allegheny Front Mountain with its patches of spruce. The land along the top of this mountain has been called the Roaring Plains since the wind often howls across the mountain's flattened top and the spruce trees bear the scars with their limbs blown to one side. With the use of binoculars, we can see the fire tower at Bell Knob as it perches near the edge of the mountain's steep flank. As we look northward along the crest of North Fork Mountain, we see North Fork Gap where the North Fork River has cut a great gash in the spine of the mountain. Beyond the gap lies the high sandstone cliffs with their talus slopes where New Creek Mountain has its southern terminus. This mountain is a continuation of the same ridge as North Fork Mountain, but it has been given another name at this point because the river has forever broken the back of the mountain by cutting its course eastward through the gap. Looking along the top of the mountain in a northerly direction, we see the high cliffs of Tuscarora sandstone that outcrop between our vantage point and North Fork Gap. This is the same hard sandstone that has been uplifted to form Seneca Rocks at Mouth of Seneca. In the distance just to the east of the mountain ridge, can be seen housed and barns in the neighborhood of Cabins west of Petersburg. Moorefield, a town that has known a rich history and the waes of war with the ebb and flow of the armies of the North and South during the Civil War, is visible in the northeast. The ridge of South Branch Mountain rised beyond Moorefield and here at a high point on the mountain, the red pine grows and reaches one of the southernmost known places of growth for this northern pine. Not far from Moorefield, the outstanding feature of Baker Rock can be seen along withthe other imposing palisades of Oriskany sandstone that are thrust upward from the mountain's flank. Eastward from Baker Rock lies the crest of Elkhorn Mountain. As we look towards the east, it is possible to see the small community of Kline, to look through the Greenawalt Gap and beyong to South Fork Mountain. Beyond South Fork Mountain is the impressive ridge of Shenandoah Mountain, the mountain that has uplifted its high and lofty back to separate West Virginia from Virginia. Doubtless, the lofty ridge of Shenandoah Mountain which has often posed a barrier to transportation and communication was a prominent factor in Pendleton County and its people becoming a part of the state of West Virginia over one hundred years ago. Casting our sights to the south, southeast along Shenandoah Mountain, we look towards Reddish Knob. Looking northward along the crest of the mountain, the fire tower above Brandywine can be seen and also the one at Cow Knob. Where the back of the mountain slumps, it is possible to see a ridge beyond which is probably North Mountain that seperates Hardy County from Shenandoah County, VA. The clarity of the air and the great visibility from the vantage point are impressed upon us by the fact that we are looking at North Mountain at a crow flight distance of twenty-five miles. Koren Fae Rawlings 304-358-3261 Pendleton Co, WVa Historical Preservation Association pendhist@access.mountain.net