Today visitors to the New River Gorge see a steep gorge filled with a lush hardwood forest. Before the railroad; the New River; with its whitewater rapids; was a barrier to trade; but with the 1873 completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad; the gorge came alive. By the 1890s; more than 30;000 people lived and worked in the gorge. Towns like Kaymoor; Nuttallburg; and Thurmond were hives of activity and melting pots of American immigrants who dug the coal that helped build the American dream. Times changed. By 1960; the easiest coal was gone; and miners moved to Midwest factories. Nature began to reclaim the gorge. The 1970s brought a rebirth. Whitewater rafters took on the rapids; and bridge builders built the New River Gorge Bridge. The forest has returned; and if you look under the canopy; you will see that the railroads; coal camps; and mine tipples have given way to rafters; rock climbers; and mountain bikers.
#2542942 in eBooks 2011-03-28 2011-03-28File Name: B0099VYCOQ
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