100 years ago... Logan County and Upper Guyan

[NW Mailing List]

At 08:38 AM 2/18/2007, you wrote:


>Are we dealing with some typical journalistic mis-construing the situation

>or wishful thinking?


I'm glad everyone is enjoying this material as much as I.

We need to remember that this material is written in the past.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries were boom times for railroads. 
There were many people trying to make their fortunes building 
railroads. Just like the dot-com boom of the 1990's, many people were 
proposing and talking up various railroad proposals in hopes of 
attracting enough interest for folks in the surrounding areas to 
invest their own money in the ventures. Many of these proposals never 
turned the first spade of dirt.

Others were started and then faltered and declared bankruptcy during 
the next financial panic. Such a panic delayed construction of the 
Virginian Railway.

Some lasted until the coal and timber in the region was exhausted and 
still others were bought up and became branch lines to the bigger railroads.

Journalists of the time were happy to trumpet the next big proposal. 
Local excitement over a new railroad would help sell papers and 
shares of the fledging line's stock. Unfortunately for us, the lines' 
demise are not as newsworthy so it becomes more difficult to find out 
what happened.

So we need to keep these points in mind when reading these nuggets 
from the past. Some, such as this one generate more questions than 
answers. And make us dream and wonder "what if?"

Enjoy,
Ron Davis