West Virginia

John Lilly, West Virginia Division of Culture and History (November, 2006)

Submitted by Douglas on Fri, 2006-12-01 16:41.

Thomas Fraser of Shetland
A Transatlantic Wonder
By John Lilly

It would make a swell movie.

Thomas Fraser was born to a poor fishing family on the remote island of Burra in 1927. Burra is one of 100 treeless, windswept isles located 100 miles north of Scotland in the North Sea, comprising Shetland – once a possession of Norway, bequeathed to Scotland as part of a royal dowry in the 17th century. While Shetland is still part of Scotland politically and retains much of its Scandinavian heritage, it is a distinct and independent entity, at least in the minds of those hardy souls who live there.

login to post comments | read more
( categories: Mid Atlantic Forum | West Virginia )

West Virginia: Gerry Milnes, Augusta Heritage Center (October, 2006)

Submitted by Douglas on Tue, 2006-10-31 14:51.

From the West Virginia Woods

I find myself spending a lot of time in the woods these days.
On weekends, it’s packing into small trout streams to cast for the wily native “brookies.” The mighty Monongahela National Forest, almost one million acres, owned by you and I, is a haven of rest for the weary. It has over 800 miles of hiking trails, contains four wilderness areas—with eleven more proposed, and I’m fortunate enough to own a small piece of land, along Shaver’s Fork, that literally borders it. Hiking from the back door, several miles in an easterly direction takes me into the Otter Creek Wilderness and the headwaters of some highly fishable brooks and streams. In another direction, I’ll end up on Bickles Knob, where an old Civilian Conservation Corp camp provided labor to develop springs and picnic areas, and where there is an observation tower. This along with commonplace stone culverts and abutments to subdue roadside erosion in steep erosion-prone geography leaves the marks of the CCCs on the cultural landscape.

login to post comments | read more
( categories: Mid Atlantic Forum | West Virginia )

West Virginia: Gerry Milnes, Augusta Heritage Center (September, 2005)

Submitted by Douglas on Fri, 2005-09-30 13:41.

From the West Virginia Woods

I find myself spending a lot of time in the woods these days.
On weekends, it’s packing into small trout streams to cast for the wily native “brookies.” The mighty Monongahela National Forest, almost one million acres, owned by you and I, is a haven of rest for the weary. It has over 800 miles of hiking trails, contains four wilderness areas—with eleven more proposed, and I’m fortunate enough to own a small piece of land, along Shaver’s Fork, that literally borders it. Hiking from the back door, several miles in an easterly direction takes me into the Otter Creek Wilderness and the headwaters of some highly fishable brooks and streams. In another direction, I’ll end up on Bickles Knob, where an old Civilian Conservation Corp camp provided labor to develop springs and picnic areas, and where there is an observation tower. This along with commonplace stone culverts and abutments to subdue roadside erosion in steep erosion-prone geography leaves the marks of the CCCs on the cultural landscape.

login to post comments | read more
( categories: Mid Atlantic Forum | West Virginia )
XML feed