Transforming the Appalachian Countryside

Railroads, Deforestation, and Social Change in West Virginia, 1880-1920

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Transforming the Appalachian Countryside by Ronald L. Lewis, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ronald L. Lewis ISBN: 9780807862971
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: November 9, 2000
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Ronald L. Lewis
ISBN: 9780807862971
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: November 9, 2000
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In 1880, ancient-growth forest still covered two-thirds of West Virginia, but by the 1920s lumbermen had denuded the entire region. Ronald Lewis explores the transformation in these mountain counties precipitated by deforestation. As the only state that lies entirely within the Appalachian region, West
Virginia provides an ideal site for studying the broader social impact of deforestation in Appalachia, the South, and the eastern United States.

Most of West Virginia was still dominated by a backcountry economy when the industrial transition began. In short order, however, railroads linked remote mountain settlements directly to
national markets, hauling away forest products and returning with manufactured goods and modern ideas. Workers from the countryside and abroad swelled new mill towns, and merchants ventured into
the mountains to fulfill the needs of the growing population. To protect their massive investments, capitalists increasingly extended control over the state's legal and political systems.

Eventually, though, even ardent supporters of industrialization had reason to contemplate the consequences of unregulated exploitation. Once the timber was gone, the mills closed and the railroads pulled up their tracks, leaving behind an environmental disaster and a new class of marginalized rural poor to confront the worst depression in American history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1880, ancient-growth forest still covered two-thirds of West Virginia, but by the 1920s lumbermen had denuded the entire region. Ronald Lewis explores the transformation in these mountain counties precipitated by deforestation. As the only state that lies entirely within the Appalachian region, West
Virginia provides an ideal site for studying the broader social impact of deforestation in Appalachia, the South, and the eastern United States.

Most of West Virginia was still dominated by a backcountry economy when the industrial transition began. In short order, however, railroads linked remote mountain settlements directly to
national markets, hauling away forest products and returning with manufactured goods and modern ideas. Workers from the countryside and abroad swelled new mill towns, and merchants ventured into
the mountains to fulfill the needs of the growing population. To protect their massive investments, capitalists increasingly extended control over the state's legal and political systems.

Eventually, though, even ardent supporters of industrialization had reason to contemplate the consequences of unregulated exploitation. Once the timber was gone, the mills closed and the railroads pulled up their tracks, leaving behind an environmental disaster and a new class of marginalized rural poor to confront the worst depression in American history.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Secret History of Gender by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Days of Hope by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book "The Issue Is the Control of Public Schools": The Politics of Desegregation in Prince Edward County, Virginia by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Lee Considered by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Crisis and Commitment by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book British and American Commercial Relations with Soviet Russia, 1918-1924 by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Creek Country by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Negotiating Paradise by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Feud by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Hermogenes' On Types of Style by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Real NASCAR by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Mobilizing Bolivia's Displaced by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Farm Fresh Georgia by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Prelude to Nuremberg by Ronald L. Lewis
Cover of the book Writers in Retrospect by Ronald L. Lewis
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy