The GREAT Smokey Mountains stretch through Tennesse, beginning just west of Bristol and Knoxville. The Blue Ridge range follows the Shenandoah Valley through Virginia. All of these regional names apply to different sections of the Appalachians, the oldest mountain range in America, stretching from Maine to Georgia. The Appalachian region known as Appalachia encompasses West Virginia, western Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and western North Carolina. The Cumberland River, primarily in Kentucky, plateaus just east of Nashville, and by the time you reach Memphis and the Mississippi, the range is behind you. This much maligned area includes Franklin County, VA, the moonshine capital of the world, the coal rich areas of Virginia, West VA, and Kentucky, and much of the tobacco producing region of Tennessee and VA. Originally settled by Scots-Irish and German settlers who migrated from NY and PENN, the area's geography allowed the region's residents to develop a culture all their own as they were cut off from east coast settlements until the Civil War era and, in some cases, beyond. The Appalachian dialect more closely resembles old English than any other living method of communication, with many pronounciations holding true, albeit spellings have changed, and those residents descended from the Scots-Irish are among the last living descendants of the ancient Celtic empires. Being an educated people, the Scots-Irish settlers found names for their children in Greek Mythology (Homer, etc) and in their Bible. The severity of their faith spawned the growth of various legalistic sects which include the many forms of the Baptist Church, Pentecostals, and yes, even Snake Handlers who came from some levels of the Holiness Church, Church of God, and Church of Christ. In the early 1900's, coal became the energy that heated the world, especially fueling American industry. Mining companies developed and bought the mineral rights from many Appalachian farmers, most of whom did not realize that along with underground rights they were forfieting family farms. The coal companies enveloped the region, building private communities in which displaced farmers lived and rented homes directly from the companies. These miners paid for their own tools and their own explosives with monies deducted from their paychecks. Their rent was also deducted, as well as anything they owed to the company store. Their pay came in the form of "company script" but it could be exchanged for legal tender at the rate of 50 cents on the dollar. After deductions, it was not uncommon for a miner to owe the company money as opposed to receiving a salary. Unrest was rampant. The unrest was quelled by company police forces, primarily formed from local, private detective agencies, especially the Baldwin Felts Agency out of Bluefield, W. Va. These private police forces ruled with an iron thumb, causing deep resentments that finally boiled over in the town of Matewan, W. VA. (see the movie MATEWAN, staring James Earl Jones, also STORMING HEAVEN by Denise Giardino and the sequel THE UNQUIET EARTH). In the 1920's, a union demonstration led by Mother Jones was stopped on Blair Mountain when the US Government sent in 10,000 regular army soldiers to put down "the violent, ignorant red-necks that threatened to stop the flow of coal energy to the nation." The term red-neck referred to union organizers who risked their lives and who traveled the region covertly working, the only identifying mark--a red bandanna worn around their necks. Mining companies also removed iron ore, lead, and various other minerals from the region. Much of the timber was cut to produce housing, and the mining run-off coupled with refuse left mounds of "slag" which often held back huge reservoirs of water. These slag mounds often collapsed, sending tons of debris and gallons of water into communities that were devastated by these disasters. When mines closed, there were often problems with ground recession,; at least one in Ivanhoe, VA. took an entire home down to the second level of the mine.
Harriet Arnow has at least two books that chronicle the history of the Cumberland River Valley that would be most helpful in your research. If you need anything else, just ask.
OOps! Got a little carried away. I did a lot of work on the history of my region and grew extremely proud to be a part of "them thar hills." Seriously though, I can't imagine living anywhere else, and I've tried. I spent 15 years in the NY/NJ area, but my heart wasn't in it. Now, I live by a meandering creek that's been here, well...by the time a creek can meander, it's pretty darned old. There's problems here just like everywhere else, but the landscape shows them in a very dim light. And Williebee, when you move, I'll bring the pinto beans and corn bread! (I don't carry things, so don't ask about boxes!) LOL
