The photo that you see on this page and the previous page was taken at Arch Minerals mine on top of a mountain
in Buffalo Creek, Logan County. The rock formation is natural. It over looks a valleys that has yet to see the destructive forces of strip mining. The truly amazing thing about this rock formation is...the coal company mined around the rock but never did any damage to it , almost like they meant to leave its natural beauty in place.

      It has been many years since I visited this area by ATV. Since this photo was taken, the land company has leased this abandoned strip mine to the Hatfields and McCoy ATV trail system. Meaning that local residents can not travel the areas unless they purchase a permit to ride on the trails.

      The trail system has brought some type of revenue to the area, which is wonderful for some of the small communities. But is this all that we are able to do once we destroy these magnificent mountains. Glorified tourist attractions with no other apparent value?







                                       

           The above photo on the left, of the current mine site on Kelly Mountain, Logan County. The site lies border to Blair Mountain, the site for the historic battle between 15,000 union miners and company hired thugs in September of 1921. The photo shows a culvert pipe used for traffic to travel through. The road on top of the culvert pipe is used by heavy equipment to travel from one side of the mine site to the other without having to actually cross the main public road. The photo on the right was taken from the public road that is located above the mine site and leads around the mountain to residential areas. These remaining residents have fought long and hard to stop the coal company from buying the land out from under them and destroying what generations have know as home. A steel bridge was built by the company for public traffic while they blasted a roadway underneath it to travel to another area of the mountain that will be mined.

                                    

           Occasionally, luck has it that I am able to capture before and after photos of these sites. as you can tell by the color of the trees, some were taken during the late fall/ winter months and others were taken during the summer months. The photos on the left were during the winter and the ones on the right were taken in the summer. Quite possibly a total of five months passed for the mountain to be removed, the coal mined and the site covered back over and re-seeded.

                                     

           Another before and after shot. These are photos of the same area but a few months apart. Note in the background the other side of the mountain. The area that looks as if it has black lines going from side to side. This area was a former site mined by Arch of WV. The lines are nothing more than a valley fill that has been re-seeded with grass and the area has been "benched" to help with water run off and soil erosion. Native hardwoods will never grow there again.

                                    

           One more shot of the same area. Notice how much of the mountain is left behind the equipment. Now look at how much refuse they have pilled up and dumped over the mountain. It IS the same area. Note the same green security guard shack in the center of the picture. Do we have the right to destroy like this?



                               

           On around the mountain, other areas are being cleared away to begin the blasting. Such mountain beauty will never be reclaimed once it is gone.



                                 

           A roadway leads to the other side of the mountain, between Kelly Mountain, Lowes Mountain and near Blair Mountain, where blasting has already taken place. Once this area has been mined and the land is reclaimed, according to current legislation, all that will be left of a mountain here will be a small knoll where private landowners fought to keep their homes and family cemetary. Almost Heaven, West Virginia is a West Virginia Almost Blown to Hell.