Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-08-17
BULL FROG" STATE
Why West Virginia is Sometimes
Known by That Name.
PECULIAR PHYSICAL OUTLINE.
The Flat Top Region and its Wealth Of Tim
Der. Only Equailed by its Coal-The
March of Progress in That Section
Of the State.

Of the State.
Winchester, of Bnckhannon, w. Va.
contributes the following INTEREST," ne
article to the Lumberman' Review:
Ii YOU will glance at West Virginia as
it appeas upon your map. you will see
why it is som stimes called the Bull
Frog state. With our clear swift
mountain streams and entire lack Of
swamps | suppose there is no state
IN the union with fewer frogs in it
than ours, but it gets this name from
its outlines. Our extreme southern
point is quite like frogs head. the
Northern Panhandle is a sort of
peg Leg while our Eastern Pan
handle still better represents one.and
the general effect is of one leaping
down, which gives an entirely wrong
impression, as at her inception West
Virginia leaped north into the Union,
and from that day to this she has been
making mighty strides up into promi-
nence in mining, numbering and COM
mercial Importance. With this general
outline in your mind, if you are look
ing, as so many now are for the loca-
ton of the awful destruction by the
recent cloudburst in the valleys of
the Elkhorn and the Tug Fork Of Big
Sandy, don't be misled bv many ref
serences to the " Pocahontas country,
w hich is at the headwaters of the
Greenbriar, but turn to the head 'of
our frog, and that Won will find rep
resents our Mcdowell county.
The mining town of Pocahontas,
Va. just across Flat Top mountain,
which is here the line between the
two states was the first point where
the celebrated Flat Top coal was
mined, and gives its name to the en-
tire region
If you have the map that l have. it
is the best one of our state. except that
of the United States geological sur
vey and shows most of the import
ant streams and only an occasional
one of the larger mountains, while
running in all directions are what is
designted upon it as bridal paths.
FLAT TOP REGION.
| don't know what impression
strange RS get OF the topography of a
country known as The Flat Top
Region, 7" and mapped as if devoid of
mountains, with the sweetly sugges-
tive idea of bridal paths forming a
perfect network all through it: but l
suppose it is of purling brooks, fowery
plains, health resorts, summer girls,
brides, honeymoons, and bliss every
where, but if this is so it is most as
surediy misleading. as in the vernacu
lar we would say sit amt just ex-
actly that way.
This was once high, level table,
land, upheld, by very soft sandstone
and Astounding in streams which, the
course of long ages, have cut through
the soft rocks and eroded very narrow
and deep valleys, so deep and so mar
row as to be dark. Between every
two of these streams the mountains
retain their common level, bat the
valleys are so numerous as TO leave
only very narrow ridges between,
the tops of the mountains, as rule,
being no wider than the bottoms of
the streams.
The narrow borders of mountain
stream are usually DISTRACTED by drift
wood and dense growth open forest
while the mountain tops generally
open forest, and while the whites
settle the more fertile bottom and
make their wagon roads from one
farm to another, following the
streams, the buffalo. which We're the
original pathmakers rs the Indian
was the pathfinder, made all their
great main roads, in our mountains
along the tops of tie ridges, where
they could better watch for danger
as well as avoid tho many obstacles
of travel presented by the valleys.
This Flat Top regie n was once the
/ great highway of the buffalo and
the Indian and their trails were upon
1.-THE top of every ridge, and being
lroo steep and too narrow in this Sec
i tIon for wagon roads, they are still
used by community who as inyaria-
bly, ride in the saddle as did the Sioux
and the Apaches, aud thus they are
known AS bridle' trails, which
some poetic engraver has converted
into bridal" paths