The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-09-10
FROM WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA, TO PARKERSBURG,
WEST VIRGINIA, ON The NORTHWESTERN TURNPIKE


are fewer cold winds in valley.
The highway runs along the rail-
road for several miles, keeping always
between the hills, and finally you ar
rive at Wolf Summit, where the road
cuts around the base of hill and into
another narrow valley, where oil wells
or, rather, the machinery used in
connection with them-dot the land
scape. Then over hill and down in;
to another valley and into the village
of Bristol.
Through more cleared hills and past
individual houses and into Salem, with
it's houses and stores strung out along
the highway for about a mile. Salem
gets its name from a town in New
Jersey, from which town came its first
settlers, the Davises and the Ran
dolphs. 1t was originally known as
New Salem.
In addition to being an oil country,
this is a stock raising country. Cat
tie may be seen all along the way,
usually in small punches. recall
that while riding through on bus l
looked out at a distant hill and tried
to decide whether the black objects
that dotted it were large stumps or
small steers. And then two of the OBJ
jects moved.
Smithburg and West Union are the
next two towns, both of them nesting
in the hills. You cannot look an eighth
of a mile in any direction without
having your eye come in contact with
a hill.
West Union is the county seat and
only incorporated town in Doddridge
county, which was formed in 1S45 and
named for Philip Dodridge, a distin-
guished lawyer and statesman. The
county is rich in oil and gas. Cattle
and sheep raising is an important
source of income.
More oil wells and Greenwood is
reached. Then Toll Gate. 1t ought
not to be hard to guess where this
town gets its name, especially if you
recall that you are on road on which
tolls were formerly collected. And
that brings to mind the fact that
along this road you will see no old
buildings that look as though they
might have been toll houses, which
places this road in great contrast to
the National Pike.
We rolled into Pennsboro, in Richie
county. In Pennsboro, in the days of
glory on the old turnpike, stage-coach-
es stopped in order to give the passen-
gers a chance to eat. The old stone
tavern may still be seen. AS our bus
pulled up in front of restaurant
there, and the driver announced that
five minutes would be allowed for
lunch, the thought came to me that
civilization runs in cycles and that we
really don't push as far ahead as we
sometimes think we do. This may
seem a pessimistic thought, but it
isn't. One hundred years ago the
stage-coach stopped to let our ances-
tors eat. Today the bus stops to let
us eat. The advance in civilization is
of course in the time saved in travel
ing over this same road and in the
comfort and safety with which we
travel.
The first cabin on the site of Penns-
boro-and the cabin was erected for
the convenience of travelers-was
built in or about 1900. The first set
tier was John Bonnell, a Revolution
airy soldier, and the run, near by, was
named for him. Settlers in that vi
cinity went to Marietta to exchange
their furs and other products for store
goods.
Richie county was organized in
1843 and named in honor of Thomas
Richie, often called Father Richie
He was editor of the Richmond En-
quirer and one of the greatest journal
lists that Virginia produced.
This part of West Virginia was will
derness long after the eastern par