1742: John Peter Salley discovered an outcropping of coal along a tributary of the Kanawha River. He named this tributary the Coal River. This was the first historical reference to coal in West Virginia.
1851: The Upper Falls of Coal Post Office was established to serve a burgeoning population.
1855: Mines opened on Big Coal River near Peytona. Facilitated by a system of wooden locks and dams, coal was shipped down the river by steamboat. Chronic flooding and the establishment of rail service later saw coal transport moved to trains.
1921: In the midst of the Mine Wars, federal troops were ordered to advance southeast by rail along the Coal River from Saint Albans to Blair, to the rear of a miners' army. The Battle of Blair Mountain was the result.
1924: The United Mine Workers of America went on strike at the Coal River Colliery Company, which was owned by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers labor union. The strike was called because the company refused to pay union wages.
Today: Dozens of mining operations add billions of dollars in value to the West Virginia economy, reduce the nation's dependence on foreign energy and wreak environmental devastation on the Coal River and its watershed.
