Canaan Valley's History
Rich With Hospitality

In 1784, Thomas Lewis and his cohorts, one of whom was Peter Jefferson, father of Thomas Jefferson, were completing a survey of the great Lord Fairfax estate. On their way to mark the "first fountain" of the Potomac River, they made their way down Cabin mountain and entered the "Swamp". Lewis’ journal is the first written account of a venture into Canaan Valley or any other part of what is now Tucker County, West Virginia.

Lewis described the Valley as dismal enough "to strike terror in any human creature" and one hundred years later, Phillip Pendleton Kennedy referred to Canaan Valley in The Blackwater Chronicle as a "perfect wilderness."

On land which is now part of Canaan Valley Resort State Park, Solomon Cosner settled in 1864 in a house he called "Hunter’s Paradise." Often, hunters and adventurers visited Cosner during the summer months to escape the stifling heat of the eastern cities. No one then would have dreamed that the day would come when city dwellers would flock to the Valley in the winter months as well, to ski the slopes of Cabin Mountain. But in the meantime, many changes would occur in the 3,200-foot high, 14 mile-long valley.

Surrounded by the state’s logging boom fervor, the cutting of Canaan’s forests was inevitable. In 1885, the first stocks of cherry logs was skidded to the Blackwater River and driven to Davis. Before it was all over, logs were driven to the mill in Davis on 30 miles of logging railroads which cut through the Valley. Later, a logging company official boasted "We didn’t leave a stick standing."

After the devastation, cattle were ranged on the land and then farmers worked tons of fertilizer into the soil, enriching it enough so that the growing and marketing of cauliflower became big business in the 1940s and early 50s.

In 1950, the Ski Club of Washington, D.C. found the snow they sought in an apple orchard on Cabin Mountain. They called the slope "Driftland" and by the winter of 1953-54, the rope tow was overloaded with 100 skiers on a good day. Next came Robert Barton III’s Weiss Knob in 1955 which was the first commercial ski area in West Virginia and the farthest south. Then Canaan Valley State Park opened for skiing in the winter of 1971-72, followed by White Grass Ski Touring Center and Timberline Resort.

In 1974, following an evaluation of Canaan Valley by the U.S. Department of Interior, a report was issued which said "...the total Valley is a thing to be experienced...it ranks with Yosemite and Yellowstone Valleys, though not, of course, quite the size. In the east, however, there are very few acts of its grandeur and magnificence." Portions of Canaan Valley were designated a National Natural Landmark due, in part, to the plants and animals usually found much farther north and because of the 6,700 acres of fragile wetlands.

Then, in August 1994, the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge became the 500th refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Since the days when Mr. Cosner opened his home to visitors, the art of hospitality has been greatly refined. The valley has become a premiere resort and conference destination in all seasons with abundant recreational opportunities. For those with a sharp eye, there is always the possibility of glimpsing one of nature’s treasures- a black bear or maybe a great blue heron - against an exquisite backdrop of mountains, streams, meadows, and woodlands.