Legend has it that Canaan
Valley was discovered and named in 1753 by fur trader George Casey
Harness who proclaimed “Behold! The Land of Canaan!” comparing this vast
wilderness to the biblical ‘promised land of milk and honey.’
Canaan Valley, located
high in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County, West Virginia, is the
highest valley of its size in the eastern U.S. Bordered by Cabin
Mountain to the east and Canaan to the west, this once untamed valley
floor has an average elevation of 3,200 feet.
Today Canaan Valley is a
four-season destination, a nature lover’s paradise with breathtaking
scenic beauty and an outdoor enthusiast’s playground.
The region offers many
recreational activities from championship golf to mountain biking. The
nearby towns of Davis and Thomas may be small, but they provide a
variety of additional shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities.
Special features include locally made arts and crafts, regional cuisine
and traditional music. Additional information available at Tucker County
Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1-800-782-2775.
The
History Of The Valley
In 1784, Thomas Lewis and his cohorts, one of whom was Peter Jefferson,
father of Thomas Jefferson, were completing a survey of the great estate
of Lord Fairfax. 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.” One hundred years later, Phillip Pendleton
Kennedy echoed this sentiment in The Blackwater Chronicle when he
referred to Canaan Valley as a “perfect wilderness.”
Solomon Cosner became one of the first permanent residents of the valley
in 1864 when he built a house he called “Hunter’s Paradise” on land
which is now part of Canaan Valley Resort State Park. Often, hunters and
adventurers visited Cosner during the summer months to escape the
stifling heat of the eastern cities. Back then no one even 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. In the
meantime, however, many changes would occur throughout this 3,200-foot
high, 14 mile-long valley.
Those changes came quickly, as the state was forever altered by the
Industrial Revolution and the booming logging industry. Instead of
terror, the sight of Canaan Valley’s ‘perfect wilderness’ now inspired
greed. In 1885, the first stocks of cherry logs were skidded to the
Blackwater River and driven downriver to Davis. Before it was all over,
30 miles of logging railroads cut through the Valley. Later, a logging
company official boasted “We didn’t leave a stick standing.”
After the devastation, the valley floor was used as a cattle range and
eventually a site of mass agricultural production. Over time 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 1950s.
In 1950, the next chapter in the history of Canaan Valley began when 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. When it opened in 1955 it
was the first commercial ski area in West Virginia and the farthest
south. 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 the 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.” Because of
its altitude, the valley supports a boreal ecosystem unlike anything
else found this far south. Portions of Canaan Valley were soon
designated as a National Natural Landmark due to the plant and animal
species usually found much farther north and the 6,700 acres of fragile
wetlands. Then, in August 1994, 86 acres of Canaan Valley became the 500th
refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System. This area has since grown
to almost 16,000 acres.
Since the days when Mr. Cosner opened his home to visitors, Canaan
Valley has refined the art of hospitality. 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.
