Virtual Tour of 119 West Virginia

"If you don't have an oil or gas well, Get One!" --Waco Oil and Gas, Glenville, WV

Our report begins when I turned off of I-79 and onto state highway 119 near Weston. Soon I was far from the simple straight-shot of interstate and was reminded that West Virginia a'int Kansas anymore, and is especially not New York or Connecticut. You'd have to enter some sort of fourth dimentional space for the road to get any more twisted up in the steep hills, and it seemed that most of the people I passed were large men in tiny teal Geos slowly falling to pieces, on their way home to trailers and fighting cocks or out to Good Time Charlies aka Susie's backyard bar. Otherwise, it was me and the thirty wild turkeys camped out between Pickle Street Unincorporated and Burnt House (incorporated?). The far out-ness of this place was really driven home when I got to the Welcome to Clay County sign, "Home of the Golden Delicious Apple" and to a lone sixteen year old in a Nickleback shirt walking down the road with nothing to do probably but drugs and TV (wait. drugs and TV. this is familiar. click your heels three times saying "there's no place like home," spark up a bowl and there you are, whereever you are?) Anyhow, Golden Delicious is not enough to keep this character occupied from birth until he gets out or gets married. (There was that rusty suit of armour and all the metal and bus parts and lamps and implements at that one house, but the chain across his driveway said KEEP OUT, well maybe locals can ring the bell with the pull-cord with the sign with the finger pointing to it to announce themselves and then they can play in his sweet metal collection, but it definately was KEEP OUT to me, but. . . ) What really topped off the trip though were the sights in Glenville. Part one: Giant Gas Money Mansion. This guy sort of has a predicament. He has obviously made a shit-ton of money in oil and natural gas. His neighbors obviously have not. He can a) move out of the county and be absentee boss to everyone b) display his sort of hideous ostentatious taste right next door to his crews, a house trailer on either side of his property. In any case, I just looked this guy up-- I know he is IL Morris because it is emblazoned in giant letters on his barn-- and it looks like he's a pretty stand-up guy:

"Morris serves both the College and Gilmer County communities through his active support and financial gifts. As the owner of Waco Oil & Gas Co., Inc., Morris employs over 50 area residents. Through hard work and dedication for over 40 years, he has built a successful business.
In addition to his many gifts to Glenville State College, Morris serves on the Board of Directors of United National Bank in Glenville, is a former Board member of Alliance Petroleum Corp. in Canton, Ohio, the West Virginia Oil and Gas Commission, is past president of the Glenville Golf Club and is a member of the First Baptist Church of Glenville. He has been honored as the 1994 West Virginia Oil & Gas Man of the Year and, most recently, has been named as the Honorary Italian Man of the Year for the 25th Annual West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival to be held in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
Morris serves as a Partner in Education with Gilmer County High School, contributes to various other educational and philanthropic endeavors and, in 2001, provided the funds for the installation of artificial turf at the Glenville State College football stadium, now named Morris Stadium. His unselfish service and dedication to Glenville State College and his commitment and perseverance have significantly improved education and intercollegiate athletics and services to our students."

When I passed the Waco Oil and Gas sign about 5 or 6 miles down from his place "If you don't have an oil or gas well on your place, Get one!" I knew that that was where the money came from and sure enough he owns it. Anyhow, there was an ambulance at his place, hope he's doing alright.

Meanwhile, the West Virginia Highlands Forum informs me that ol' Morris was seeking a permit to strip mine the top off of Browns Mountain, on a parcel of land near the Monongahela Forest and the Devil's Backbone arch-- "They plan to remove at least three hundred feet of rock from the east side of the mountain to obtain the Tuscarora Sandstone (or White Medina Sandstone), which is used as a non-skid aggregate in road construction." According to the preservation guys, "What they are proposing is the equivalent of mountain top removal in an area with no coal and no other mining. The water gap formed by Knapps Creek as it cuts through Browns Mountain is one of the most scenic areas in West Virginia. Knapps Creek, a tributary of the Greenbrier, is stocked with trout by the DNR. Strip mining in this location would create a permanent scar on the landscape and probably destroy the creek for trout fishing downstream of the quarry."

At some point on this drive, I was at least 45 minutes from the Interstate no matter how you cut it. It was the kind of trip where you sort of wish you could hurry up the coming back part, but there's only one road and you can't rush it and you just have to wait it out to get back to familiar territory. When I got back on 79, I tried to shake off the feeling that I had just spent a big chunk of time driving without getting much closer to my destination with Sub and Basement Jaxx and some faster driving, but West Virginia just doesn't stand for it. I put on some Ricki Lee Jones instead until the sun set and the road was anonymous enough for techno.

Hopefully on my way back up north, I'll pass through on a Friday or Saturday night-- a couple of spots in this 50 mile stretch advertised live bluegrass jams on weekend nights-- It would be a strange place to be an outsider maybe, but probably worth hearing what these people have to sing. If you're ever in Glenville or Chloe (down at the community park), keep your eyes (ears?) peeled.

Last but not least, as of 2003, the sandstone quarry for Browns Mountain had failed to get its permit thanks to some uproar from the West Virginia Environmental Council and citizens of Pocahontas County. "The names Hamilton, Heinlein, Hemple, Henritz, Hogbin, Johns, McCarty, Pomerantz, Rose, Rice, Stump, Wagner, and Young who helped pave the way, were but a very few who sought protections during the 2000 lawmaking effort - protections that now have been effectively applied by DEP and Pocahontas Countians. . . Hats off to the many citizens of Pocahontas County who stood up, used the 2000 quarry law, and demonstrated how communities can protect their future interests." A slightly rosier note for you.

Alice

PS-- Honorary Italian of the Year?