Return to the article Brown, Ralph M. A Sketch Of The Early History Of Southwestern Virginia. William and Mary Quarterly 2nd Ser., Vol. 17 No. 4 (Oct. 1937), pp 501-513. Chew, Collins, 2009. A Simple Geologic History Of Southwest Virginia. Johnson City, TN. Frye, Keith, 2008. Roadside Geology Of Virginia. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Co. Gable, Claude, […]
Mountain Peeks Editor
Hidden Valley Wildlife Management Area
by Richard Kretz Richard Kretz is a regionally-acclaimed naturalist and photographer whose digital images capture the vibrant beauty and diversity of nature. His life project is to photographically document as much of the flora and fauna as possible in far Southwest Virginia. He resides at the foot of Clinch Mountain near Lebanon in Russell County, […]
Appalachian College of Pharmacy: Tackling Economic and Health Care Challenges
by Dr. Lu Ellsworth This is Part 3, covering the impact of The Appalachian College of Pharmacy on our region. You can also read parts 1 and 2, discussingUVA-Wise and the Appalachian School of Law. As the Appalachian School of Law began to recover from the wrenching shooting tragedy on its campus on January 16, 2002, coalfield leaders discussed ways to further […]
Focus on Local Outdoor Photographers
Are You Depressed, Moody, and Blue? Your Body Might Just Be Craving Vitamin D.
by Dr. Leah Holland Are You Vitamin D Deficient? Despite living in the sunny south, you may actually be Vitamin D deficient. Research finds that the majority of those living above the 35th parallel are deficient in Vitamin D(1). This means if you are living in most of North Carolina, any part of Tennessee, Virginia, […]
From Veteran House Member to Freshman Senator, Bill Carrico Stays Focused
Charles William “Bill” Carrico (R-Grayson) was born in Marion, Virginia, in 1961 to Charles and Alda Carrico in the same county that he has represented in the General Assembly for more than a decade. But politics was far removed from the little corner of Smyth County where he was born and raised. Carrico spent most […]
Head to Heartwood for a Taste of What’s New!
Heartwood Chef Barry Boothe forages the farms and farmers’ markets of Southwest Virginia for his new Rooted in Appalachia menu. Heirloom vegetables, grass-fed beef, and most anything else that’s in season makes its way into everything from daily lunch specials and soups to the ever-bountiful Farm Fresh Sunday Gospel Brunch, Thursday Night BBQ, and Virginia […]
Scottish Roots
Like many Appalachian descendants, especially those from Southwest Virginia several generations back, we can generally find that at least a portion of our lineage came directly or indirectly through Scotland. Obviously there are many exceptions, particularly the Mediterranean and Eastern European immigrants that emigrated to the coalfields in droves during the early 1900s coal mining booms. Numerous scholars say that coalfield Appalachia was third only to New York City and San Francisco for the diversity of nationalities present at that time. The census in Wise County during that “black gold” boom of a nearly century ago documented over two dozen nationalities, with Hungarians being the predominant group from Eastern Europe. Similarly, West Virginia had, and still has, a big contingent of residents bearing Slavic surnames from those days. African Americans seeking an alternative to southern sharecropping also played a significant role in coalfield diversity.
Funny Stories from the Mountains
At Mountain Peeks we hear many humorous stories from readers about bizarre or funny things that have happened to them or members of their family; things that are so odd they have to be true because no one could make them up. Here is the first one we received. Send your best funny story for us to […]
Delegate Israel O’Quinn Hits the Ground Running in Richmond
It is obvious when talking to Southwest Virginia’s newest delegate, Israel O’Quinn, that he loves Southwest Virginia. He says there’s no place like it. Born in Hayter’s Gap in western Washington County, O’Quinn grew up playing baseball in the backyard with his brother, Morgan. But the O’Quinn boys knew they wouldn’t get to play […]