Mud, WV, News, Welcome to the Community of Mud River, West Virginia
A Conley Branch Girl
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
By Marlene Adkins Thames
I am a Mud River West Virginia Girl! More specifically, I am a Conley Branch Girl. Although not born on Conley, most of my childhood was spent there, leaving me with many wonderful memories of that area alive within me. There was so much to love. I loved the open fields that my great-grandfather, Lorenza Adkins, and my grandfather, Alfred, plus his siblings, cleared when they settled down on Conley. Being small at the time, I thought the mountains were the biggest in the whole world.
I loved the mountains that surrounded our little three room house and Grandpa and Grandma Adkins’ four room house. It was as if the mountains were there to protect us.
The mountain to the east of our house was my absolute favorite. Amongst all of the trees that are indigenous to the area stood a huge pine tree. It jutted out far beyond the top of the forest as if to say, “I am here. I will protect and shelter you from harm”. I made several trips a week up the mountain to that tree. Underneath the tree’s canopy was a solid bed of moss. Mountain Tea, with sweet, red berries, provided substance. This was my refuge; this was my solace.
One day, Daddy broke his back as he and I hauled coal down from the little abandoned mine on our property. I ran screaming to find my Mother, who sent me running to the only neighbor that had a vehicle. After the neighbor came with his truck and lifted Daddy onto the bed on a makeshift stretcher, I ran up the hill to my tree, my solace. I was so scared. I found comfort there.
There were other sad times when I sought out the comfort of the mountain. I ran to my tree when my grandmother died. I ran there when I got into trouble with my parents. I ran there when my cat disappeared and when my grandma’s dog died. That tree and that mountain shared some of my darkest moments, but I always felt better because they provided me a place where I could grieve alone, be scared of what was happening, or to simply be happy on “my” mountain.
I wish I could run there today, but the mining companies came after I left. Neither Conley nor Mud River will ever be the same. In my heart, I know “my” mountain is gone.
Conley is now blocked off with a “No Trespassing” sign at what used to be the turn off to enter the hollow. I can no longer go up the hollow to enjoy the scenes from my childhood. The mining company won’t let me. The mountain at the turn into Conley is even gone. No trees. No wild flowers. No squirrels. Like a lot of places in the Appalachians, nothing is left except what the mining company did not want.
Even the oldest mountains in the world could not stand up to the power of money.
I pray that those of us who love this land are strong enough to stand up for the mountains that remain. They have provided strength, solace, protection, and even life, to us. It is now our turn to return the favor.
August 6th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Hi Marlene,
I loved your story! It sounded all too familiar, the only way to go back home is through our connections in our own mind. The trees, mountains, and streams are too often gone.
Wilma Steele
August 7th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Wilma,
Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate how you feel about going home again. I think this is a fight we can win. As Daddy used to say, “You don’t have to win all of the battles to win the war…just win the important ones!”
Marlene
August 11th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Marlene,
You have told the story of many who lived in the Mountains. My family is from Kanawha Valley in WV. The place I remember has also changed. Where there were birds, now the sound is replaced by conveyor belts and vents that drown out the sounds I remember so well. The whip-o-will that used to come in the evening and sit by my bedroom door is long gone.
August 11th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Marlene,
What a beautiful article. This gives us an insight into your childhood. It is so well written that I could picture all this as I read it. I never saw mountains until I was grown and instantly fell in love with them.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:12 am
You talk about the mountains and what they meant to you, well why did you leave them? Where do you live now? Why do you complain about mining when i don’t see you complaining about building malls or building highways. They do the same thing but mining does do reclamation, something that mall building and highway building does not.Have you ever been on a reclaimed mine site?If your answer is no the you are missing out on a beautiful site. I would love to live on a reclaimed mine site, a place where you can see forever, the sun coming up and going down is something to see. Sorry you feel the way you do,but I’m all for strip mining. p.s. I still live here.
August 17th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
I understand all of us have childhood memeories that have come and gone. But what you have failed to metion is all of the memories made from the families of these miners. Without Hobet mining a lot of these families would be on welfare like a lot of West Virginin’s are now, because without coal nothing is really here. I live 2 miles from Hobet mining, my husband works there also was his father and granfather, and proable some how they are related to you. This job provides these families with home, clothes, and food for thier children. The memories that they also get from Hobet is coming and riding four-wheelers, hunting, fishing, and I see a lot that just come for family picnics. Also I have seen more wildlife in the past 10 years that was provided from Hobet since I moved here 19 years ago. Also people only want to show what Hobet looks like while the job is in progress and never what it looks like after. It’s like if you were going to buy a home, would you buy one that is only half way finshed, NO it would look like a disater area, but a finished home YES. Just like Hobet after they have reclaimed the land you can see the love that each miner has put into the land to rebuild the mountains, replant the tree,shrubs,grass,ect. along with all the ponds with fish and wildlife. Trees are a renewable source therefore can be replaced, so years from now my child will be able to have some of the same memeories that you had as a child and also gave thousands of families with memeories that their father(THE MINER)has also been able to give them. As I have said I have lived here for 19 years and would not want to live anywhere else in the whole world. Hobet has provided my family money to have a good life and also has giving us some of the most beautiful sences ever!!Hobet is not as bad as people make them out to be. My husband has been lucky enough to have worked for the mines for 15 years. The mines has also provided me and many others with a college education. So lets start talking about how there is so much more great things about mining, instead of only showing a half finshed home.
April 17th, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Some of you just don’t get it, and that is why beautiful and special places will continue to disappear. You DO NOT have to destroy nature and beauty to put people to work—it isn’t a one or the other proposition. To Bev Gilman, how can you say “mining does do reclamation” with a straight face? Have you seen this “reclamation”?