Date of Award

2001

Degree Name

History

College

College of Liberal Arts

Type of Degree

M.A.

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The frontier period of the Kanawha Valley provides an interesting example of the sometimes dramatic change that occurred on the fringes of American civilization as it inched across the continent. Within twelve years of the creation of the county, it had developed from an embattled military buffer region into a quiet backwoods town. For the first six years, Indian attacks constantly assailed the settlements along the Kanawha River. Very likely, without the quality of leadership in the towns and military posts, the population would have retreated into safer regions of Virginia. Somehow men such as George Clendenin, founder of the county; John Young, an Indian spy and garrison commander at Clendenin's fort; Thomas Lewis, garrison commander at Fort Randolph, along with several others, kept the spirit of resistance and perseverance alive in those critical years.

However, when the period of warfare ended, several of these men passed from the scene and different types of leaders emerged, such as the Ruffners who established industry in the Kanawha Valley. This was one element of change after the Indian conflict subsided. Others were the development of an economy, establishment of social and judicial institutions and other aspects of a civil society. These changes mostly affected the county's elites. For most others the economic and social frontier conditions in which they grew up continued. They, in tum, passed the culture of the frontier to their children. Some blame may be cast on the arrested development of the region during the war years, based upon Frederick Jackson Turner· s stages of frontier development, but most lies with the extreme geographic isolation of Kanawha County.

Along with change for some, continuity for others is another theme in the development of the Kanawha Valley. The culture of developing commerce and industry along with its material standard of wealth slowly grew side by side with the pre-industrial frontier lifestyle, which emphasized survival above all else. These differences helped to make transmontane Virginia a unique area in the eastern United States for better or for worse. Finally, another aspect of continuity showed itself in the toughness and determination of the people and this also filtered through the generations. This very likely came down from those initial forefathers who hacked settlements from the wilderness and valiantly defended and maintained them.

The Turner thesis when applied to the frontier period of the Kanawha Valley works well in some instances but breaks down when confronted by the different pressures faced by the people who settled there. The prolonged conflict retarded the development of the region on Turner's lines for a time. In addition, the isolated nature of transmontane Virginia prevented much of the region from advancing to a point where it could join the surrounding area culturally and economical! y.

Subject(s)

Kanawha River Valley (W. Va.) -- History.

Kanawha County (W. Va.) -- History.

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