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Another Letter From Union [District], March 24, 1881
Editors State Journal -- There have been many letters from this neighborhood, I think it comes my turn to represent the backwoods. There has been a great deal of timber gotten out this winter such as cross ties, keg wood, &c. If it wasn't for the timber trade, some people out in this area would starve to death.
John B., of Valley Mills, can be seen every Sunday evening wending his way down Sugar Run. John, it is getting warm weather now, and you won't have to have such big logs that the chimney will get afire.
The writing school that has been going on at the Darling School House closed Saturday evening. -- The six best writers were Miss Ida Ralston, F.C. Jones, W.M. Rolston, C. Rolston, J.L. Ogdin and Prof. Woofter.
Mr. H.H. Hoblitzell and others are taking music lessons under the instruction of Miss Dora Bond, of Valley Mills.
Some of the young ladies of this place are feeling very badly over the disappearance of their friends, Messrs. "Sammie" and "Jackie;" but they will get over it.
A fine hotel is to be erected at the Borland Wells, on Frank Triplett's farm near Cow Creek. [The Borland Springs Hotel was erected and became a well-known part of Wood County history.]
Mr. Lewis Ogdin, of Union [District], is going to try the experiment on his farm of raising cotton. If any man can make it a success, he can. [signed] Wild Bill
The Parkersburg Daily State Journal
March 31, 1881
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New Railroad Proposed
In April of 1881 a new railroad from Wheeling to Charleston was proposed. As planned, it would be known as the Wheeling, Parkersburg and Charleston Rail Road (the W. P. and C.R.R.). When completed in 1894, it became known as the Ohio River Rail Road. As the following news item attests, many proposals are met with controversy:
Letter From Union [District] -- The W.P. and C.R.R., Union District, W.Va.
Editors State Journal -- We sent you a communication some weeks ago, giving our opinion of the proposed line of the W.P. & C.R.R., from Bull Creek to Valley Mills. Since that time the engineers have surveyed that route, and are well pleased with it, as they find an easy grade, and save a distance of some eight miles over the route down the river. -- But, from the statements made in the Sentinel for the past two weeks, that paper claimed that the engineers would support the river route, even before the survey on that route had been completed. Now, all such stuff as that, will do to tell the marines, and the assertion of that paper, that it will require a "Y" or tunnel to reach the river at Bull Creek, on the back route, is absurd. It will require neither a tunnel nor a Y, and but a slight cut, as the report of the engineers will doubtless show when the proper time comes.
The writer in the Sentinel is far at sea in his article of June 4th, – he seems to think it very probable that the directors will seriously consider the route along the river, and perhaps adopt it; he may have such assurance but we doubt it.
Excerpt from The Parkersburg Weekly State Journal
June 23, 1881
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NOTE: Initially proposed in 1881, the "Ohio River Railroad" was completed in 1894, using the route along the Ohio River. Though the proposed route through Valley Mills which would have basically paralleled the Old St. Mary's Pike into Parkersburg was decided against, some early deeds in that area make reference to a right-of-way for the proposed railroad. The Wheeling, Parkersburg, and Charleston Rail Road eventually became part of the B. & O. R. R. system.
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Bob Enoch is president of the Wood County Historical and Preservation Society. If you have comments or questions about Look Back items, please contact him at: roberteenoch@gmail.com, or by mail at WCHPS, PO Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102.