Institution

<p>Mount Porte
Crayon is named after David Hunter Strother, who served as a news correspondent
during the Civil War. A native of Martinsburg, West Virginia, Strother often
went by the pen name Porte Crayon and was a well-known writer and illustrator.
Some of his published works are “The Blackwater Chronicle” and “A Visit to the
Virginia Canaan.”</p>

<p>Hikers can get
to the preserve by the south of the 4,770-foot summit of Mount Porte Crayon,
along the Allegheny Front in Pendleton County, West Virginia. The preserve is
surrounded by U.S. Forest Service lands including the Monongahela National
Forest.&nbsp; This preserve is remote and
largely inaccessible. Public access to Mount Porte Crayon Preserve is through
the Roaring Plains Wilderness Area via the Flat Rock Run Trail or Roaring
Plains Trail. Formal trails do not reach the summit and considerable
bushwhacking is involved through thick red spruce and rhododendron. Good
navigation skills, map, compass and/or GPS are highly recommended. An old
railroad grade serves as a guide in much of the length of the property but is
degraded in many portions leaving hikers to cross over wet and rocky terrain. Storms
can move in rapidly so hikers should be prepared for varied weather conditions.
The U.S Forest Service Office located in Elkins can be contacted for weather
conditions.</p>

Page 1 of a written account of the naming of Mount Porte Crayon by Sara Strother King, great-great grand-daughter of David Hunter Strother.

Page 2 of a written account of the climbing of Mount Porte Crayon by Sara Strother King.

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Mount Porte Crayon is the sixth highest point in West Virginia and one of the least explored. Weather conditions at Mount Porte Crayon can be extreme and many spruce trees are observed to be “flagged” meaning they lack branches where high winds blow from the west. The area around Mount Porte Crayon is home to one of the best and largest existing examples a northern hardwood forest in the Central Appalachian Forest region. Mount Porte Crayon also contains a nature preserve that are habitats to threatened species such as the Cheat Mountain salamander and West Virginia northern flying squirrel. The preserve and the summit are accessible only to experienced hikers willing to bushwhack through dense foliage and rough terrain.

Mount Porte Crayon

The Shawnee Trail is a branch of the Seneca Trail that extends from Elkins to Seneca Rocks, and mostly follows the route of US 33. The trail is named for the Shawnee peoples who used the route in their raids from the west into the South Branch Valley (in modern eastern WV).  In the early Americas Native American societies developed a vast network of trails and pathways that connected societies from New York into Canada all the way into the Southeast and Southwest, into Mesoamerica. Archaeologists have found evidence of trade goods traveling between the Great Lakes and Gulf Coast, and large trading centers such as Cahokia (near modern St. Louis) facilitated long-distance trade between various regions in North America. Trails were also used as warpaths and many other uses, just as roads are used today. The trails through West Virginia were used by the Catawba, Algonquian tribes, the Cherokee, and nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. White explorers and settlers learned and used these paths and over time many have become the roadways of modern times.   The Seneca Trail roughly follows the route of U.S. 219 through West Virginia from Silver Lake on the Maryland border to Princeton on the state’s southern border with Virginia. The trail is named for the Seneca, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. By the 1660s the Iroquois Confederacy had established control over much of the Appalachian region, extending their influence to the Mississippi river and conquering or demanding allegiance from many Native nations in the region. The Seneca Trail was a main road used by the Iroquois in their conquest and management of the land within their Confederacy. Several trails connect to the Seneca Trail, such as the Shawnee Trail near Seneca Rocks, WV and the Catawba Trail that follows the Tygart River Valley up towards Pennsylvania. 

<p>Herman Guy Kump was a West Virginia native, born in Capon Springs in 1877. Kump grew up on a stock raising farm and went to local schools until the 8th grade, when he attended the Shenandoah Normal School near Winchester, Virginia. He returned to Hampshire county to teach and later worked as a deputy county clerk before becoming the paymaster for the Consolidation Coal Company’s Monongah mine.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the age of 26, Kump started law school at the University of Virginia. He moved to Elkins following graduation and opened up his own law practice. Like many other leading attorneys of the era, Kump's practice led him to the political sphere when he became the prosecuting attorney in Randolph County in 1908, a position he served for two terms. During World War I, he and other attorneys utilized their legal skills to help the army, serving as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General's office in Washington. Following the end of the war, Kump returned to his law practice for two years before seeking the office of mayor. After a successful election, he served as the mayor of the city from 1921 to 1923. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kump began his candidacy for Governor of West Virginia in 1932, just as the full effects of the Great Depression were being felt throughout the state and nation. Kump defeated Republican T. C. Townsend and became the Governor of West Virginia in 1933. He was the last Governor to be inaugurated in March, and the first to be inaugurated at the current state capitol. During his tenure in office, West Virginia faced one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. His inaugural address as governor identified the need to stabilize the banking sector while also stimulating private businesses, but much of his time in office focused on promoting public works projects throughout the state. </p><p><br /></p><p>Upon taking office, Kump called for a special session of the state legislature; The legislature met for 240 days- the longest session in West Virginia history. During this session, the legislature reorganized the State Road Commission and passed legislation authorizing the transfer of authority for maintaining 31,000 miles of secondary roads from the counties to the state government. </p><p><br /></p><p>To meet the revenue needs of the growing state government, the Kump administration enacted the first state-wide consumer sales tax. His administration also established unemployment insurance, state personal income tax, and the creation of a county unit school system and a unified nine-month school term.2</p><p><br /></p><p>The Depression did not end while Kump was in office, however his efforts to secure unemployment insurance and promote federal works projects helped many throughout the state whether some of its leanest years. Kump left office in 1937 and returned to Elkins, WV where he continued practicing law. He attempted to run for United States Senate in 1940 and 1942, but was defeated both times. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kump passed away in 1962 and was interned in the Beverly Cemetery in Randolph County. Mary Gamble Kump, Kump's youngest daughter, took control of this historic house. In 2008 Mary gifted the home to the city of Elkins with the understanding that it would be used for educational purposes, with programs that promoted citizenship and education for children and youth. In 2010, The Kump Education Center was established and maintains its headquarters in this historic home. The center maintains a schedule of events and programs designed to fulfill Mary Kump's vision for promoting education and citizenship by collaborating with the faculty of several local colleges and other educational institutions. </p>

Completed in 1925, the Kump House was home to the family of Herman Guy Kump, a leading attorney and the 19th Governor of West Virginia. Kump was in office from 1933 to 1937 and is best known for his work promoting public education and working with the federal government to promote public works projects throughout the state during the Great Depression. Today the Kump house is owned by the city of Elkins and is home to the Kump Education Center, an organization that focuses on historic preservation and sustainability. 

The Kump House

<p>Peter Shaver was born in Germany, in the year of 1747, and was the second of four sons.  Paulus and Elizabeth Shaver migrated to America and first settled in Pennsylvania.  In 1758, Paulus served in the French and Indian War and was given a 200 acre land grant for his service.  The Shaver family then relocated to what is now Pendleton County.  In 1772 Peter married Sarah Riffle, with whom he fathered four sons.  That same year Peter and Sarah moved into the Tygart Valley region of western Virginia.  They were the first settlers in this area of what is now Valley Bend, in Randolph County, West Virginia.  Peter also had a hunting/ hideout cabin near Gandy where he frequently stayed. </p><span>

<p>As a soldier in the Revolutionary War, Shaver served in Capt. Simpson’s company from Augusta County, Virginia.  Peter was a spy and an Indian scout for the Virginia Militia.  In 1781, Peter returned home to his wife and children.  His youngest brother, Paul, was living with Peter’s family having a bad leg injury from early in the war.</p>

<p>The Shawnee Indians had carried out many raids throughout western Virginia trying to run settlers off of what the Indians considered their land.  In April of 1781 the Shawnee attacked settlements between Elkins and Huttonsville, killing everyone in their path.  The only survivors of what is known as the Tygart Valley Massacre were those who fled in fear.  The Shaver family was not home in Valley Bend at the time of the attack; they had been visiting family in the east.  Returning home, shortly after the massacre, Peter rode ahead of his wife, brother and three children.  He was attacked and brutally murdered by Shawnee Indians. <sub>1</sub></p><p>Peter was traveling with his father in law Francis Riffle who was also killed.  Both men’s bodies were found in the middle of the road scalped and mutilated, by Sarah and Paul.  Shaver’s body was buried at his outpost cabin near Gandy.  It is said that when Sarah saw the body of her dead husband she clasped her hand over her face to hide from the site before her.  Shortly after Peter’s death, Sarah gave birth to their fourth son Francis, who was born with a distinctive large red birthmark: the birthmark was in the shape of a hand. <sub>2</sub></p><p>Peter Shaver’s grave site is located 4.5 mile on county route 27, Gandy Road; off of US route 33 in Alpena.  The grave is on the right hand side of the road and is marked with several markers and a big American flag in honor of his service to the country.  Gandy Road also will take you to the historical towns of Gandy and Bemis.  Along the way, you will find access to some very good trout fishing spots as well.</p></span>

In Randolph County and the wilderness of Monongahela National Forest, there is an unexpected historical find. Peter Shaver was a Revolutionary War patriot, Western Virginia settler, and victim of Indian attack. This is his final resting place. On the eastern slope of Shaver Mountain near the town of Alpena is the supposed grave site of namesake of the mountain and also Shaver’s Fork River.

Peter Shaver's Grave Site

<p>In 1943, a small number of army officers from the 10th Mountain Division of Camp Hale, Colorado were ordered to organize and oversee the armies’ only low altitude assault climbing school at the Seneca Rocks Maneuver Area of the WVMA. These elite GI’s, were also known as the Mountain Training Group, but were also sometimes called ski troopers or snow soldiers.<br></p>

<p>Several thousand soldiers trained at Seneca Rocks. Army maneuvers commenced under the command of the 13th Army Corps. The local command was headquartered at Elkins and included a signal battalion, quartermaster detachment, military police unit, a special services company, engineers, ordnance and other support elements. Before the war ended, seventy-five thousand metal spikes, called pitons, which are used&nbsp; as an anchor to protect climbers from falling and/or aid in climbing were hammered into the rocks. The South Peak, or Tuscarora Formation, is called “the face of a thousand pitons.”</p><p>Raffi Bedayn served as a climbing instructor at Seneca Rocks, it was there that he began developing oval carabineers made from aluminum alloy 7075 T-6 which were much more lightweight than standard carabineers. His design wasn't commercially available until after the war but was used in military and the first ascent up Mount Everest and on the American Everest Expedition.</p><p>&nbsp;Techniques described in this book were used by U.S. forces in the battles in the North Apeninnes and the Lake Garda Alps. The book was published and later revised.</p><p>Between July 1943 and July 1944 when training ended, more than 100,000 soldiers were trained in the WVMA, among them the 94th Signal Battalion which fought in the Battle of the Bulge.Their training at Seneca Rocks prepared them for battles in the European Theater of Operations in Italy.</p><p>&nbsp;No one is sure who the first modern climber was, however Paul Brandt, Don Hubbard and Sam Moore reached the top of the south peak in 1938 and found the inscription “D.B. September 16, 1908”. Presently, you can visit Seneca rocks State Park located in the Monongahela National</p><p>Forest. There you can visit the 10th Mountain Division Historical Marker or the Seneca Rocks Historical Marker. You can also rock climb, camp or walk the trails.</p><p>Seneca Rocks is best known for its numerous climbing routes. This area has milder temperatures, and the faces of Seneca Rocks face east and west, so it is possible to either follow the sun or stay shaded throughout the day depending on which routes you choose. Many moderate routes exist on Seneca Rocks and helmets should be worn since some of the rock can be loose and knocked down when climbing. Guide services are available. These guide services often take climbers on their first climb or first multi-pitch route.</p>

<p>Seneca Shadows Campground is a National Forest campground with showers. The campground is located within walking distance to town and climbing. You may also camp at the Princess Snowbird campground which is in walking distance to Sites Homestead (a log house built by Jacob Sites in 1839), Discovery Center (visitor center and gift shop), swimming hole and several nearby stores and restaurants nearby, such as Harper’s Country Store, Yokum’s&nbsp; General Store and The Front Porch restaurant.</p><p>One can also follow the Seneca Rocks Trail which is a 3.4 mile located near Seneca Rocks and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.</p>

<p>Location of Seneca Rocks Marker: On US Route 33 south of junction with WV Route 28. Erected by the West Virginia Historic Commission in 1963. This marker sits at US Route 33 and state routes 28 and 55, about 34 miles east of Elkins in Pendleton County.</p>

One of the best-known rock formations in West Virginia, Seneca Rocks is a towering and jagged sandstone formation that rises 900 feet above the North Fork of the South Branch. The Seneca Rocks Maneuver Area was a part of the West Virginia Maneuver Area during World War II. The area inaccessible except by technical rock climbing techniques, making it an ideal training ground for soldiers before being sent to northern Italy. Instruction included rock scrambling, tension cable work with pitons, rigging skills, proper use assault ropes with pulleys and more. There was also two tactical night climbs on unfamiliar rocks. Approximately 180 soldiers cycled through this course every two weeks.

Seneca Rocks Historical Marker

<div><div>Legend has it that Seneca princess Snow Bird, ascended Seneca Rocks hoping that worthy suitors would be able to climb to the top, proving their worthiness. Seven men tried, but only one achieved his goal. This is likely never to have happened, since the Senecas were a tribe based in the New York area and used the trails surrounding the rocks strictly for transportation and hunting grounds.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>Today, the scenic peak is visible from the intersection of Routes 28 and 33. It is the only "true peak", meaning it can only be scaled through traditional mountain climbing techniques, on the East Coast. It attracts thousands of visitors every year. Not only for mountain climbing, but hiking, fishing, water sports, and camping. The surrounding areas boast numerous attractions, such as Cabins, WV, near Smoke Hole Caverns.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Seneca Trail, which followed the Potomac River, made the area a frequently used camp site for traveling Native American tribes. Excavation revealed indigenous dwellings over 600 years old. Europeans first encountered the rock formation in 1746. David Hunter Strother first depicted the range in 1853 and his works were later published in Harpers New Monthly Magazine in 1872.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As part of the efforts of WWII, the rocks were used as training grounds for the US military in 1943-44.&nbsp; Thirty-two officers and men who were enlisted from the Mountain Training Center at Camp Hale, Colorado came to West Virginia.&nbsp; Their mission was to set up and run the army's only low altitude assault climbing school, which was located at the base of Seneca Rocks.&nbsp; It was operated as part of of the West Virginia Maneuver Area (WVMA).&nbsp;<br><br>These GI’s were an elite cadre of world class mountaineers known as the Mountain Training Group (MTG), sometimes called ski troopers or snow soldiers.&nbsp;The climbing school at Seneca and a pack-mule transport school in Tucker County were two of several training programs unique to the five-county WVMA.&nbsp; Seneca Rocks&nbsp;was selected because of its rugged isolation and similarities to terrain found in northern Italy, the expected destination for those engaged in the training. Seneca Rocks was going to war.<br><br></div><div>In 1965, Seneca Rocks became part of Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. The Visitor's Center was originally constructed in 1978 but was severely damaged in a flood in the 1985 flood. The pinnacle portion of the formation referred to as the "Gendarme"&nbsp;toppled and fell in 1987. In popular legend, this part of the formation was a relic of Princess Snow Bird.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br></div><div><br></div><div>	The rocks can be hiked on a trail of varying difficulty. At the top, visitors find a viewing deck, with breath-taking views of the surrounding mountains.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br>On Saturday July 1, 2017 a fire on Seneca Rocks was reported. The fire was located on the hillside just below the observation deck on the hiking trail. One of the the biggest difficulties trying to put the fire out was the steep and rocky terrain. The fire burned in the understory, which was good because it helped clean out some of the vegetation.&nbsp; The cause of the fire was caused by fireworks being illegally set off on the thick mountainous terrain.&nbsp;<br><br><br></div>

Seneca Rocks is a local landmark located in Pendleton County in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. It has a height rising nearly 900 feet above the Seneca Creek along with the South Branch of the Potomac River. The rocks are used for hiking and rock climbing. If you don’t feel like walking, you can ride a horse to the top. 

Discover US 33: The Shawnee Trail

Mount Porte Crayon

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

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