Black Mountain Fire
You are standing on Black Mountain. This mountain and Big Spruce Mountain, to your left, were named for the giant spruce trees that once darkened their slopes.
In the early 1900’s, loggers from eight camps in this valley hauled valuable spruce on narrow gauge railroads. They left a cutover landscape of dry spruce limbs and needles. This tinderbox burst into flame in 1930, probably set by train cinders. Can you picture this beautiful valley as a black and barren wasteland?
Walk the boardwalk to your left, to see signs of logging, fire, and forest renewal.
Site Elevation 4,520 Ft.
Marker is on Highland Scenic Highway (West Virginia Route 150) 8.1 miles from Bruffey Reserve (West Virginia Route 39), on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
