Coal River

From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia

The basin of the Coal River lies in the south-central part of West Virginia, south of the Kanawha River. The drainage area is about 900 square miles. The New River-Pocahontas coal formation occurs at the sources of the river and the Allegheny-Kanawha formation occurs over the rest of the basin as far down as Lurd.

Table of contents

Coal River

The river rises in the central part of Raleigh County, flows northwesterly across Boone County and Kanawha County and enters the Kanawha River near St. Albans.

Maps

Topo Map (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=38.3958&lon=-81.8408) (Mouth)

Tributaries

The principal tributaries of the Coal River are Clear Fork, Marsh Fork, and Little Coal River.

Discovery of Coal

John Peter Salley is credited with the first discovery of coal in West Virginia, making that find along the Coal River during his 1742 exploration of western Virginia and present-day West Virginia.

Improvements

Coal River was improved by locks and dams, and navigated several years before the Civil War, to the Peytona Mines, 35 miles above its mouth. The locks and dams feel into neglect during the war years, and were destroyed by flooding.

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