Ephram (historical)
From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia
The mining operation at Ephram apparently begin in the early-1900s. A C&O map of coal mines circa-1895 showed no mines between Alaska and Quinnimont, and map from 1903-04 showed "Slater" as the only place in the area. However, a 1906 C&O publication and a 1911 Fayette County publication listed the Ephraim Creek Coal & Coke Company as operating the Buffalo mine, with a post office address at Thayer, W.Va. A 1921 list of mines in West Virginia showed the same company was still operating the Buffalo mine as well as the Slater mine near Thayer.
State mining records indicate the Ephraim Creek Coal & Coke Co. operated the Buffalo-Slater mines from 1903-1926.
Also mapped as Ephraim, Ephram was located high on the flank of the New River gorge above the east bank of New River. The community and mine operated on a bluff below the rim of the gorge, and coal was conveyed down to a siding off the C&O Railroad just downstream of Thayer. The name of the community may often be confused with that of Ephriam Creek, a tributary of the New River located several miles downstream. Ephraim's population in 1910 was 150 according to the W.Va. Geological Survey of 1919.
Rafter's Reference: High on the flank of the gorge on river-right, Ephram is among the ghost towns of the New River Gorge that is inaccessible to paddlers. The community is located high above Silo Rapids.
