New River Gorge National River
From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia
The New River Gorge National River was established in 1978 to preserve 53 miles of the New River and its gorge. "National river" designation is conferred by the National Park Service to a river of significant national value, culturally and naturally, among which the New River Gorge is certainly prominent. Thirty-nine national river areas are preserved in the U.S., including the nearby Bluestone National Scenic River and Gauley River National Recreation Area (though these latter national river areas are somewhat differently defined).
The New River Gorge National River is a unit of the National Park System (NPS), which protects more than 70,000 acres along the New River between the towns of Hinton, WV and Fayetteville, WV. The park is rich in cultural and natural history, with an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities.
External Link: New River Gorge (http://www.NewRiverWV.com) -- an online guide to the New River Gorge.
Efforts to Establish the New River Gorge National Park
Efforts to establish the New River Gorge National Park began as early as 1959, when a proposal was advanced during hearings before the Senate Special Committee on Unemployment, chaired by Sen. Jennings Randolph. A formal study, conducted the following year, concluded the New River Gorge was unsuitable for such a national park due to the man-made development that had occurred within the gorge, which first began during the 1870s. Circa 1960, coal was still being mined in the gorge, a few of the coal mining towns of the New River Gorge were still occupied, and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's line through the gorge was active, hauling freight and transporting passengers. Again, in 1961, the Fayette County Court, acting in regards to the Federal Area Redevelopment Act, officially recommended the establishment of a New River Gorge National Park, calling it "by far the greatest recreational opportunity in southern West Virginia."
The construction of the New River Gorge Bridge acted as catalyst for renewed efforts to establish the New River Gorge National Park during the period of 1973-1977, and the concept enjoy wide support among state and local elected and civil leaders, as well as popular support among the general popular. A five-month study of the New River Gorge by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (BOR) in 1975 concluded that "the cumulative effects of the man-made developments in the gorage are sufficient justification for not establishing the New River Gorge as a... National Park." The study was the result an amendment sponsored by Sen. Robert Byrd in 1974. That same year, Sen. Randolph introduced a bill to create the New River Gorge National Park, but the bill did not reach the Senate floor.
The original vision of the ill-fated efforts of the 1970s for the park was to include the 66-mile long stretch of the New River Gorge between Bluestone Dam, near Hinton, in Summers County, to Gauley Bridge, in Fayette County. One proposal would have included Hawks Nest State Park, Babcock State Park, Grandview State Park, Canyon Rim State Park and Sandstone Falls State Park in the proposed park.
