My father's side of my family all were born and raised in McDowell County they worked at Lake Superior coal Co. I'm very proud of my West Virginia heritage!

I grew up in keystone. i watch this video whenever i miss home brings back lots of memories. such an incredibly place filled with so much history that gets overlooked so much...

I live in NC now. But I'm a proud Native of McDowell County WV. I never forget or regret where I'm from.

@Newton14alan

3 жыл бұрын

Kevin B. -- I'm a WV Native who feels the same way. It was another world, and people who didn't have the opportunity to grow up there, will never understand just how wonderful it was. Take care, and be well.

@naturaldude64

3 жыл бұрын

@@Newton14alan That's for sure.

@CJ_7519

3 жыл бұрын

Lookin' at this for the first time, I have a sudden urge to cry because of so many memories coming back to me😢! Even though I live in Brooklyn, NY now, I will ALWAYS be a West Virginia man at heart. And I'm from McDowell County as well, Kevin👊!

@davidjanson7982

Ай бұрын

Have you been back to visit lately?

Inspired by this video, my wife and I visited McDowell County + Pocahontas, VA in 2017. Words can not describe the experience. Thanks for posting this video.

tears are running down my face. beautiful and sad. We should not abandon the people who made this country work, when we needed them. And the music and images work well together. very moving.

@themidnightracer9937

7 жыл бұрын

fastacker2 Well many mines die out like the Olga Mine and the town dies with the mine..so people move to find a new job and the houses are torn down..

@CCK-jd8nc

5 жыл бұрын

Anarchy Truck Pulls they helped the state so much, and the state literally forgot about them. Don’t live here but feel sorry for them. Not their fault. Not to mention trump lied about “putting the coal miners back to work”

@javierguzman5451

4 жыл бұрын

I feel for them, however many chose and still choose to believe that coal will somehow make a comeback. The smart ones did the right thing and left immediately. Those that stayed behind are living with a false hope. By staying, they are not only not going to ever work again but also denying their kids a better future. This is how generation after generation of poverty and despair begins.

@ViaOjo

3 жыл бұрын

Indeed. Some of the most emotionalism photography I’ve ever seen. No words are needed as the images speak themselves.

@danielcoleman4807

2 жыл бұрын

I understand how you can become emotional watching this. I grew up there in Pageton. Some of the happiest years of my life. It hurts me too .

My granny was born in Elbert, which I think was the #8 camp at Gary, in 1914. Her family moved to Lynch Ky in the 1920s. I hope to visit McDowell Co someday.

McDowell country is all about coal. It was actually quite a great place at one time. I live in Kanawha county where coal mining is almost gone if not is gone. I think these pictures are very correct in some places but its not right that some of these kids on get 1 meal, and its from school. Its so bad that some of these people want to leave but don't have the money to leave.

We can not let this beautiful diamond stay buried I will never forget my roots

Excellent work, very stirring and moving, amazing images. Blessings from Mercer County to you, Travis.

Great images and music ! Thanks for the awesome video. Living up here in the anthracite coal towns of northeastern Pennsylvania, we shared a similar fate.

It was a bit sad watching this. I lived in Princeton, WV and worked in Welch from 3/78-11/78. I enjoyed my time there, got transferred much too soon. The people were wonderful.

Love the music. I grew up in South West PA. All my family where coal miners. I was "lucky" and got out of there. This is still home to me. It doesn't matter where you go in these regions they are all the same. Thanks for the memories.

Thank you for posting this. I have never had the privilege of visiting the area. My father (born 1903) worked the mines for 25 years until moving to san francisco with my older brothers and sisters during WWII. I used to hear old the little town names throughout my childhood. Jenkinjones, anawalt, lackie holler #9 etc... Thank you for the well done video. It really brought me back to a place my parents and older siblings grew up around.

@kevintolley5829

9 жыл бұрын

Spent the summers in Leckie as a kid, the place was, and still is beautiful.

@rickjames4882

8 жыл бұрын

+George Spriggs I suspect we are distant relatives. My grandfather was a Spriggs and he was born in 1910 in Gary as well. I remember him talking of being in SF on his way from Hawaii in the Army just before WW2.

@gspriggs

8 жыл бұрын

wow, you never know.

@rickjames4882

8 жыл бұрын

I think my great grandfather was name Joe Spriggs and his wife was Carrie if I remember correct. The place they originated is gone now and grown up but a few of the towns exists somewhat. Mining is dead there now but there's still a few Sprriggs around the county. Most of them went to FL in the 60's though. Around Dade City, FL if you're ever interested in tracking some of them. There was a guy named Charlie Spriggs that was sort of the leader of the clan there. Take care

@don62snodgrass

8 жыл бұрын

+Rick James Wow, It's a small world! I just moved from West Virginia to Florida 5 months ago to Brooksville which is about 15 miles from Dade City. This area looks like Florida's version of West Virginia! lol In a few months we're moving to the other side of the state to Melbourne, which, ironically is referred to as little West Virginia due to its high population of transplanted West Virginian's! lol

This is beautiful! When I saw the pictures and heard this music I had to know who was doing this music! Being from Pike co. Ky my Dad was a miner and I have to say you captured this life beautifully ! I am a musician myself and musically this is pure art! Thank you

i worked for united coal co.in iaeger in 1974.

My grandaddy my dad and their side of my family were born and raised in McDowell County they worked for Lake Superior coal Co. I'm proud of my West Virginia heritage!

This video made me smile...In a good way!

Touching.

That is some of the most extravagant photography I’ve seen in a long time.

Checking in from Sophia, Raleigh County. Great job, your captures are awesome!

I was born in West Virginia! Good people for the most part! I know poverty , I know the struggle! The US. Government has always shit on the people of West Virginia!

@CJ_7519

3 жыл бұрын

What part were you born in?!

There seems to be a good amount of coal still in the region by the looks of those Norfolk Southern Coal drags running through town

@clint-4569

5 жыл бұрын

HitsTownUSA think they are hauling it from the other side of the monutains

What terribly sad and depressed situation in McDowell County.

my grandfather grew up in coalwood west Virginia..born 1932

They carved out a life out of cold wet rock. Raised good kids on what little they made. And fueled the world's steel, power and rail age in Pittsburgh. I grew up in SW PA and those were some of the toughest men on the planet. And still had their humanity intact.

The Legend Andy Christian Sr....Legend....RIP....Coal Miner....

Reminds me of a trip to Colver Pa. good tunes.

My dad was a miner at Caples Shannon Massey then it went to Shannon Pocahontas he worked at premier then went to Capels work for pennies in crawl on your belly mines when he was 12

I went here with a help group last summer. It’s so sad to see the once prominent area in such a state. Everything is closed and opportunity is devoid, but the people we helped were still so kind. Such a shame that McDowell and so many places like it are left behind.

Looks like a place stuck in time.

My daddy worked cheat lake coal mines.part of my heritage.

Thanks for the video and music you put with it. I was born and raised there. We left in 1969. Better opportunities in North Carolina. It hurts to see what has become of McDowell county. The only beauty remaining is the land itself and the good people who live there. I don't think McDowell will ever revitalize. I don't see how it can return to it's power and glory without coal. I hope I am wrong about that. The only coal mining I see is mountain top removal and I consider that be an abomination. God Save McDowell. May it live again. The drug problem is caused by stress and isolation. I don't think there's anything that can be done. It's a mental health issue, not a criminal issue. Sincerely, Daniel Sincerely, Daniel

That’s some really good photography! Do you sell prints?

@TravisDewitz

10 ай бұрын

Thank you. Some of the prints are available here - www.travisdewitzphotogallery.com/Galleries/Project-Photography/West-Virginia/

I’ve worked maintenance in every coal plant in that area.

Hot-damn! I grew up here...

@themidnightracer9937

7 жыл бұрын

dagda54 Same..what town did you grow up in

@dagda54

7 жыл бұрын

No towns, really...But outside of Crumpler...Then Welch...Then to Summers County...Then Bluefield (Va and WVa)...Finally to Charlotte in NC...What a long, strange trip it was! But I'll never forget life in the coal towns...

@themidnightracer9937

7 жыл бұрын

dagda54 Yep i mostly lived in Welch then i moved to Coalwood so my dad could get a job...

@amkrajc

5 жыл бұрын

Many family from Bluefield and Welch area.

Who is the music by?

Dangerous work.

Very nice photo essay. As of today, coal prices have risen slightly, so that's a little bit of good news. I hope the coal industry survives. I would hate to see it become extinct.

My grandfather grew up there in the 50's

@themidnightracer9937

7 жыл бұрын

Billy Bob Same but my grand daddy died in the mines during a cave in..

What is the songs title,please.making me misty.

Found it. Oddly enough, I thought that's who it was. Saw him 2 weeks ago in Philly.

Looks very bleak. However, I am sure that if you grew up there you have fond memories. I have a friend who grew up in Welch. She has good memories but is glad she moved to North Carolina.

@fastacker2

3 жыл бұрын

memories of America and what it used to mean to be American.

Nice effort, but doesn't show much "rise"...`Mostly "post-fall". Also a little depressing, but that's just the truth of McDowell County and much of the rest of WV, for that matter. Regardless, if health weren't a factor, and I had the money to move, and sustain myself, I'd love to live there again...in the mountains.

What song is this

@TravisDewitz

10 жыл бұрын

Joshua Black Wilkins - Church on the Hill

@1940limited

9 жыл бұрын

The songs are horrible, but I enjoyed the pictures and wish the coal industry well!

who sings this

@TravisDewitz

7 жыл бұрын

Joshua Black Wilkins - Church on the Hill

I was interered in facts and history of coal in WV. I am intoduced ro a song of minor value toward that end. I see pictures of towns not even a one word description of Data!. Got to 4:40, song ended and another started I'm done!.

they say that ten to twenty thousand coal mining jobs will be created by Trump in Kentucky and West Virginia alone. maybe forty thousand in Illinois.

@ginariffe5525

6 жыл бұрын

falcon Eddy LMAO!! Just like Reagan promised that his tax cuts would trickle down. Mountaintop removal miming has destroyed coal miners jobs. Unless you're a heavy equipment operator there are no coal jobs. So, it won't much matter about the mining jobs since there'll soon be no more mountains to live in and no water fit to drink if you try to stay.

@jennifervt03

3 жыл бұрын

This comment did not age well at all. Trump preyed on coal miners for votes then threw them away.

@falconeddy254

3 жыл бұрын

@@jennifervt03 I was being sarcastic. I'm a retired coalminer from Illinois and Trump was a jackass in promising mining jobs. We all know you don't need a mule skinner anymore and I'm pretty sure coal mining is headed in the same direction. The thing is our pensions are more than half cut and there's a good chance they will become insolvent soon. Any coalminer would know I was shooting bullshit in the comment.

We need the coal jobs back. I'm from New York and are whole state is farming. Everyone thinks when you say NEW York they think your from that shit whole city. Truth is we are huge farming and very country people. We don't have coal here,but we have the largest supply of Natural Gas in the country. Cause of the tree hungers and and junk science, we can no longer drill for gas. Global warming is the biggest load of shit. We need the coal and gas for heat, lighting ect. We have lost a Drilling jobs in New York and many people are out of work. I pray to god we get a President who will fire coal and Drilling production back up. We need the fuel and the Jobs.

@mistieferrell9977

7 жыл бұрын

Dustin F who/what's the name of the background music of this video?

@TheCrackRabbit

6 жыл бұрын

Well Dustin...Trump said He Was Gonna Put The Miners Back To Work...And Pretty Damn Quick....But I Haven't Seen Any Coal Production Increase Since He Became The President....Maybe He Was Just Tricking Us So We Would Vote For Him.....I Don't Know....

Coal towns have been despised since their creation. The coal goes and so does the town. I love my coal towns, dearly, but to blame reality on Obama, the Easter Bunny or the tooth fairy is out of touch. McDowell County has so much beauty and history and every year, I watch wonderful places be neglected. Get out there and document it, stop complaining

Coal days are coming to an end folks. There's a time we stopped using oil lamps too. Time to join the rest of the world. It's a much healthier place anyways. No more sacrificing your lives and living in squalor for the coal man.

Strange, they get all this land of the new world, they should be happy. Maybe it's time to stop using the money (sometimes from welfare) on cigarettes and beer and try to improve themselves instead. 20% of the world lives on a dollar a day 1/2 are in poverty, it's time to stop moaning people.

All these post of McDowell County you act lime this only county in W.Va. woe is me but show real life W.Va

What is this? Where is history? The stories of how it came to be? Where is literally anything about the "Rise and Fall of Coal" in McDowell County or West Virginia even? Where is anything of substance/information/resource? This is some bastardized offshoot of a country road music video and a terrible pre-season hype tape about West Virginia. It's not a bad montage video, but call it that. This doesn't address anything of what the video title suggests it should be about, and seems like a bait and switch video.

@TravisDewitz

2 жыл бұрын

This is a supplemental video slideshow to the blog posts listed in the video description. Feel free to to visit the blog posts, no need to be so dramatic.

Democrat stronghold and the UMWA helped kill that area..

When you look around and see how bad things are ,,go & thank a Democrat!!!

@juanitalarge9833

5 жыл бұрын

The pictures and the music were excellent. Thank you.

@robertpreskop4425

5 жыл бұрын

Oh like the republicans are any damned better!

@plymouth-hl20ton37

3 жыл бұрын

Apparently your dumb ass wasn't alive when Reagan caused a recession oh no that's correct 2 recessions then Bush's recessions then Clinton's one recession don't give me your BS cuz you're a PS

@plymouth-hl20ton37

3 жыл бұрын

And by the way the Republicans started the EPA not the Democrats

Sad, Im afraid there is gonna be a lot of towns look like this befor Obama is done.

@TheCrackRabbit

6 жыл бұрын

You Speak As Though WVA Was Great Right Up Until 2009.....This State Has Been On a Steady Decline For The Last 40 Years...You Should Just Face Reality.......Unfortunately.....Coal Is All But Dead....But If You Insist On Blaming Someone Or Something....Blame The Bastard That Invented The Continuous Miner....One Of Those Machines Can Replace 20 Miners Easily....

@robertpreskop4425

5 жыл бұрын

West Virginia should have started to diversify its economy rather than remaining largely dependent on coal. The state, county, and local leaders are more to blame for the horrendous socioeconomic problems than the EPA or any other federal agency. West Virginia needs to break itself free from the past and embrace the future which is in renewables and not coal.

dump

terrible music