Riders of the Flood

 

The sources indicate that rivers, including the Greenbrier River, were used to transport logs to mill.

General Aspects of River Log Rafting:

• Method: Logs were floated down the river during high water to lumber mills. Temporary dams were built and then released during the rainy season to carry logs to the mill.
• Issues: This method proved wasteful, as evidenced by logs that never reached their destination.
• Transition: River transport was eventually replaced by steam railroads.

Specifics Regarding the Greenbrier River:

• The Greenbrier River was well-known for log driving, particularly by W.E. Blackhurst's "Riders of the Flood".
• Drives down the Greenbrier mainly consisted of white pine.
• Ice was broken up to start the log drive, and men followed along the banks to keep logs in the water, forcing them into sloughs.
• Booms in the river at Ronceverte held logs in the flood-swollen current.
• After the ice was cleared, loggers trekked upriver to hire out for the log drive.
• Companies built booms on the rivers to safely build log rafts.

Other Rivers and Streams:

• Several of the larger streams were used to float logs to mills, especially in the western part of Pocahontas County.
• Smaller streams were used to carry logs to the river.
• The St. Lawrence Lumber Company constructed a splash dam on Rosin Run to float logs to the North Fork Creek, then to the Greenbrier River and Ronceverte.
• Brush Run was used to ship timber and lumber down to connect with the C&O Railroad.