“Pouring a Little Salt on the Daily Grind of the Greenbrier & Deer Creek Valleys”

 

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THE SALT SHAKER PRESS

“Pouring a Little Salt on the Daily Grind of the Greenbrier & Deer Creek Valleys” Vol. XIV. — No. 42 | Deer Creek, West Virginia | Circa 1919

GRAND SENSATION AT SUTTON FIELD: PLUCKY CITIZENS SCALE DERAILED TRAIN CARS FOR DEER CREEK PORTRAIT!

SUTTON FIELD (S.S.P.) — A spectacular rail mishap along the steep mountain line of the North Fork Lumber Company has turned into an impromptu public social gathering, proving once again that it takes more than a spilled freight load to rattle the high-spirited folk of the North Fork of Deer Creek ****.

Early yesterday, several heavy wooden boxcars jumped the iron rails along a sharp mountain curve at Sutton Field, sliding precariously down the dirt fill and tipping heavily onto their sides along the hillside ****.

Rather than fleeing the scene of the wreckage or waiting for the company’s clearing crews to arrive, a large group of nearby camp residents and woodcutters immediately marched down to the tracks to investigate the spectacle ****. In a display of pure Appalachian pluck, several local ladies—finely dressed in long, white Victorian dresses—alongside rugged camp laborers and a young child, scrambled up the steep dirt bank and climbed onto the roofs of the overturned, listing boxcars to pose for a group photograph ****.

"If the railway is going to block our passage through the gap," remarked one onlooking teamster, "we might as well use their roofs as a viewing platform."

Operations managers at Camp #1 have confirmed that Shay Locomotive No. 7 (the powerful geared steam engine formerly known as the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Company’s No. 1) has been steamed up and dispatched to the site to begin the heavy work of uprighting the cars and clearing the Deer Creek line ****.

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LOCAL DISPATCHES & REGISTER BRIEFS

• RECORD FISH HAULED FROM BURNER POND: A quiet afternoon of angling turned into a legendary exhibition at the Pocahontas Lumber Company mill pond in Burner ****. Three local fishermen returned to town yesterday hauling a string of monster fish caught directly out of the deep mill waters ****. The catch has drawn crowds of envious woodcutters to the boarding house porch, where the fishermen have spent the morning defending the exact weight of their prizes ****.
• PIONEER RELICS FOR THE COUNTY FAIR: Looking ahead to the upcoming county exhibits, T. S. McNeel has announced he is completing arrangements to display his prized collection of pioneer relics and historical hunting pieces at the fairgrounds ****. Visitors can expect to see authentic old-time wood looms and spinning wheels operated by local craftswomen ****, as well as a musical performance by the "Old Time Singing School," featuring local singers dressed in traditional antebellum clothes ****.

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WANTED: SOBER LOGGERS & STURDY TEAMS

The M. P. Bock Lumber Company is actively seeking experienced loggers and teams of draft horses for immediate employment on the steep slopes of Brush Run ****. Apply directly to the foreman at the logging camp ****. Sobriety is a strict necessity; those fond of "cougar milk" need not apply.

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🎧 I can generate a lively, old-time radio-style audio overview of these logging camps and train wrecks if you'd like to hear this historical era brought to life through a spoken-word performance.