A few more photos and information from Cooper's Rock. I always marvel seeing the work of the CCC during the Great Depression. These hard working folks had very little after returning from a war that left them depleted of not only material belongings but for many, even their mental ability to think. The CCC camps and work helped them learn new trades and for many the respect and dignity they should have been rewarded just for being able to come home after what they had to endure. They built a lasting beauty in WV that I believe may never be equaled. 

Coopers Rock State Forest is named for Coopers Rock, a series of sandstone cliffs above the Cheat River Gorge. Legend has it that a fugitive hid near what is now the overlook. A cooper by trade, he continued to make and sell barrels from his mountain hideout. During the 1800s the iron industry flourished in the area that is now Coopers Rock. Today the remains of the Henry Clay Furnace – the first steam-powered blast furnace in western Virginia – is a popular hiking and biking destination in the forest. The forest proper was established in 1936. Many of its structures, including the main overlook, picnic shelters and superintendent’s house, were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Eleven of these structures have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.