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Dickenson County, Virginia
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A comprehensive round-up of all things relating to Dickenson County!
For most people, the biggest part of travel is discovery. When you visit Dickenson County you will experience wide-eyed wandering through a ruggedly beautiful and intriguing place you will never forget. Discover waves of endless green, mist-shrouded ridges, uncrowded trails, placid lakes, rippling mountain streams, country churches, bluegrass and old-time music, unhurried two-lane roads, down-home cooking, and friendly smiling faces.
- Dickenson County was formed in 1880 from parts of Wise, Russell, and Buchanan Counties. The County was named in honor of William J. Dickenson, a State Legislator from Russell County, who patroned the bill in the House of Delegates in 1880 to establish Dickenson as the 100th county in Virginia. And thereafter it became known as Virginia's "baby" county.
- Encompassing a land area of 335 square miles, the County lies in the Appalachian Plateau with Pine (Cumberland) Mountain running along its Kentucky border. Elevations in general vary from 1,200 feet above sea level to 3,137 feet on the northwest border. The mountainous
surface of the County is characterized by many small streams separated by sharply rising ridges, steep slopes, and narrow valleys. The principal streams are the Russell Fork, Pound, Cranesnest, and McClure Rivers.
- All the rivers gather and flow out of the County through a remarkable chasm ripped through the northern end of Pine Mountain known as "The Breaks." In 1954, through a joint action of the legislatures of Virginia and Kentucky, the Breaks Interstate Park was created.
- Before white men came into the area, Native Americans knew the Dickenson County area well. The rough hills and valleys supported an abundance of wildlife. The Shawnee and the Cherokee came here following buffalo and other wild game.
- Daniel Boone may have been the first white man to see Dickenson County. In the autumn of 1767 he and two others came northward from their homes on the Yadkin River in North Carolina and reached the headwaters of the West (later called Russell) Fork of the Big Sandy River, down which they trapped and hunted for about one hundred miles. Making their way on foot, they came onto the headwaters of the Russell Fork River and camped at a salt lick where wild game was abundant. This salt lick was at Lick Creek near Haysi. It was here, in 1767, that Boone reportedly carved his initials on a large Beech tree. Continuing down the stream, Boone and his companions passed the place where McClure River dumps into the Russell Fork (Haysi), and the place where the waters of the Cranesnest and Pound Rivers also dump into the Russell Fork (Bartlick).
- Just below Bartlick, the Russell Fork, enlarged by the waters of the other three rivers, changes character from a placid mountain stream into a churning, grinding rampage at the point where it
smashes directly into the base of Pine Mountain. This gorge is the deepest in the eastern U.S. and draws whitewater enthusiasts who seek a rare challenge. The Russell Fork, considered unrunnable just a decade ago, is now rated by knowledgeable whitewater experts as the most technically difficult commercially rafted river in the eastern United States.
- Rafters put-in for the 10 mile (16 km) run at the Bartlick Bridge just downriver from its confluence of the Pound River. They immediately begin their final tune-up for the unbelievable whitewater action of Russell Fork River. Within the Breaks Park the River drops about 500 feet in just 2.5 miles (4 km). Eight huge rapids consisting of high drops, powerful hydraulics, and chutes (barely wide enough for rafts) require the utmost in raft maneuvering and course execution. Class IV-V rapids—Twist and Shout, Tower Falls, Triple Drop, El Horrendo and S-Turn—will provoke lifetime memories. El Horrendo, more like a waterfall, is the highest commercially run drop in the eastern United States.
Water releases, on four October weekends, from the John Flannagan Reservoir, enable the United States Army Corps of Engineers to draw down the water level in preparation for winter and spring runoff. Because of the extreme difficulty and technical nature of the Russell Fork, professional outfitters screen prospective rafters very carefully. Most outfitters require Class IV-V rafting experience to ride the Russell Fork.- John W. Flannagan Reservoir is located in the Pound River Valley only 12 miles south of the Breaks
Park. The multi-purpose dam provides an array of recreational opportunties, including boating, water skiing, picnicking and camping, swimming, and fishing in the 1,145 acre lake for bass, bream, walleye, and trout. Completed in 1964 as an element in the Comprehensive Flood Control Plan for the Ohio River Basin, the dam provides flood protection and water supply for areas downstream along Pound River, Russell Fork, Levisa Fork, and Big Sandy River. The Reservoir is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- More than 83 percent of Dickenson County is wooded, with portions included in the Jefferson National Forest. The rugged mountains, beautiful valleys, and clear streams provide a year-round wealth of recreational resources including hiking and riding trails, picnic and camping areas, and scenic routes and overlooks. The 28-mile long Pine Mountain Hiking Trail offers hikers, horseback riders and bicyclers breathtaking vistas across Pine Mountain from the Breaks Interstate Park to Pound in neighboring Wise County.
- Dickenson County offers some of the best hunting in Virginia and is justly famous for its wild turkey, quail, grouse, rabbit, squirrel, and deer. Trout waters are heavily stocked throughout the season.
- A Board of Supervisors, composed of one elected Supervisor from
each of the election districts, is the governing body of the County. Clintwood, Clinchco, and Haysi are the only incorporated towns in the county, with each having the mayor-council form of government. Clintwood is the county seat.
- While traveling through Dickenson County be sure to visit the Dennis E. Reedy Railroad and Coalmining Museum in Clinchco. The privately owned museum houses a vast collection of old railroad and coalmining relics,
as well as lots of memorabilia from Dickenson County's past.
- What better place to have this type of museum than in Dickenson County, which is home to one of the largest underground stores of coal in the world. This interesting collection of relics preserves a piece of history from the working people - those who toiled for low wages under dangerous conditions - to turn the county's vast mineral wealth into profits for the companies that employed them. The Reedys, Dennis and his parents, Edward and Edith, decided
- to open their collection for public viewing in 1991. Since then their register has been signed by visitors from all over the world. Despite all the money and time the Reedy family have invested in the museum, admission remains free.
- Dickenson County boasts of being home to world-famous bluegrass music legend Ralph Stanley, and the county seat of Clintwood is home to the Ralph Stanley Museum.
Stanley was raised on Sandy Ridge where his mother taught him to play the five-string banjo clawhammer style in the old mountain way she had learned. In the 1940's Stanley, and his older brother Carter, who played the guitar, began playing professionally. In 1966 Carter died, but Ralph carried on the tradition of their special brand of Music. Stanley hosts an annual Bluegrass Festival
during Memorial Day weekend in May at the Stanleys old home place on Smith Ridge. This festival is a musical monument to home and family, and a special tribute to the late Carter Stanley. Thousands of people flock to the festival site each year not only to visit the grave of Carter Stanley, but also to enjoy the music and camaraderie of the bluegrass festival.
- From 10,000 to 20,000 persons swarm into Dickenson County on Labor Day weekend to the annual Tri-State Gospel Sing at the
Breaks Interstate Park. Professional and amateur groups entertain the crowds singing Blue Grass gospel, contemporary gospel and country gospel music. The singing is held at the Amphitheater, adjacent to Potter's Knoll, and there is no admission charge. The music begins on Saturday, and continues through Monday. What a wonderful tradition was begun when the first Tri-State Gospel Sing was held in the Park in 1950!
- Dickenson County is well known in the region for fine arts and crafts. The mural pictured here is titled, "Echoes," and was developed in a community mural painting class taught by Ellen Elmes, Art Instructor for
Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands. The 154'x29' mural was designed under Elmes' direction by a class of Dickenson County residents during the Spring of 2001 and painted by them during the summer semester. "Echoes" was funded by the Jettie Baker Center and can be seen on the side of this historic building in Clintwood, VA. The group designed the mural to depict the wealth of natural, cultural and historical features of the county in three panels within the mural.
- Another outstanding mural is located on the wall between the First Union Bank building and the Kids' Park in Clintwood. This mural is 200 ft. long, and is composed of 20 panels depicting the history of the county from 1880 through today. The mural was sponsored by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, Pioneer Art League, The Town of Clintwood, and First Union Bank. It was designed and painted by Art League members Shawn Wallace and Jack Killen.
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