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West Virginia's Rails - Talcott, WV
The tiny community of Talcott would likely
be overlooked by the rest of the world, if not for the very tall tale
which many believe originated here. The legend is of a man named
John Henry, who won a race against a steam- powered drilling machine.
NEW:
I re-visited Talcott in 2008 - Click Here for the
update.
John Henry Statue, Talcott, WV
Sometime around 1870, the C&O Railroad was
making its way through the Appalachian Mountains. The workers were
making good progress, until they came upon Big Bend: a mountain too tall
to go over, and too big to go around. There was only one other
choice: cut a tunnel through more than a mile of solid rock.
The project took 3 years,
and a thousand workers, many of whom lost their lives while working in
the thick, black dust, deep inside the mountain. The job was
dangerous, tiring, and thankless, but one man could do it better than
anyone else: John Henry. The legend says he was a giant: six feet
tall, 200 pounds (which was quite big for the 1870's). He used a
14 pound hammer to drill through 10-20 feet of rock, in a 12 hour day.
And all the while, he entertained his fellow laborers with a beautiful
baritone voice. He was the best man on the project.
One day, a salesman came to town, touting
the abilities of a new steam powered drill. The workers weren't
about to be put to shame by some mechanical contraption, so they pitted
their very best man against the modern machine.
And what do you know, the man won! The
legend says that John Henry managed to drill two 7 foot holes in the
time it took the machine to drill a single 9 foot shaft. The steam
drill kept clogging up, and had to be cleaned, giving Henry the
advantage. At the end
of the race, man had triumphed over machine... almost. John Henry
collapsed, according to some accounts, out of sheer exhaustion. He
died with the hammer in his hand.
John Henry Plaque, below the statue
Today, a statue of John Henry stands at the
side of Rte. 3, on the hill above the tunnel he helped dig. It's
not in great condition: more than a few bullets have grazed its surface,
but it still stands as a testament to the incredibly difficult tunneling
task completed more than 130 years ago.
The original Great Bend Tunnel After
you've paid your respects at the statue, it's time to take an up-close
look at the tunnel itself. Drive down the hill and turn left onto
the gravel right-of-way next to the tracks. Keep an eye out for
trains, as you drive back towards the mountain. You'll find two
tunnels: the newer one is still in use, and to it's right, the one of
folklore fame.
The view from inside the newer Big Bend Tunnel Local leaders had plans to
improve this area, build a park and make it more accessible. That
was a few years back, and I don't know if it ever happened.
Talcott is far enough off the beaten path that it's unlikely enough
tourists would ever arrive, to make the improvements pay off. But
maybe it's better this way.
Mossy walls inside the old tunnel
So after 130 years, has John Henry's work
stood the test of time? It may not be used anymore, but look for
yourself: there's still a light at the end of the tunnel, and that means
the walls are still holding strong.
The tiny white dot is the other end of the tunnel,
more than a mile away.
NEW:
I re-visited Talcott in 2008 - Click Here for the
update.
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