I Feel Like Edumacatin' yah

The topic of today's discussion is "What you don't know about West Virginia".

West Virginia has a very colorful (I'm in the US so I am using the US spellings now, that is why I wrote "colorful" instead of "colourful" like I usually do) past. West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War and became its own state in 1863. It was admitted to the Union at that time and became a very important border state between the North and the South. It was the only state to form from seceding from a Confederate state. I didn't know that!

Glenville was the site of a Union fort apparently, and saw some minor skirmishes, and there is an annual recreation of a Civil War Battle in the Summer. I knew that! Frank and I came to school one day and were almost taken hostage by a rebel confederate band. They had their muskets loaded and were ready to take us. Kidding. But we did see all these people dressed up in period costumes and they did have their cannons and muskets out.



The term "red neck" is said to have come from this area. It was said that miners looking to unionize tied red bandannas around their necks to show solidarity. Today, the term is a stereotypical label given to people who live out in the country and are of a lower socioeconomic status. They might look kinda funny due to the stereotypical belief that they inbreed. I don't know about that, but I have seen some pretty strange looking people here in Glenville. I think the guy in the picture above was at the basketball game last Saturday.


The Hatfield clan from the infamous Hatfield-McCoy Feud lived in West Virginia! You should Wikipedia that topic. It is fascinating. It contains murders, kidnappings, secret affairs, pillaging, state militias, missing bounty hunters, court cases, a posse or two, and a case of hog ownership in dispute. The most amazing fact is that it was the game show "Family Feud" that reunited these two clans. I'm not lying to you! Look it up.

Here is another cute little tidbit:

A common story told about West Virginia is the folktale about how it got the nickname "West, By God, Virginia". According to the legend, a West Virginia native who was being inducted into the US Army during the First World War (some versions make it as early as the Spanish-American War), was repeatedly asked by his induction officer, "What part of Virginia?" And the soldier, finally getting fed up with the confusion, said "Not Virginia! West Virginia! West, by God, Virginia!". This story, whether true or not, has entered American folklore, and it is not unusual to hear not only West Virginians themselves, but other Americans, refer to the state as "West, By God, Virginia";, or often as "West By-God", or sometimes simply as "By-God". Many West Virginians, when travelling outside the state, or when abroad, enjoy paying homage to the legend by referring to their home state in this manner.

Now a little bit about the wildlife around here:
West Virginians like to hunt. A lot. Camouflage is practical wear around here. This is what they hunt.

Squirrel. Yah...I thought that was very strange too. I was promised some the last time I was here and never got any, but one of my new friends here said that he has some in his freezer and he will give me some. I'm not sure what to think about that. But as I tell my kids..."You've got to at least try it..."

Wild turkey. These things get huge! Frank and I almost got taken hostage by a flock of these crazy, ugly things too! If it wasn't Confederate soldiers, its was the wild turkeys. I wonder how they taste. Maybe my friend has a wild turkey in his freezer too. I'll ask.


Deer. Oh my goodness, do they ever have deer here. They are everywhere. On the mountain sides, in the meadows, in field, and valley. Crossing cricks and peeping out of forests. Beside you when you are trying to drive, sometimes under you while your trying to drive (those ones, I call kamikaze deer, they literally commit suicide by automobile very frequently, twice on Frank's rental car) and during hunting season in the back of trucks and tied to the roof of every vehicle you see driving by. I once saw an old 4WD car that had 5 dead deer tied to it. Yup! 5. There are so many deer here. It is scary driving at night. Their glowing eyes give you just enough time to curse and swerve to miss them.

Awww. They are so cute...except for their naked tails. That's just weird. Opossums. I think they are the only marsupials in North America. I could be wrong though. I once came across one that was hit by a car. I had to investigate. I had never seen a live opossum before. Well...I guess I still haven't. But, it was pretty cool, a little smelly (it was in the middle of summer and very hot), but its tail creeped me out a bit. It's prehensile. And pink. And naked. No hair.

I'm sure they hunt other things here, but these are the ones that I remember. I missed the hunting season this time 'round. I kinda miss seeing all the camouflage, gun racks, and dead deer hanging all over the place. That is pure West Virginia.

You know, it might seem like I make fun of West Virginians, but I actually really like them. Everyone is very friendly. You can say hi to anybody and they will stop and say hi back. They are always willing to help, whether it is to give directions, or hold open a door, or give you squirrel meat. They are a nice bunch of red necks!

What is kinda disturbing though, is that I find myself talking like them here and there. Don't make fun of me when I come back to civilization, OK? Thanks.

Until later.

Love Tanya