Thunder in the Mountains

Over the summer I read Thunder In the Mountains: The West Virginia Mine War, 1920-21.  It is about the largest armed insurrection in US history.  About ten thousand miners rode, drove and marched from Charleston, West Virginia to Blair Mountain.  There they had an armed stand-off, with occasional gunfire, with about five thousand men made up mostly of deputized citizens and some State Police along a 10 mile line.  This went on for 3 days until the Governor convinced the President to send the military.  The miners disarmed and surrendered without a fight, because their fight was not against the US Government, it was against the mine operators.  

I grew up 10 or 15 miles from where this happened and I did not hear anything about it until maybe 10 years ago.  The book is very readable.  A lot of it is in short snippets of news stories.  It was very interesting to read things I did not know about the town I lived in and about a couple of people I knew.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes history, and specifically West Virginia History.

Interests

I am a history addict. I love to read history. It doesn't really matter what kind of history. I like learning new things. Currently I am reading 1776 by McCullough. So far it is a fascinating read.

I am very interested in Genealogy. I will not be going into my family history here. But, if you have any genealogy related questions, I would be happy to answer them or help you find the answers. A few years ago, YAHOO had an experts program, I signed up as a genealogy expert and answered 5 to 10 questions per week. It was fun and I was good at it.

I enjoy keeping fit. Years ago I was a runner. I ran in high school and afterward completed two marathons. I ran up until I sustained an injury to my ankle. I still go out for a mile every now and then, but not regularly. If you want running tips, let me know.

I played in a volleyball league for a few years. I was proficient, but not great. I was the setter for my team and also the Captain/Coach/Manager. I am also a volleyball fan. I attended the 1996 Beach Volleyball Olympic Trials (the only time we had Olympic Trials) in Baltimore and enjoyed front row seats. I would like to get back into playing volleyball at some point in the near future.

I love being a father! I have two great kids. The youngest starts kindergarten this coming fall. They both are bright, active kids with great senses of humor. How could they not? They have me for a dad.

Remember, if you have any questions or comments, please either leave a comment or drop me an email.