Video
Explore the Gorge: Thurmond
Transcript
Welcome to Thurmond, where river, recreation, and railroad help tell the story of this National Park.
This building is the Thurmond Depot. It’s served as a gateway for visitors here since 1904. Today, it helps with trail maps and town information. Back in the early 1900s though, it was all about time tables and railroad tickets.
The big difference is, if you were arriving here in 1904, you would have been coming by train. Not personal vehicle like today.
To put this place in proper perspective, consider this. In 1910, there were less than 200 miles of paved road across the country but over 200,000 miles of railroad tracks. This was your interstate system.
In 1910, this depot serviced over 70,000 passengers. Combined with freight revenue, it made over 4 million dollars for the Chesapeake and Ohio railway; making this one of the most profitable depots on the entire C & O line.
You can still catch a train in Thurmond. It’s part of Amtrak’s cardinal route. Now this is a flag stop, so you have to make arrangements with Amtrak ahead of time, but you can still get on or off the train in Thurmond.
Thurmond may seem like an isolated, lonely place today, but that hasn’t always been the case. Thurmond was a vibrant New River community. These buildings today stand as testament to the vitality of the town. Doctors, dentists, restaurants, stores and banks filled these structures.
Your experience here isn’t just limited to history. There are many opportunities for recreation and nature enjoyment. There are several miles of hiking trails and mountain biking trails nearby as well as easy river access.
Whether you want to relax by the river, recreate, or relive history, come enjoy and explore Thurmond in the New River Gorge National River. . .
Description
Explore the historic railroad town of Thurmond with Park Ranger Leah Perkowski-Sisk.
Duration
2 minutes, 28 seconds
Date Created
10/03/2012
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