This Month in W.Va. History: Cass begins the now-widely popular trips to Bald Knob

The view from Bald Knob, the third highest peak in West Virginia. (Photo by Shannon Stowers)

It is often said that life is lived a little slower in the mountains of West Virginia, so it’s no wonder that one of the state’s parks features a railroad -- an ode to a time when life was indeed a little slower.

What is now a comparably slow method of transportation was once key in the country’s western expansion and development as well and the mining and forestry industries in West Virginia. Cass Scenic Railroad has shared that history along with glimpses of the Mountain State’s natural beauty for the past 58 years, and has been providing trips to the state’s third-highest peak since May 1968.

One of the Shay locomotives used to climb the 2,000-plus feet to Bald Knob. (Photo by Shannon Stowers)

Then-Gov. Hulett Smith drove the final spike into the railroad tie at Bald Knob 53 years ago this month, celebrating the beginning of service from Cass to the 4,843 foot peak. The scenic railroad previously offered a popular trip to Whittaker Station, but the 4.5 hour, 22-mile round trip trek would soon become its premier draw.

West Virginia Gov. Hulett Smith drives a gold spike on top of Bald Knob in May 1968. (Courtesy of West Virginia State Archives)

The rides start out in Cass, a former timber company town with many buildings still intact, and snakes up Back Allegheny Mountain using a series of switchbacks that are an unique experience themselves. All the while, crew members are busy shoveling coal into the powerful steam locomotives to fuel the more than 2,000 foot ascent to the top.

The timber industry in the area boomed in the early part of the century with spruce trees in the region being hauled out to be turned into paper. Loggers later realized the mountain held large amounts of valuable hardwood trees as well. When demand for the industry waned, the company town became a state park where its history could be preserved. 

Since its inception, the trip has become one of the railroad’s biggest draws, especially during the fall when leaf peepers board the Shay locomotives to see the foliage from the Mountain State’s third-highest peak. Guides on the train ride narrate the history of the region and provide more information than I’ll ever be able to recite in a blog post and a small lunch meal is also provided.

A view of the popular Bald Knob trip from Cass. The train ride is popular in the fall when leaf peepers turn out to see the fall colors in the area. (Photo by Shannon Stowers)

(Fun fact: Bald Knob is only 21 feet lower than the famed Spruce Knob. Mountain sizes are kinda like temperatures… the closer they are together, the harder it is to tell the difference. In this case, they’re both awesome!)

Back at Cass, don’t forget to check out the company store and many of the historical buildings still standing on the property.

Kudos to the state for having the foresight to marry history with the state’s natural beauty in a state park, an initiative that has grown even more in recent years. The park has drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors since its inception.