Big Sandy District

Big Sandy District
Taken from History of Charleston and Kanawha County West Virginia and Representative Citizens, W.S. Laidley, Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, 1911.

This lies on both sides of Elk River, next to Roane and Clay Counties and includes the territory watered by Big Sandy River, and part by Little Sandy, on the North side of Elk; and on the South side, by Morris Creek, Leather Wood and Falling Rocks Creeks. The district is noted for its coal, oil and especially its natural gas. It has many good farm and good substantial people, plenty of timber, bark and whoop-poles, and it has one town Clendenin, on Elk, at the mouth of Big Sandy, which has saw-mills, a national bank, two bridges and stores, shops and things that a town generally has, and a good place to locate factories, where cheap fuel is desired, and good people are appreciated. They have no saloons, but do have churches and schoolhouses.
Big Sandy is the most eastern of all districts into which Kanawha is divided. Roane county forms its northern boundary, Clay county lies to the east and Elk district to the west. Elk river flows in a southwestern direction and divides it into two nearly equal parts. Falling Rock creek, Leather Wood creek and Morris creek rise in the southern part, have a northwest course, and empty into Elk river. Big Sandy creek drains the southwestern part of Roane county and finds its way in a southwest direction through this district and discharges its waters into Elk, four miles below Queen Shoals.
John Young, the first white settler in the district, located at what is now known as the old "Norman Young plantation," about the year 1790. William Naylor came in 1795 and settled at the mouth of Jordan's creek, seventeen miles above Charleston. When he came he found John Slack living just above the mouth of Mill creek, John Young, as before mentioned nearly opposite Falling Rock creek, Edmund Price nearly opposite the mouth of Blue creek and William Cobb, M.D. - the first physician on Elk river - residing one mile up Big Sandy, not far from the present site of Osborn's Mills. These were the only settlers in this part of the Elks valley in 1795; but soon thereafter John Stricklin, John Hayse, George Osborne, John Snyder, James Hill and Henry Hill found homes on the banks of the Elk river.
Frontier life as it really appeared to these early settlers, was well described by Stephen Naylor - a son of William - who when a boy played amid the wild scenery of this then wild country. Mr. Naylor said: "My first school teacher was John Slack; the second was Robert Mitchell. We had two ways of getting bread - the hominy-block and hand-mill; for a sieve we stretched a piece of deer skin over a hoop and then perforated it by burning holes with an ordinary table fork. After several years my father built a mill on Jordan's creek - the first in the Elk river country - after which we fared better. Our clothing was made from flax and cotton which we raised and manufactured with our own hands. The supply of meat came from the forest; we killed bear, deer and turkeys, and got our salt from salt springs on Kanawha."
Mr. Naylor farther said: "I remember the killing of the last elk killed on Elk river. It was on Two-Mile creek. It seemed to be a stray one that the wolves or hunters had separated from the herd, and driven eastward from the wilderness then lying between the Elk and Ohio rivers. Its tracks had been discovered on the headwaters of Pocatalico river and Big Sandy creek, and several hunters were in pursuit of it. One of the name of Burgess shot at it while it was swimming Elk river, but missed it. Once south of the river it crossed the Elk road at the east end of the Cabell farm where then stood a large walnut tree. Old "Billy" Young saw it from his house and pursued it to Two-Mile creek, where he shot it while standing in a hole of water. He sent my father some of the meat, and kept the horns for many years. There were so large that when standing upon their points a man of ordinary height could walk between them without stooping. This elk was killed in the year 1818, and was the last one ever killed in this part of Virginia."
The first minister who visited this section appears to have been Rev. John Bowers, of the Methodist Church, in the year 1800. The first society organized was that of the M.E. Church at Falling Rock creek in 1837. The meeting was held in a log cabin and the membership at the time of the formation numbered 40; they continued to worship here until 1857, when the place of meeting was removed to Jordan's creek.
The Village of Chilton is situated on the north bank of Elk river at the mouth of Big Sandy creek, twenty-one miles from Charleston. It was laid out in the year 1877 by William E Chilton, the former proprietor of lands on which it stands. Its present population is small.

The Early Years

The scene is Front Street in Clendenin, taken after the 1907 fire that destroyed the Young Hotel and S.H. Robertson Brothers general store. The two Robertsons then associated with J.W. Parris and bought out George Ort, whose name can be seen at the top of the stone building. Robertson Parris Co. opened in February 1907, according to a history compiled in 1975 by the Clendenin Woman's Club. Clendenin got its first paved streets in 1914. Photograph courtesy of Kanawha Public Library. Jan. 16, 1999 – Gazette

Clendenin, a History (cont'd)

We find, besides, the commerical part of the town, the mills, the gas wells and the factories therefrom and many lumber enterprises. The descendants of Lieutenant John Young and Bob Aaron still reside on Elk. Once there was a log boom on Elk and small packets ran also. There are two bridges at mouth of Sandy - one across Big Sandy and the other across Elk near by. This town only wants a railroad up the Sandy to bring away the coal and timber and take the necessities for oil and gas wells and the pipes therefor, the grain and such like products - this line across to Spencer would be a wonderful advantage.
There are four oil and gas companies operating: United Fuel Gas Company, and Hope Gas Company, branches of the Standard Oil Company, which have been operating here for six or seven years; Koontz Oil and Gas Company, organized in 1907 and the Clendenin Oil & Gas Company, organized in 1910.
Among the business enterprises of the town we find the following: Robertson & Parris Company, general store; Clendenin Bargain Store, dry goods and notions; C.M. Morrison, general store; Roush, Robertson Company, general store; P.D. Matheny & Joshua Parsons, grocers; J.B. Cook, grocer; King Hardware Company, J.W. Parris Lumber Company; a flouring mill operated by David Pettigrew and F. Crowell. The physicians of the place are: Dr. Grover C. Robertson, Dr. A.L. Morris, Dr. A.C. Vandine, Dr. Charles Stump and Dr. Fox. The dentists are: Dr. Milton and Dr. Garnes. The present postmaster is Mr. Riley.
There is a Southern M.E. Church in Clendenin, the pastor of which is A.H. Perkins. They held services for some time before erecting their church building.
The Baptist church has been organized since the town was laid out. Rev. Jonathan Smith is the pastor and he is one of the oldest pastors in the state. There is also a Northern M.E. Church, whose pastor is Rev. Fallen.
The first mayor of Clendenin was L.V. Koontz and the last, E.R. Oglevee.
In 1910 the town installed a system of waterworks and in the same year a ladder hose company was formed, there having been a bucket fire department for four or five years. In 1905 and 1908 the town was visited by fire. There is a very good high school building. The public school and high school building combined was built in 1911.
Fraternally there is the Clendenin Lodge No. 26, A.F. & A.M., a lodge of the I.O.O.F. and one of the Improved Order of Red Men.

Clendenin, a History (cont'd)

Navigation on Elk and Big Sandy rivers is about the same as it has ever been, but the encroachment on the roads is somewhat improved of late and the road packets generally come in on schedule time or next week.
The town is not very old but it is very lively. The depot indicates much business and the bank indicates that it is being transacted. The hotels seem to be pretty well filled and so do the churches. There is no end to the stores and shops and the weekly newspaper gives us the latest local news. The merchants have abundant stock and a large trade with the people and almost everybody has a gas or an oil lease to rely on, and the town is growing.
James Jarrett a few years ago had a fairly good cornfield, which has been spoiled with streets, alleys, lots and horses. There is plenty of good Elk river water to drink, gas to burn, but they have voted out the saloon and have no use for policemen. This locality used to have a few politicians and many Republicans but they have become too busy to waste time in a struggle for petty offices and they are now looking for their best men to attend to their business. We used to boast of Squire Swaar, of James Kelly, of Curt Young, Squire Lynch and Squire Young. Now we find Mr. James Jarrett, L.L. Kounts, Mr. Osborne, Mr. Wiley, Henry B. Campbell, Squire Stump and a host of others too numerous to mention.
Among the early families about the mouth of Sandy were the Cobbs, including Dr. Cobb, who was said to have located there about 1808-1810; the Prices, Jarretts, Youngs, Stricklins, Hays, Mr. Woods, Mr. Davis and others. Arch Price killed the last buffalo on Elk. In the vicinity there are some queer names: "Falling Rock," "Blue Creek," "Indian Creek," "Pinch," and "Potato" creek. Clendenin was named for the first settler at the mouth of Elk, who was really the founder of Charleston in 1788.

Clendenin, a History

Clendenin
Taken from History of Charleston and Kanawha County West Virginia and Representative Citizens, W.S. Laidley, Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, 1911.

The town of Clendenin was incorporated May 20, 1904. This municipality is located on the east bank of the Elk river in Big Sandy district of Kanawha county, at the mouth of Big Sandy river on the Coal & Coke Railroad, twenty miles from Charleston. There are by the census of 1910 a population of 815 persons therein - and this is the first time that it has been numbered.
It is the outgrowth of the Coal & Coke road and the Charleston, Clendenin & Sutton Railroad, the C & C succeeding the C.C. & S.R.R. Previous to said railroad running there, a town was on the opposite side of the Elk and was sometimes designated as "Mouth of Big Sandy" and sometimes known as "Chilton" after Squire Chilton, who for several years resided therein, and represented said district on the old county court.
The municipal part of the business is now done on the east side of Elk near the depot, and the station is known as "Clendenin." Besides the railroad, there are several country roads leading into the town, coming down Elk on both sides and other roads coming from other parts of the county - if we may be pardoned for speaking of the ways as roads, for of all ways that either teams or horses or people had to pass over, some of these are the worst, and few, if any, could be worse than the streets. All this is made so by the unusual amount of hauling with heavily-laden wagons, which is in consequence of the oil and gas pipes taken from Clendenin.
Navigation on Elk and Big Sandy rivers is about the same as it has ever been, but the encroachment on the roads is somewhat improved of late and the road packets generally come in on schedule time or next week.