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31-766: The Greenbrier is formed at Durbin in northern Pocahontas County by the confluence of the East Fork Greenbrier River and the West Fork Greenbrier River , both of which are short streams rising at elevations exceeding 3,300 feet (1,000 m) and flowing for their entire lengths in northern Pocahontas County. From Durbin the Greenbrier flows generally south-southwest through Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Summers Counties, past several communities including Cass , Marlinton , Hillsboro , Ronceverte , Fort Spring , Alderson , and Hinton , where it flows into

62-473: A Revolutionary War commander and pioneering western Virginia settler, surveyed and settled the Greenbrier Valley and is known locally as the "Father of Greenbrier County". At the age of twenty, Stuart was a member of the 1769 survey by citizens of Augusta County, Virginia , which explored the wilderness of the Greenbrier Valley to the west in preparation for European settlement. The following year he built

93-569: A rail trail which runs between the communities of Cass and North Caldwell . It has always been a valuable water route, with the majority of the important cities in the watershed being established riverports. The river gives the receiving waters of the New River an estimated 30% of its water volume. Over three-fourths of the watershed is an extensive karstic (cavern system), which supports fine trout fishing, cave exploration and recreation. Many important festivals and public events are held along

124-797: A length of 409 feet (125 m) and Sharps Tunnel with a length of 500 feet (150 m). In 1999, the GRT was one of 50 trails in the United States designated a Millennium Legacy Trail . In 2012, the trail was elected to the National Rail Trail Hall of Fame and was named by Backpacker magazine as "one of the Top 10 hiking trails in the United States." The GRT follows portions of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway 's former Greenbrier Division constructed between North Caldwell and Cass in 1899 and 1900. The route

155-571: A median income of $ 21,250 versus $ 14,773 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 10,937. About 19.4% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 34.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 22.2% of those sixty five or over. Greenbrier River Trail The Greenbrier River Trail (GRT) , is a lineal state park comprising a 77.1-mile (124.1 km) rail trail between North Caldwell and Cass in eastern West Virginia , United States. The GRT route and its contours were originally engineered by

186-544: A nearby hollowed-out sycamore tree. In 1751, surveyor John Lewis (father of Andrew Lewis ) discovered the pair. Sewell eventually settled on the eastern side of Sewell Mountain, near present-day Rainelle . They may well have been the first to settle what was then called the "western waters" — i.e., in the regions where streams flowed westward to the Gulf of Mexico rather than eastward to the Atlantic. Colonel John Stuart (1749–1823),

217-604: A town in Pocahontas County , West Virginia , United States. The population was 235 at the 2020 census . The town was named in 1895 in honor of Charles R. Durbin Sr, the Grafton, WV bank official responsible for lending funds to John T. McGraw to purchase the site of the town in 1890. Durbin is situated in the northern part of Pocahontas County at the confluence of the East and West Forks of

248-507: Is provided at 14 trailheads. The route features 16 primitive campsites (several with three-sided camping shelters), 50 to 60 picnic tables, and passes three state parks and two state forests. As it follows the Greenbrier River , the trail drops 732 feet (223 m) (north to south) along its route, crossing 35 trestles and traversing two tunnels – Droop Mountain Tunnel with

279-553: The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , serving as a passenger and freight line before becoming unviable after the Great Depression . The right of way was gifted to the State of West Virginia in the late 1970s and the former railbed reopened in 1980 as a recreational multi-use trail. The wheelchair-accessible trail features a hard-packed crushed-limestone surface accommodating hiking , bicycling , ski-touring and horseback-riding . Access

310-622: The Greenbrier River . It is thus the starting point of the Greenbrier River proper. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 0.57 square miles (1.48 km ), all land. At the 2010 census there were 293 people, 124 households, and 78 families living in the town. The population density was 514.0 inhabitants per square mile (198.5/km ). There were 174 housing units at an average density of 305.3 per square mile (117.9/km ). The racial makeup of

341-686: The Hillsdale Limestone group in Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties. Not an official gemstone, it is a siliceous chalcedony . It is found almost exclusively within Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties. The Greenbrier hosts one of the state's two endemic species of salamanders , the West Virginia spring salamander in Fort Spring . The other salamander, the Cheat Mountain salamander lives in

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372-609: The New River . The river in general flows between the Yew Mountains to the west and Allegheny Mountain to the east. Along most of its course, the Greenbrier accommodated the celebrated Indian warpath known as the Seneca Trail ( Great Indian Warpath ). From the vicinity of present-day White Sulphur Springs the Trail followed Anthony's Creek down to the Greenbrier near the present Pocahontas - Greenbrier County line. It then ascended

403-667: The Greenbrier River in 1812 while evaluating potential transportation routes between the James River and New River watersheds. The Greenbrier is the longest untamed (unblocked) river left in the Eastern United States . It is heavily used for recreational pursuits. Its upper reaches flow through the Monongahela National Forest , and it is paralleled for 77 miles (124 km) by the Greenbrier River Trail ,

434-543: The Greenbrier followed a more ancient drainage pattern within Teays Valley . The river is vulnerable to nonpoint source pollution and sediment from timbering and flooding. It has been on the WV List of Impaired Streams since 2006 for the contamination of fecal coliform bacteria . Algae is becoming a known nuisance upon the waters, primarily in warm weather, and there is a need to study how much water can be pulled out of

465-601: The River to the vicinity of Hillsboro and Droop Mountain and made its way through present Pocahontas County by way of future Marlinton , Indian Draft Run , and Edray . The first permanent white settlers west of the Alleghenies have traditionally been considered to have been two New Englanders: Jacob Marlin and Stephen Sewell, who arrived in the Greenbrier Valley in 1749. They built a cabin together at what would become Marlinton , but after disputing over religion, Sewell moved into

496-593: The counties that are involved with this problem. The aggregated caves and karst of the Greenbrier River Valley are among the world's Top Ten Endangered Karst Ecosystems as listed by the Karst Waters Institute in 2001. American vertebrate paleontology arguably began in the sub-watershed of Second Creek , a Greenbrier tributary. Bones discovered by saltpeter miners in Haynes Cave close to

527-535: The first mill in present-day Greenbrier County, at Frankford . In 1774, he led a company of Greenbrier troops in the Battle of Point Pleasant at the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers . He was among Lewisburg's first trustees and in 1780 he became Greenbrier County's first clerk, leaving many historic records behind. An expedition led by John Marshall , Supreme Court chief justice, portaged between Jackson River and

558-467: The line being officially abandoned December 29, 1978. The Chesapeake and Ohio donated most of its right-of-way south of Durbin, including the land that became the Greenbrier River Trail, to the State of West Virginia on June 20, 1980. A contractor for the railroad removed the track south of Cass in 1979–1980 and the state purchased the track from Cass to Durbin for its scrap value to be used by

589-455: The mountains of the headwaters . The river and surrounding environment are also home to various species of reptiles and amphibians, as well as many avian species, including the American bald eagle . Fish species include smallmouth bass , rock bass , bluegill , carp , catfish , pike , walleye , and muskie . The candy darter of Knapp Creek ( finescale saddled darter ) is a survivor to when

620-493: The river in Monroe County were sent to (future President) Thomas Jefferson , who identified them as a previously unknown species. Without a skull for identification purposes, Jefferson used the eight-inch claws as an identifying mark, and named the skeleton, Megalonyx or "Great Claw". Later the bones were positively identified as that of a giant ground sloth . The name "jeffersonii" was later added to it in tribute. For years

651-777: The river throughout the watershed. In honor of the river's use in the state's logging history, the West Virginia State Park , Cass Scenic Railroad in Cass has a car called "The Greenbrier River." According to the Geographic Names Information System , the Greenbrier River has also been known historically as: The unique karstlands of the Greenbrier River Valley — underlain by the Greenbrier Limestone Formation — constitute one of

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682-593: The river to supply the needs of communities in a state that practices little in the way of water conservation, even in times of drought. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and various concerned citizen groups are working to prevent further stresses upon the river. On December 17, 2009 the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's James Summers released a report on its findings of algae in West Virginia rivers. The Greenbrier

713-399: The sloth was mistakenly thought to be from another cave within the watershed, Organ Cave , but recent research indicates that Haynes Cave was the cave of origin. The Megalonyx jeffersonii is now the state fossil of West Virginia . The West Virginia state gemstone is also part of the Greenbrier River watershed : The Lithostrotionella , a fossilized form of coral that is found in

744-512: The town was 96.9% White, 0.3% Native American, 2.0% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.8%. Of the 124 households 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.1% were non-families. 30.6% of households were one person and 17.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size

775-578: The town. The population density was 443.7 inhabitants per square mile (171.5/km ). There were 169 housing units at an average density of 286.2 per square mile (110.6/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 98.85% White, 0.76% African American and 0.38% Asian. Of the 117 households 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 32.5% of households were one person and 17.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size

806-440: The world's densest sinkhole plains, with an average of 18 sinkholes per square kilometer. This green "moonscape" of collapsed craters is a unique problem for development as the ground is prone to subsidization. It is impossible to tell how large a cave system is by looking at the surface, and developers often build their structures too close to the open spaces beneath the ground. There is no current karst protection plan for any of

837-417: Was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83. The age distribution was 22.5% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median household income was $ 23,462 and the median family income was $ 25,909. Males had

868-408: Was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the town was 45.1 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 28.7% were from 45 to 64; and 21.5% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.2% male and 49.8% female. At the 2000 census there were 262 people, 117 households, and 71 families living in

899-465: Was deemed the most algae-affected river in the state, due to nutrient source tracking. Steps are currently (2009) being made to address this issue. Additionally, the river is currently threatened by the crossing of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) at Pence Springs, which received final approvals in 2023 to cross the river after significant opposition from environmental groups. The approval

930-448: Was granted after lobbying by Senator Joe Manchin as a part of his agreement to vote for a U.S. debt ceiling bill that President Joe Biden signed in June, 2023. The New River Atlas has successfully mapped the Greenbrier from Ronceverte to Hinton, West Virginia . The Atlas shows the original batteau channels and historic man-made impacts. Durbin, West Virginia Durbin is

961-576: Was used heavily in the 1920s for through traffic via its connection with the Western Maryland Railway at Durbin , serving quarries, sawmills and tanneries as well as agricultural and livestock operations. The line hit its peak peacetime tonnage in 1926. By the 1930s rail traffic waned, with the coming of improved roads and the depletion of timber tracts. Passenger service ended January 8, 1958, and freight service ended in December 1978, with

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