The Interstate Railroad ( reporting mark INT ) was a railroad in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Virginia . It extended from the Clinchfield Railroad at Miller Yard in northeastern Scott County north and west to Appalachia and north to the main yard at Andover , with many branches to the north into the mountains. The company still exists as an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation , but is operated as if it were a Norfolk Southern Railway line.
18-682: The Interstate Railroad generally followed the valleys of the Guest River and Powell River , with only one summit, at Norton , between those two rivers. The railroad began at the Clinchfield Railroad 's Miller Yard , along the Clinch River between Dungannon and Carfax . It started off paralleling the Clinchfield to the northeast until its crossing of the Guest River (the line between Scott County and Wise County ). The Interstate crossed
36-763: Is a short tributary of the Clinch River in southwestern Virginia in the United States . It is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River by way of the Clinch, Tennessee and Ohio Rivers. According to the Geographic Names Information System , the river has also been known historically as the Guests River . The Guest River flows for nearly its entire length in Wise County . It rises in
54-700: The Appalachian Mountains , mean that Wise County offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation. In addition to many trails connecting to and surrounding the Appalachian Trail system, Wise county is home to many parks, including Miners' Park in Big Stone Gap and the Louis E. Henegar Miners' Memorial Park in Appalachia. Among the unique features of Wise County are High Knob , a mountain which featured one of
72-655: The Guest River Gorge Trail , formerly the Interstate Railroad . The section of river which runs along the Guest River Trail contains multiple class 4 and 5 rapids. Wise County, Virginia Wise County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia . The county was formed in 1856 from Lee , Scott , and Russell Counties and named for Henry A. Wise , who was the Governor of Virginia at
90-650: The Norfolk and Western Railway and Louisville and Nashville Railroad . The Interstate ran west from Norton to Dooley , where it interchanged with the L&;N again (at Dorchester Junction ). From there it generally paralleled the Powell River past Josephine , Blackwood , and Kelly View to Appalachia . There it interchanged with the Southern Railway and again with the L&N and turned north alongside Callahan Creek to
108-482: The Clinch from 1774 onward, but only after Chickamauga Cherokee leader Bob Benge was slain in 1794 was present-day Wise considered safe for white settlers even to hunt in. One of the earliest settlers within the county was William Wells around 1792. In the 1880s, coal deposits became the dominant resource utilized in the area. The Stonega Coke and Coal Company (SC&C) was formed in the town of Appalachia, Virginia . Immigration trends and economic conditions across
126-533: The Guest River and split away to the north, running first along its east shore and then along its west shore and through the short Swede Tunnel. The Interstate crossed the Guest River again, where the river turned west, and continued north through another tunnel to Maytown . At Maytown, the railroad turned west, continuing to follow the Guest River (and crossing it several times) via Riverview , Tacoma , Ramsey , and Hawthorne to Norton , where it interchanged with
144-524: The Guest River, and the one to Needmore ran along the Powell River. As a part of Norfolk Southern's 30th anniversary, the company painted 20 new locomotives into predecessor schemes. NS #8105, a GE ES44AC locomotive, was painted into the Interstate scheme. Guest River 36°52′34″N 82°30′1″W / 36.87611°N 82.50028°W / 36.87611; -82.50028 The Guest River
162-601: The country attracted many people to the area for work, including African Americans and Irish, Polish, Italian, and Hungarian immigrants. Virginia's two highest security state prisons are located in Wise County: Red Onion State Prison , opened in 1998, and Wallens Ridge State Prison , opened in 1999. In July 2012 Dominion Energy built Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise County, a hybrid power plant that burns 80% coal and up to 20% biomass. In 2014,
180-525: The county was $ 35,053. The per capita income for the county was $ 17,512. About 19.30% of the population were below the poverty line . The homeownership rate for the county is 70.00% Wise County Public Schools operates thirteen school facilities in the county for its students. For several years the Wise County School Board has considered consolidating high schools, and in 2011 it consolidated six high schools into three; Union High which serves
198-559: The county was 93% White , 5.2% Black or African American , 0.10% Native American , 0.30% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 15,968 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50,30% were married couples living together, 12.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 27.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who
SECTION 10
#1732876810694216-404: The main yard at Andover . Several branches continued north alongside creeks, ending at Wentz , Roda , and Derby . Other branches left the mainline east of Norton (to Glamorgan and Dixiana ), at Dorchester Junction (to Needmore ), and east of Kelly View at Kent Junction (to Roaring Fork and Pardee ). These branches all ran north alongside waterways; the one to Dixiana used the valley of
234-478: The north-central part of the county and flows initially south-southeastwardly to the city of Norton ; then eastwardly to the town of Coeburn ; then southeastwardly for the remainder of its course. It flows into the Clinch on the common boundary of Wise and Scott Counties. Portions of the river flow through the Jefferson National Forest . The Guest River's lower course below Coeburn is paralleled by
252-626: The peak of High Knob and Powell Valley . Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. As of the census of 2010, there were 41,452 people, 15,968 households, and 10,892 families residing in the county. The population density was 102.8 people per square mile (39.7 people/km ). There were 17,940 housing units at an average density of 44 units per square mile (17 units/km ). The racial makeup of
270-575: The plant was fined $ 47,651 by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for emitting carbon monoxide and other gases at levels exceeding state regulations. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 405 square miles (1,050 km ), of which 403 square miles (1,040 km ) is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km ) (0.5%) is water. The county is part of the Appalachians and has many mountainous features, including
288-823: The time. The county seat is in Wise . The Cherokee colonized the area including Wise from the Xualae between 1671 and 1685. It was later contested by the Six Nations and the Shawnee . Cherokee and Shawnee hunting parties fought a protracted battle at the headwaters of the Clinch River for two days in the summer of 1786, a victory for the Cherokee although losses were heavy on both sides. The first white explorers to reach present-day Wise county are said to have been Thomas Walker and Christopher Gist , both in 1750. Several forts were built all along
306-437: The western part of the county, Central High which serves the central and northern parts of the county, and Eastside High which serves the eastern part of the county. Wise County Christian School operates as a private school in the county. A large portion of the Jefferson National Forest is contained within Wise County, and the Clinch River winds through the county. These two factors, combined with Wise County's location in
324-405: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.90. In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.80% under the age of 18 and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 107 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.08 males. The median income for a household in
#693306