Porte Crayon

Beginning in 1853, David Hunter Strother, writing under the pen name Porte Crayon, published a series of articles in Harper's New Monthly Magazine about his adventures in the Blackwater region. His colorful descriptions and detailed illustrations were widely read and today provide a good description of the area before settlement of the virgin forest. For centuries, the pristine wilderness here stood virtually undisturbed by man, and Native American foraging parties most likely used the area only during the summer months because of the harsh winters. Accounts of non-natives in the area date back as far as 1736, but it is not known who first saw Blackwater Falls. Porte Crayon introduced the world to the great waterfall of the Blackwater River.

West Virginia · United States