"HAWK'S NEST HAINT"

WORK IN PROGRESS

    In the early 1930's, an industrial project took place in the town
of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. The project brought hundreds of jobs 
to the area at a time when work nation-wide was very hard to find. 
Workers migrated from all over to take part in a project which
claimed many of their lives. 


	
        That after while the clouds will part,
        And then with joy the waiting heart
        Shall feel the light come stealing in,
        That drives away the cloud of sin
        And breaks its power.

        And you shall burst your chrysalis,
        And wing away to realms of bliss,
        Untrammeled, pure, divinely free,
        Above all earthıs anxiety
        From that same hour.


       "AFTER WHILE"  Paul Lawrence Dunbar



     One of West Virginia's richest natural resources is its landscape. 
It is the West Virginia landscape which most poignantly 
differentiates West Virginia from all of its neighboring states. 
Given the age of our hills, with their abundance of streams and rivers,
it is no wonder that as West Virginians we draw so much of our 
identity from our surrounding scenery.

     The historical importance of the State, from the Indian Wars to the
development of the great industrial centers, has also grown from our unique 
relationship to the landscape. It is our surroundings which has shaped our
history and our identity as "Mountaineers."

     One of the many naturally beautiful spots in West Virginia is at
Hawk's Nest State Park, near Gauley Bridge.  The way in which the landscape
tells the story at Hawk's Nest has enchanted visitors there for more
than a century.   A place where rivers meet,  an Indian lover's leap, 
Marshall's Pillar and  the story of Hawk's Nest Tunnel make Hawk's
Nest State Park an inspiring and educational sight for  West Virginians
and tourists alike.

  	The proposed monument at Gauley Bridge commemorates the relationship 
of human history to the pervasive landscape which shapes that history. 
The story of Gauley Bridge, Gauley Mountain and Hawk's Nest State Park 
is and always will be present to those who view the scenery there.  
The Monument Project simply enriches our understanding of the way 
in we have shaped our landscape and the way in which our landscape 
has shaped our lives.