“Sold my soul to the Company Store”

On this Labor Day weekend, I give you a post on the history of labor…

I can only remember my father ever singing one song when I was a kid…”Sixteen Tons.” Merle Travis wrote this song in the 1940’s. The song told the story of the harsh conditions that were endured by the coal miners within the company towns. The mining companies built and controlled all aspects of life in these towns. Typically, the miners worked all day, but could never get ahead…”another day older and deeper in debt.” Because, instead of real money for pay, the miners only received company script. And, this company script could only be spent in the company store. These company towns kept the miners trapped with debt. Or, from the miners sad perspective…”sold my soul to the Company Store.”

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For the most part, the company towns are now history. Some of towns are now merely ruins. While the lucky ones have evolved into normal, functioning modern cities. However, I found a place where you can still experience the company town. And, that place is Cass, West Virginia. In 1901, the West Virginia Pulp and Paper company built the town of Cass, WV. The purpose of the town was to provide housing and services for their loggers. These loggers were taken by train up into the mountains to cut down the trees. Then, these trees were loaded back on the train and brought back to the Cass lumber mill. I realize the earlier referenced song is about coal miners…but, logging company towns worked the same way. So, give me some latitude here.

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The logging company built all the housing for their workers. The dwellings were all built at the same time. And, as you can see from the photos, there was not a lot of individuality put into each house. The company took a very generic approach to construction the company town.

In 1960, the lumber company stopped operating. And, this could have been the end of this historic company town. Instead, the town became part of the WV state park system. Eventually, the state park system refurbished the town and all the homes. The company town, historic experience is now one big tourist attraction open to all. But, the real tourism money maker for Cass, WV, is the Cass Scenic Railroad.

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Excited tourists gather at the Cass Depot to await the coal fired, steam engine’s arrival. Once all are on board, the steam engine chugs up the mountain on the same route that used to transport logs and loggers up and down the mountain. The big trip is a 4+ hour round trip to the top of the mountain, called Bald Knob elevation 4,700 feet. The train ride is fun. However, the trip would have been better if it was a bit shorter. I had my fill of mountain scenery at about the 2 hour mark. At least, we saw a black bear along the way.

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You can spend the whole day in this refurbished company town. I have mentioned the train ride. But, you can also get a tour of the town and learn more on the history. You can sell your soul at the company store…or just buy stuff too. Or, you can get some WV home cooking at the Last Run Restaurant. And, there is a theater and old time artists/craftsmen that do their thing at various times of day. Cass, West Virginia, is truly a town that has been frozen in time. If you want to get a very cleaned up version of the company town of 100 years ago…Cass, West Virginia is worth a look. PT

Thank you for reading “Sold my soul to the Company Store” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks

Thank you to https://wvstateparks.com/park/cass-scenic-railroad-state-park/

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