ABSTRACT
The first settlers in Braxton County found out quite quickly the implications of nature; and for some this knowledge came at high cost. An academic history of nineteenth century Braxton County involving conquests of nature, colorful personalities, and Civil War skirmishes would have tremendous interest in its own right. The chapter is primarily concerned with the twentieth century, when almost all of the events related to public schooling in Braxton took place. It deals more broadly with county-wide and regional development trends and issues. On the eve of industrial development, Braxton County was probably more favorably situated than many other central West Virginia counties. The labor intensive extractive industries, and the building of railroads to tap these resources, attracted both natives and out-of-staters in great numbers to Braxton in the decades just before and after the turn of the twentieth century.
