Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - 18

BOOK NOTE
W. Jeff Barnes.Mingo. Litttlestar.
2021. 367pp.
ichmond, Virginia, attorney
W. Jeff Barnes grew up in
coal country, and his novel
about the early 20th century
efforts to unionize the coalfields
gives names and faces to
those who lived there.
Mingo tells the story of two
brothers: one who went at 14
into the mines with his
father; the other sent
to a wealthy Richmond
relative " until things
settle down " after the
death of his mother.
Missing his brother
and father, Durwood
Matney slips into
the coal yards of
R
Richmond to look for a Paint
Removal of this 1924 dam of the Oconaluftee River would improve conditions for two river
species and enhance recreation on the river.
Dam was built in 1924
Oconaluftee to Lose Ela Dam?
F
Groups and agencies look to restore Cherokee lands 100 years later.
or centuries, the Oconaluftee River's
flow through what is now far
western North Carolina was through
the Cherokee land. A source of fresh
water and fish, the river was a vital
source of sustenance and cultural
identity. In 1924, a concrete hydropower
dam was built half a mile upstream
from the river's confluence
with the Tuckasegee River, abruptly
halting its flow-and aquatic wildlife
migration routes.
Ela Dam is the only dam on the
550 stream miles of the Oconaluftee
watershed, most of which lies in the
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Qualla Boundary or the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park.
Now, a group of nonprofits and
state and federal agencies is working
to remove the dam.
" The Cherokee have always had a
strong relationship with water, and
the Ela Dam has disconnected us for
18 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
nearly a century, " says Joey Owle, Secretary
of Agriculture for the Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians who put
the coalition together.
The state funded an initial assessment
of the idea and the group is
seeking federal money through the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Act to carry
it through. Removing the dam would
enhance outdoor recreation in the
area and restore habitat for the sicklefin
redhorse, listed in North Carolina
as a threatened species and found
only in a few rivers in Southern Appalachia.
It would also improve conditions
for the federally endangered
Appalachian elktoe and the rare Eastern
hellbender.
" With a team of exceptional partners,
this is an opportunity of a lifetime
for our people, " Owle says.
ncwf.org/blog/ela-dam
-CAT MCCUE
Lick scattertag from the mine
where his brother and father
dig coal, connecting with
boys gleaning coal from the
railroad beds. At the same
time, he learns how to dress,
play sports and operate in the
moneyed world of Monument
Avenue.
Durwood's brother Bascom
leaves the mines and hops a
train to Richmond to reunite
with Durwood and his mother's
family. And for a while, it
appears that both boys have
found safety and security.
The story of how both boys
turn into men-one hardened
by World War I and the other
by the escalating West Virginia
mine wars-is full of twists
and turns, some more credible
than others. Barnes has done
his homework researching the
horror of the miners' revolt
and the Battle of Blair Mountain,
the event that's called the
largest civil uprising since the
Civil War.
Barnes clearly loves the
historical facts and figures of
the Battle of Blair Mountain,
sometimes at the expense of
the fictional characters who
should tell the story. But read
" Mingo " and be glad for the
truth told about a war that
continues to be fought.
-JOAN VANNORSDALL
ERIN MCCOMBS
http://www.ncwf.org/blog/ela-dam http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023
