Griffin Iron Mines, 7 Miles South of Roanoke, 1899

[NW Mailing List]

On Mon, Dec 21, 2020 at 7:37 PM abram wrote:

> Railroad Gazette, vol. 31, p. 650, Sept 15, 1899, carries this brief:
>
> **A three mile branch is reported under construction from a point about
> seven miles south of Roanoke, Va, to the Griffin Iron Mines in Roanoke
> County.  W.G. Bear and W. R. Johnson are contractors.**
>
> Seven crow-fly miles south of Roanoke (beginning at the depot) would place
> one a mile south of Starkey, probably in the vicinity of Back Creek.
>
> Anyone know where the Griffin Iron Mines were located, and if the branch
> was even completed?
>

Wonder if this is connected?

Salem *Sentinel*, Volume 6, Number 29, 12 September 1899, pg. 2

*West End Furnace Active.*

West End furnace, situated nearly half way between Roanoke and Salem, will
soon go into blast again. It has been purchased by a Northern firm and
about 100 men are working by day and about 30 by night to put it in repair.
It will be ready, so the management think, by the fifteenth of November to
be put in blast. This is a large furnace and will work a large force. The
company has also purchased large iron ore interests in the southeastern
part of this county and a railroad is under construction leading to the
iron land. It will not be many months until this fine furnace will be
transformed from an idle useless plant to a hive of industry. The Sentinel
is glad to see these marked signs of improvement in our midst. Our people
have begun to take a live interest in improvement and are fast throwing off
the want of confidence in one another born of the late lamented boom and
are beginning to look around for an opportunity to do something and to make
something. Southwest Virginia is looking up, better times are ahead of us
and now is the time to strike if you wish to make money. The callapse [sic]
of ’93 is about over. Renewed hopes and operations have been raised
in the breasts of the people and industry and thrift will take the place of
idleness and indifference. The Sentinel hopes and expects to see this a
thriving section in the immediate future. Let all take on new life and
determine to do all they can to increase this incoming prosperity. Seven
years of hard times have come and gone. The back bone of the panic is
broken, so let us one and all help along the bettor and more prosperous
times.

-----
Bruce in Blacksburg
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20201221/af4a69e0/attachment.html>