COTTON HILL, WV (LOOTPRESS) – There are many legends from the boom days in the New River Gorge, but one that isn’t as well-known is the tell of sunken railcars full of whiskey.
Upon the completion of the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Railway in 1873, the New River Gorge quickly turned into a major industrial hub in the United States.
From Gauley Bridge in Fayette County to Hamlet in Raleigh County, the New River Gorge was filled with towns that saw success from multiple industries including coal, timber, the railroad, and smaller industries including bottling.
The railroad was essentially the only convenient way in and out of the gorge for decades. Unlike today, virtually all goods were shipped via train to these towns.
From livestock, food, household items, and even beverages including whiskey, it was all shipped in by rail.
Legend has it that one day during the early days of the C&O Railway in the gorge a freight train pulling rail cars of whiskey crashed and derailed into the New River at Blue Hole.
Blue Hole is an area located between Cotton Hill and Gauley Bridge in Fayette County.
Blue Hole is actually one of the deepest parts of New River as most of the water is diverted from here to a power plant at Gauley Bridge.
According to the legend, the rail cars were never recovered from the river, and they remain there to this day.
Although no direct evidence has been uncovered, it has been said that locals have found bottles of whiskey on the river bank near Gauley Bridge.
