Barton Knob
Encyclopedia
Barton Knob is a mountain summit located on Cheat Mountain
in southeastern Randolph County
, West Virginia
. Easily accessible during warm-weather months, Bickle Knob is also home to one of the few remaining fire towers in Monongahela National Forest
.
as part of the Mower Tract in 1986. Today, MNF's Strip Mine Trail (Trail #350) traverses much of the area mined on the south side of Barton Knob and a ledge created continuing east along Cheat Mountain.
considered using (and some may have used) strip-mined land near Barton Knob after being displaced from the original meeting site near Alpena.
and hardwood trees.
Cheat Mountain
Cheat Mountain is an exceptionally high and rugged ridge situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is about long and more than five miles wide at its widest. Its highest point is at its southernmost end at Thorny Flat, which has an elevation of...
in southeastern Randolph County
Randolph County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,262 people, 11,072 households, and 7,661 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 13,478 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Easily accessible during warm-weather months, Bickle Knob is also home to one of the few remaining fire towers in Monongahela National Forest
Monongahela National Forest
The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...
.
Fire Tower
One of the most notable features is its fire tower, which has graced the top of the mountain since at least 1939. While the tower is still in place today, it has been abandoned and is no longer safe to climb. As of June 2010, the Forest Service plans to remove the tower as part of a project to construct a radio repeater on Barton Knob.Strip mining
The area surrounding Barton Knob is also notable for having been strip mined prior to its acquisition by Monongahela National ForestMonongahela National Forest
The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...
as part of the Mower Tract in 1986. Today, MNF's Strip Mine Trail (Trail #350) traverses much of the area mined on the south side of Barton Knob and a ledge created continuing east along Cheat Mountain.
Rainbow Gathering
In 2005, the Rainbow GatheringRainbow Gathering
Rainbow Gatherings are temporary intentional communities, typically held in outdoor settings, and espousing and practicing ideals of peace, love, harmony, freedom and community, as a consciously expressed alternative to mainstream popular culture, consumerism, capitalism and mass media.Rainbow...
considered using (and some may have used) strip-mined land near Barton Knob after being displaced from the original meeting site near Alpena.
Forest restoration
In late 2010, the Forest Service designated a 90 acres (36 ha) section of Barton Knob as the Barton Bench Ecological Restoration Site. After strip mining, the land had been replanted with non-native grasses to protect the soil. This also led to an arresting of ecological development as the grasses kept out any native growths. The Forest Service is conducting experiments on various ways to restart ecological succession on the site with an eye towards eventual reforestation with native red spruceRed Spruce
Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...
and hardwood trees.
See also
- Bickle KnobBickle KnobBickle Knob is a mountain summit located east of Elkins in Randolph County, West Virginia. Easily accessible during warm-weather months, Bickle Knob is also home to one of the few remaining observation towers in Monongahela National Forest....
, an open Monongahela National Forest observation tower - Olson Observation TowerOlson Observation TowerOlson Observation Tower is one of the few remaining fire towers in Monongahela National Forest. Olson is located at the southern end of Backbone Mountain northeast of Parsons in Tucker County, West Virginia....
, another Monongahela National Forest observation tower - Cheat MountainCheat MountainCheat Mountain is an exceptionally high and rugged ridge situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is about long and more than five miles wide at its widest. Its highest point is at its southernmost end at Thorny Flat, which has an elevation of...
- Shavers Fork River
- Monongahela National ForestMonongahela National ForestThe Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...