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[detail] Selling ramps on the side of the road. L S Eiler, 1997 
About this image
Collection Overview
Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia documents traditional and current day uses of South West Virginia's Big Coal River Valley as documented in 679 sound recordings and 1,256 photographs. Big Coal River Valley mountains have supported a way of life for many generations that entail hunting, gathering, subsistence gardening, as well as coal mining and timbering. The collection also documents community cultural events such as storytelling, baptisms in the river, cemetary customs, and the spring "ramp" feasts using the wild leek native to the region.
Special Features
These online exhibits provide context and additional information about this collection.
- Seasonal Round of Activities on Coal River
- Stalking the Mother Forest: Voices Beneath the Canopy
- American Ginseng and the Idea of the Commons
- Ramp Suppers, Biodiversity, and the Integrity of "The Mountains"
- Seining for Hellgrammites on Coal River
Historical Eras
These historical era(s) are best represented in the collection although they may not be all-encompassing.
- Expansion and Reform, 1801-1861
- The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877
- Development of the Industrial United States, 1876-1915
- Emergence of Modern America, 1890-1930
Related Collections and Exhibits
These collections and exhibits contain thematically-related primary and secondary sources. Also browse the Collection Finder for more related material on the American Memory Web site.
- American Life Histories
- Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier
- FSA-OWI Photographs
- Quilts and Quiltmaking in America
- Touring Turn-of-the-Century America
Other Resources
Recommended additional sources of information.
There are currently no other resources for this collection
Search Tips
Specific guidance for searching this collection.
To find items in this collection, search by Keyword search, or by browsing the Subject Index, or Geographic Index, You may also browse by Photo Title List or Audio Title List.
For help with general search strategies, see Finding Items in American Memory.
Last Updated: 11/03/2009