Seneca Rocks
Seneca Rocks | |
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National Forest | |
Camping | Seneca Shadows[2] & 2 private campsites in town (all paid) |
Classic climbs |
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Stars |
Seneca Rocks is a large
Seneca Rocks is easily visible from, and accessible by way of, West Virginia Route 28, West Virginia Route 55 and U.S. Route 33 in the Spruce Knob–Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area of the Monongahela National Forest. The three highways converge in the hamlet of Seneca Rocks, which is named for the cliffs nearby.
Description
Seneca Rocks is at the north end of the
Geology
The west flank of the
History
Evidence suggests that the
The first
It is unknown who the first person was to climb Seneca Rocks. Undoubtedly Native Americans scaled the rocks prior to European settlers reaching the area, but there is no record of their ascents. The historic ascent of Paul Bradt, Don Hubbard, and Sam Moore in 1939 found an inscription of "D.B. September 16, 1908." This has been attributed to a surveyor named Bittenger who was known to be working in the area.[5]
The documented climbing history of the Rocks begins in 1935 with a roped descent - the ascent was a steep hike – of the North Peak by Paul Bradt and Florence Perry.
In 1943 and 1944, as part of the
The
The original visitor center was opened in 1978, constructed on a grant of $297,000.[10] A 1985 flood severely damaged the facility. On October 22, 1987, "the Gendarme", an isolated and prominent pinnacle of the Rocks, fell to the ground.[11][12] On May 26, 1992, the visitor center was destroyed by arson.[13][14] The current visitor center — known as the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center — was completed in the fall of 1998 on a 5 million dollar grant.[15]
The "Seneca Rock" turnpoint at 38°50′03″N 79°22′04″W / 38.83417°N 79.36778°W has been used by
Rock climbing
Seneca Rocks is a popular location for recreational
Both the East and West faces of the North and South Peak offer single and multi-pitch routes up to 300 ft in length. Technical routes also exist on the Lower Slabs, located on the slopes below the west face of the North Peak, and on the Southern Pillar, directly across Roy Gap from the South Peak. Because of the way the rock was uplifted, there are many vertical cracks that offer excellent jamming and good protection. Routes range from 5.0-5.14, nearly all of which require the leader placing protection (
Popular legends
A popular romance of the Rocks — "The Betrothal of Snow Bird, Princess of the Seneca Indians" — was written in 1932 by Harry Malcolm Wade.[19] West Virginia writer J. Lawrence Smith provides the following short summary of the story:
Princess Snow Bird, who had grown to maidenhood in the shadow of the rocks and scaled their heights many times, proposed a contest to her father, [Chief] Bald Eagle. She would climb to the crest of the rocks as prospective suitors followed. The first to take her hand would become her mate. Bald Eagle agreed, and at the end of the climb, of seven suitors, only one remained, the others having turned back from fear or fallen to their deaths. From their lofty perch, Snow Bird and her future mate surveyed the surrounding realm of the Seneca that would be theirs to rule one day.[20]
In reality, the Seneca homeland was in what is now western New York state, and what Seneca tribesmen passed this way were strictly transients. (The historical "Chief Bald Eagle" [d. 1779], also known as Chief Woapalanne, was a Lenape leader of central Pennsylvania, not a Seneca of [West] Virginia.)
Gallery
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Seneca Rocks viewed from the parking lot
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View of the trail / road (Roy Gap Road) to the South Peak area in the morning
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Climber on "Castor," east face of Seneca Rocks
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Climber on top of "Bring on the nubiles", west face of Seneca Rocks
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East face of Seneca Rocks
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Vertical panorama of "Triple S" on the west face of Seneca Rocks
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Seneca Rocks in the Fall
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Seneca Rocks night sky, as seen from the town of Seneca Rocks, West Virginia in the Monongahela National Forest.
See also
Nearby State Parks
References
Citations
- Forest Service. "Seneca Rocks". Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- Forest Service. "Seneca Shadows Campground". Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ^ Perry, William J. (1978), The Wills Mountain Anticline: A Study in Complex Folding and Faulting in Eastern West Virginia (Series: Report of Investigation - West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey; No. RI-32), 29 pp.
- ^ Site No.: 46PD1, Site Name: Mouth of Seneca Site, Component Age: (blank) AD 810 AD 893, References: Robertson et al. in progress; also 46PD1, Mouth of Seneca Site, (blank), AD 960 AD 1025, Robertson et al. in progress. Source: Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc.
- ^ a b Barnes, Tony (2006). The Climber's Guide, 2nd Edit. Earthbound Sports, LLC. pp. 16–18.
- ^ ISBN 1560448121.
- ^ "WWII Assault Training at Seneca Rocks". www.wvculture.org. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
- ^ Jan and Herb Conn (16 May 1945). "Ups and downs" (PDF). Up Rope!. 1 (14): 2. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Seneca Rocks". U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ "Grant County Press", 1970-7-1, Retrieved from Google news scan on 2009-1-10.
- ^ RobSC "The Gendarme", summitpost.org, 2008-1-16. Retrieved on 2009-1-7.
- ^ Baker, Donald P. "Famed W.Va. Rock Takes Tumble After 440 Million Years", The Washington Post, October 29, 1987. Retrieved on 2009-1-10.
- ^ "The Glenville Democrat", 1992-6-11, Retrieved from Google news scan on 2009-1-10.
- ^ "The Glenville Democrat", 1992-9-10, Retrieved from Google news scan on 2009-1-10.
- ^ "Seneca Rocks New Discovery Center Opens", "wamonline.com", retrieved on 2009-1-10.
- ^ Weir, Walter. "Ridge Soaring Gliderport - Photo Based (Julian, Pennsylvania)". Worldwide Soaring Turnpoint Exchange. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
- ^ Wiese, Ursula (2007). The book of the best. Claresholm, AB, Canada: Soaring Association of Canada. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Why Rock Climbing at Seneca Rocks West Virginia?". Seneca Rocks Climbing School.
- ^ Wade, Harry Malcolm (July 1932). "The Betrothal of Snow Bird". West Virginia Review. IX: 418–. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
- ^ Smith, J. Lawrence (November 2007). "Fact and the Fanciful: Native American History and Legends" (PDF). Wonderful West Virginia Magazine: 23–27. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
Other sources
- Tony Barnes (2006). Seneca Rocks: The Climber's Guide, 2nd edition. Earthbound Sports. ISBN 978-0-9643698-8-7.
External links
- Monongahela National Forest (USDA Forest Service site website)
- "The Betrothal of Snow Bird, Princess of the Seneca Indians" at the MNF website