The dragon comes to the mountains

By: Jim Branscome

Outlets: West Virginia Watch

Published: July 8, 2026

Words: 2,079

Last Updated: 2 weeks ago

Body Text Preview

I grew up on a Blue Ridge farm in Carroll County, Virginia, close enough to Galax to know what a furniture town sounds like and smells like — the cut oak and poplar, the lacquer, the lumber trucks grinding up the grades. For most of the 20th century, the mountains ran on factories that turned the region’s timber, its fiber, its coal and steel, and above all its labor into a paycheck. Then, in a …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

About

FAQ

Email Us