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Spruce
May 15, 2015 13:59:36 GMT -5
Post by aseege1 on May 15, 2015 13:59:36 GMT -5
In two weeks I'm taking the Cass locomotive up to Bald Knob, getting off, and hiking down into Spruce for the night. My question is: what's left to see? OR anything good to see on the way in?
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Spruce
May 15, 2015 19:26:09 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by dunkard on May 15, 2015 19:26:09 GMT -5
There's a little campsite,picnic table right where the track splits on top of the mountain. There a metal cross there I was told it's the grave of McDonald he was decapitated on the railroad. Don't know if this is his grave or not? But the name and facts match up with the history books. There was an old water tank and tender discarded there also believe it still wore the Greenbrier, Cheat, and Elk road lettering on the side. This area is "old spruce". The actual town of spruce is further down the line where the track crosses shavers. Not much there but a clearing. The concrete foundations of the rossing mill can be found on the west side of the creek, also if you follow the tracks west of spruce you can see "Big Cut". North of the clearing is the guard shack it's the only structure left from the logging days. i think they built a Temporary depot type shed at spruce for the salamander train around 2005? but it might be gone now. Lot of artifacts can be found along the old woods roads. Especially leading up to bald knob from old spruce. That was the last area Mower cut in the 50s and 60s. You can see skidded scars up there and also up rocky run and south of spruce towards snowshoe. I worked up there for WVU we camped at old spruce and sampled the streams up there over a 3 year period if you have any specific questions I'll be glad to try and help
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Spruce
May 16, 2015 7:03:52 GMT -5
Post by arfcomhkr on May 16, 2015 7:03:52 GMT -5
I posted some pics here a while back. I went up there a few years ago, a little earlier in the season before things started growing. Made it easier to see things.
They've got some old photos placed around the area so you can get a feel of where things were and what you're looking at. The little depot/shelter was there then and I'd guess still is. There were a few toilets up there, but for some reason they were padlocked.
Ask the conductor to let you off at Old Spruce, unless you really want to walk up and down the mountain.
When we went there, we drove up the forest road to the gate on Back Mountain and walked all the way down to Beaver Creek (I think).
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Spruce
May 16, 2015 8:14:13 GMT -5
Post by jnk556 on May 16, 2015 8:14:13 GMT -5
If your hiking from Bald knob, you'll have a bit of a walk. You'd have to hike back down to the RR crossing just below the knob, and take that road to old Spruce, then walk down. Not much in Spruce anymore, and in the summer you can't see much for weeds and a beaver pond. There's picnic tables, a train shelter, and bathrooms that are locked. Most of the historical area where the old houses used to be were buried when they built they new connecting track down from old spruce. You can still see the footings of the old Wye, sand tower, coal bunker, engine shop, and the mill. After about May, finding any of this can be fun. check this link for info: Spruce info...
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Spruce
Jun 19, 2015 12:38:11 GMT -5
Post by aseege1 on Jun 19, 2015 12:38:11 GMT -5
I did do this a few weeks ago. Pics coming soon...
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