Over 160 beautiful color photos and lyric text enable readers to explore West Virginia, from rolling countryside and scenic farms to small towns and big cities. The story of West Virginia reveals ancient history as well as modern epic. The land and its mountain barriers are among the oldest to be found on this earth. These rounded mountains stand in silent testimony to the passage of time, as they once rivaled the Alps in height. Prior to European settlement, Native Americans called this rugged land home for fifteen thousand years. Readers view West Virginia's more recent architectural treasures and simple country mills along with the urban landscape, state forests, industrial might, and the state's passion: the WVU Mountaineers! Enjoy mountain expanses and riverfront vistas, complete with steamboats, For those with a passion for travel, scenic beauty, and mountain retreats, this book is "almost heaven."