Border Disputes and Stereotypes: Western Alleghenies

[onwardandupward]

Ah, for stories of Pittsburgh, it's hard to beat the films by Rick Sebak at WQED. Don't know if you've ever seen any of them, but they're definitely worth checking out - he is a master at getting real Pittsburghers to tell their own fascinating stories.

[Tallysmom]

I'll second the Rick Sebak documentaries. Most of the ones I've seen out here are not as Pittsburgh oriented, but they are heart warmingly wonderful. I don't know how he does what he does without being saccharine sweet, but he doesn't.

They seem to run the cemetery one often out here during pledges. And apparently a blogger out here got a call from Sebak about breakfasts.... so he's doing another one....

Rick Sebak - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Tiger Beer]

Wow, Rick Sebak kind of sounds like the Garrison Keillor of Minnesota's Prarie Home Companion.

Impressive list on his filmography from the wikipedia site. I'll have to check those out if I can.

[Fiddlehead]

Rick Sebak looks like a great local talent. Thanks for the suggestions!

[Tiger Beer]

I also just viewed the feedback from Ohio, Maryland, and West Virginia forums. Some great responses on all of them.

The Maryland one in particular stands out...they made a strong distinction between Allegheny Mountains and Appalachian Mountains.

That is something I've heard the Pittsburghers make on the 'Paris of Appalachia' thread. I think for us non-Pittsburghers though, I've just never personally heard any Allegheny references ever in my life until I got interested in Pittsburgh. Whereas the Appalachians is a household name.

To be honest, when I think of the 'Appalchians', I think of the Appalachian Trail...and a great book by Peter Jenkins in 'A Walk Across America'...published 1976, where he walks the entire trail from Maine to Georgia with his Siberian Husky, and then continues on walking to New Orleans (where he ultimately falls in love and meets his wife). Book II, A Walk West, he walks from New Orleans to the Oregon Coast.

Sorry, neither has to do with Pittsburgh....but 'A Walk Across America' will really make a person fall in love with the romantic idea of walking the entire Appalachian Trail.

Maybe lingering romantic images of the Appalachians linger in my mind still well into adulthood because of that book...who knows.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

I also just viewed the feedback from Ohio, Maryland, and West Virginia forums. Some great responses on all of them.

The Maryland one in particular stands out...they made a strong distinction between Allegheny Mountains and Appalachian Mountains.

That is something I've heard the Pittsburghers make on the 'Paris of Appalachia' thread. I think for us non-Pittsburghers though, I've just never personally heard any Allegheny references ever in my life until I got interested in Pittsburgh. Whereas the Appalachians is a household name.

To be honest, when I think of the 'Appalchians', I think of the Appalachian Trail...and a great book by Peter Jenkins in 'A Walk Across America'...published 1976, where he walks the entire trail from Maine to Georgia with his Siberian Husky, and then continues on walking to New Orleans (where he ultimately falls in love and meets his wife). Book II, A Walk West, he walks from New Orleans to the Oregon Coast.

Sorry, neither has to do with Pittsburgh....but 'A Walk Across America' will really make a person fall in love with the romantic idea of walking the entire Appalachian Trail.

Maybe lingering romantic images of the Appalachians linger in my mind still well into adulthood because of that book...who knows.

The Appalachians are the mountain chain, but each local area has its "own" mountains, just as out west, the Rockies are the chain, but there are the San Juan mtns, the Sangre de Christo mtns, etc. I had never thought of Pgh as being part of the Appalachians until the emphasis on "Appalachia". It was seeing the maps in Life magazine, etc that told me that. We alwasy referred to our mtns as the Alleghenies.

[Fiddlehead]

Originally Posted by Katiana

The Appalachians are the mountain chain, but each local area has its "own" mountains, just as out west, the Rockies are the chain, but there are the San Juan mtns, the Sangre de Christo mtns, etc. I had never thought of Pgh as being part of the Appalachians until the emphasis on "Appalachia". It was seeing the maps in Life magazine, etc that told me that. We alwasy referred to our mtns as the Alleghenies.

I recall remembering hearing the "Across the Alleghenies" a lot in grade school. Great sounding name, but I had no idea where they were, and I do not know whether it was George Washington, Ben Franklin, Daniel Boone, or Paul Bunyan who supposedly strode so purposefully "across the Alleghenies" to do some heroic act. All I remember is that the place and act sounded vaguely majestic.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

I recall remembering hearing the "Across the Alleghenies" a lot in grade school. Great sounding name, but I had no idea where they were, and I do not know whether it was George Washington, Ben Franklin, Daniel Boone, or Paul Bunyan who supposedly strode so purposefully "across the Alleghenies" to do some heroic act. All I remember is that the place and act sounded vaguely majestic.

I'm going to assume it was Washington. As a young military man, he was sent from Frederick MD up the "Venango Trail" (part of which is todays Franklin Road in Cranberry Township (and there are markers!)) to deliver a message to the French who were encroaching on English soil.

Apparently it didn't work.... and we had the French and Indian War....

[SorryIMovedBack]

Originally Posted by WVUPharm2007

Not really. Back in that time, the most powerful people in WV were from Wheeling and Weirton. They were true powerhouse cities back in the 19th century. Lots of money from industry. It was the Northern counties that spearheaded the vote to split from Big Virginia. Many of the Southern counties didn't want to succeed.

True. If you look at Charleston, many or all of the prominent families that all of the streets were named for were all Confederate supporters. The Kanawha Riflemen fought for the South.

[tallydude02]

Originally Posted by Katiana

The Appalachians are the mountain chain, but each local area has its "own" mountains, just as out west, the Rockies are the chain, but there are the San Juan mtns, the Sangre de Christo mtns, etc. I had never thought of Pgh as being part of the Appalachians until the emphasis on "Appalachia". It was seeing the maps in Life magazine, etc that told me that. We alwasy referred to our mtns as the Alleghenies.

I think all of western PA and most of WV are in the Allegheny Mountains.

Growing up in Clarksburg, WV and with some time in Waynesburg, PA, I thought Appalachia was those people in Kentucky and far southern WV, since those places were always in the spotlight in those publications and even in today's media. It's not even a real word...it was made up by the media.

But the steep hillsides (atleast in some of western PA), the extensive coal mining, the Scot-Irish influence, and the slight drawl of many western PA residents resembles, even if slightly, those places that make up the Appalachian states. However, the northern part of the region (which PA is a part of) also is more diverse because of the Italian, Polish, and many other ethnic groups not common further south. The northern region does have some issues with poverty, but certainly not as bad as those places in the central Appalachian region. But I think the old towns and old houses you see throughout the Pittsburgh region look very Appalachian.

I also feel out of place when I travel to flat places. Even the nearby midwest seems so different because of the absence of hills in the distance. I miss the hills when I leave the area.