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It was 162 years ago today when the nation first learned that "Mountaineers are Always Free."
Since then, West Virginians have worked hard to make their mark on bettering themselves and their beloved Mountain State but also this great land in which we are so privileged to live.
June 20, 1863, saw West Virginia born from the Civil War as the 35th state. Since then, its natural resources -- coal, natural gas and timber -- have helped to power a growing nation. The state's natural beauty and wild and wonderful landscape are a playground for many seeking to connect with the outdoors and led just a handful of years ago to the New River Gorge area being designated as the nation's newest national park.
It is fair, though, to analyze exactly what residents of the state are celebrating.
West Virginia is called "Almost Heaven." Its residents tell people it is wild and wonderful. Its forests and rivers, mountaintops and beautiful valleys are worth celebrating. Its whitewater streams, our wildlife and our historic sites make us worth a visit.
Time and again West Virginians have been told out-of-state visitors will be back not only because of that, but because of the people.
West Virginians are among the most welcoming, helpful people around, they tell us. That certainly is true, but it is only part of the story of West Virginia.
The state's history is one of battling adversity, whether through a brutal war that often pitted brother against brother or in coping with economic and technological change. It includes eras during which the beautiful hills and valleys were devastated by timbering and coal mining. Long ago, its residents vowed that would never happen again.
West Virginia's history is replete with instances, as we saw last week in Ohio and Marion counties, where disasters can strike, leaving friends and neighbors homeless and causing loss of life. But the state's residents, as they always do, join together to help rebuild, to help mourn and, most important, to show our love and respect for one another.
Residents of the state are among the nation's hardest-working people, and companies appreciate the work ethic.
The state faces economic and social upheaval. Politics are driving its residents apart, it is said.
Nonsense. As is demonstrated time and again, West Virginians, despite their differences, are united. They love their families, the hills and hollers, the peaceful solitude and standing up for one another. Manufactured division can't get in the way of that.
The drug abuse epidemic, while improving, continues to kill friends and neighbors. Far too many are taking their own lives. Economic hardships are tearing families and communities apart.
Somehow, the state will get through this. That's what West Virginians do.
There are many challenges. But it is worth asking: Are there any people you would rather have on your side than your fellow Mountain State residents?
The answer is no.
That is reason enough for us to celebrate the state itself and the people who make it, appropriately, almost heaven.
Happy birthday, West Virginia.