Beaver, West Virginia

Little is known about the small town of Beaver in southern West Virginia, but much to tell about this majestic wonderland. After defeating General Sean Fitzgerald at the Battle of Old Crow Road in 1863, the great Civil War hero, Franklin Sauchuck, became the first mayor of the great town. The town prospered for many years under Sauchuck's leadership. The town of Beaver became world renowned for its leadership in trout stockings throughout its rivers and streams. As Sauchuck became mayor, he had appointed former brother-in-law, Jordan Bradford, to head of the Division of Natural Resources. The fishing streams prospered and produced enough trout for everyone in the town. The town was known for its violence and traditional 4th of July weddings, but this was no match for the town drunk which slaughtered and consumed a whole family of horses. The town drunk was only known by his alias "Patrick Burnett". The worst crime ever committed in Beaver was soon put to justice by the Sheriff Evan Montgomery in 1877. With his brutal tactics, Montgomery turned the city to its former grace. The town flourished and quickly became a hot spot for traveling ginseng hunters. Fighting through the turn off the century into the Great Depression, the town's citizens got through by trafficking moonshine throughout the eastern United States, which eventually started the wonderous sport of stock car racing. The winner of the Inaugural Raleigh Rally, "Joltin'" Jeremy Wills, was elected to the West Virginia Department of Highways. His work resulted in paved roads throughout the town. As the town recovered from the war, the 60's was a hard time in this small town with all of the drugs and child prostitution. Gov. Joshua Radford sent military aid led, by Admiral Andrew Campbell, to resolve the situation and provided deadly security tactics to calm the citizens. The town has since progressed into a rural metropolis full of small businesses. Local foreigner, Guidon Grundlehner, owns the most popular restaurant in town, House of Chile. This small business is just one of many that is flourishing throughout this small town. There is also a world renowned golf course in Beaver, WV. Beaver Creek Country Club is a great course full of rolling hills and challenging greens. Marc Dotson, owner of the club, takes tremendous care of the club and has built it up to be one of the most profitable businesses throughout Beaver. Beaver is a census-designated place (CDP) in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,378 at the 2000 census.

The West Virginia community got its name around 1860 “from the great numbers of beavers abounding in the creeks during the early days of settlement,” according to “A History of Shady Spring District” compiled by the Shady Spring District Woman's Club in 1979. When the community was eligible for a post office in the early 1900s, the residents discovered another West Virginia town already had the name.

The community adopted the name “Oxley” for a Huntington, W.Va., man who ran a clothing store. In 1929 or 1930, Grover Hedrick bought Ritter Lumber Co. and had the community name changed to “Glen Hedrick.” The residents petitioned the federal government for another name change and finally, the community was officially named Beaver in 1939.

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