I have asked several people why they support Dean King’s book, when they know that it is mostly lies, concocted by prior writers all the way back to John Spears in 1888, with a few whoppers of his own thrown in for good measure. They all give the same answer: “King is good for tourism.”
Of course I don’t believe that, simply because, as I say in a previous post, there is no tour guide who takes tourists to the fictitious places King has in his book. No tourist is shown the spot where seven Hatfields emptied their rifles at three men riding abreast from an ambush thirty feet off the road with no fatalities, the location of the house where Cap Hatfield beat two women to the point of death with a cow’s tail, or where Belle Beaver, the hillbilly whore of Happy Hollow plied her trade.
The main criticism of my book from that crowd is that it is “bad for tourism.” Well, the truth might be harmful to the tourist trade, but I doubt it. On the slight chance that it may be true that my book will harm the tourist trade, I have a proposal which I believe will more than compensate.
It is just downright awful that there are no markers in West Virginia along Route 49 between Matewan and Delorme, marking the important “feud sites.” A few markers would contribute greatly to the tourist trade, but I know that money is scarce in Mingo County, so maybe it will take outside funding to get markers erected at important sites along the river. When it comes to charitable activities, I like to do more than my share, so here is my proposal for marking the West Virginia side of Tug River between Matewan and Delorme:
If Dean King will pay for a sign at the Mouth of Thacker Creek, telling how he and his daughter were shot at TWICE in 2009 and 2010, then I will pay for two signs, one for the Battle of Grapevine and one for the home of Devil Anse. Each of us would agree to attend a “Dedication” of our signs, and answer questions for one hour. Surely Mr. King will consider “Two-for-one” a good deal.
If Mr. King will bring along the executive from the Heartland Timber Group, who was with him on both of his near-fatal visits to Thacker Creek, and let him answer some questions, then I will pay for a third sign, marking the place where Frank Phillips murdered Jim Vance.
Properly advertised, I believe these sign dedications would be the biggest tourist events of the season. If we get right on it, we could probably do it during the week between the Marathon and the Reunion this coming June.
Let Mr. King prove that he is really interested in promoting tourism in Tug Valley, by accepting my very generous offer.