West Virginia is the only state in U.S. history to secede from the Confederate States of America. It was the start of the Civil War, and on April 17, 1861 delegates of the yet to be West Virginia met in Richmond voted in favor of leaving the Confederacy. There was some controversy involved, with many saying that the vote was not on behalf of the people with appointed delegates. On December 31, 1862, it came to the attention of Abraham Lincolns that the state wanted to join the Union.

On this day June 20^th, in 1863, West Virginia is admitted as the 35^th state. As its name suggests, it is the western half of Virginia which chose to break away from Virginia, which was a pro slavery state. West Virginia was a favored hunting ground for Native Americans prior to European settlement and there is evidence for habitation as far back as 3000 years ago.

During the 18^th and 19^th century West Virginia was mined for both limestone and salt. Currently West Virginia is the top producer of coal in the United States. Being that West Virginia is along the Appalachian Mountains, its topography offers a tremendous amount of splendor. West Virginia also has a wealth of Karstic areas, which are layers of bedrock and limestone – which has garnered the interest of cave divers and scientists. It is also the reason for cool water which trout love to swim in.