The winter 2021 issue of Goldenseal magazine is now available. Since 1975, Goldenseal has been West Virginia’s Magazine of Traditional Life. Attached is a list of retailers where Goldenseal magazine is available.
This issue is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Buffalo Creek Disaster, Logan County, which occurred on Feb. 26, 1972, killing 125 people. It was the deadliest flood in West Virginia history, but it was not a flood in the natural sense. It was caused by the collapse of improperly built coal impoundments on the Middle Fork of Buffalo Creek, which unleashed a torrent of black slurry that obliterated virtually everything downstream. In all, some 1,000 people were injured, and 80% of the residents of the narrow hollow were left homeless.
Authors Andréa Fekete, Christine M. Kreiser, Randy Yohe, Aaron Parsons, Brad Crum, Lisa Shrewsberry, Carl E. Feather, Travis D. Stimeling, and Jessica Lilly – as well as photojournalist Chuck Wyrostock – examine the tragedy from different angles, including the causes of the disaster and how survivors pieced their lives back together. Other articles discuss the memories of those who survived, the disaster’s “miracle baby” Kerry Albright, the use of the Buffalo Creek Therapy Quilt as a coping mechanism, ongoing efforts to honor the victims, books and songs about Buffalo Creek, Mimi Pickering’s classic documentary “Buffalo Creek: An Act of Man,” and Buffalo Creek today.
Additional articles in this issue look at the new online West Virginia Folklife Collection, new books about West Virginia, and tributes to folks we’ve lost recently, including Bernard Cyrus, Bill Gillespie, Jeanne Mozier, Barbara A. Smith, Charlie Cooper and Charly “Jupiter” Hamilton.
Goldenseal is published quarterly by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture & History. You can order subscriptions from Goldenseal’s online store or individual copies by calling 304-558-0220, ext. 134. Issues are $5.95/issue + $1 shipping, or you can order subscriptions for one year ($20), two years ($36), or three years ($50). Goldenseal subscriptions also make great gifts, especially for friends and family who may no longer live in the Mountain State. https://wvculture.org/discover/publications/goldenseal/
