Do, Die, or Get Along : A Tale of Two Appalachian Towns

Do, Die, or Get Along weaves together voices of twenty-six people who have intimate connections to two neighboring towns in the southwestern Virginia coal country. Filled with evidence of a new kind of local outlook on the widespread challenge of small community survival, the book tells how a confrontational "do-or-die" past has given way to a "get-along" present built on coalition and guarded hope. St. Paul and Dante are six miles apart; measured in other ways, the distance can be greater. Dante, for decades a company town controlled at all levels by the mine owners, has only a recent history of civic initiative. In St. Paul, which arose at a railroad junction, public debate, entrepreneurship, and education found a more receptive home. The speakers are men and women, wealthy and poor, black and white, old-timers and newcomers. Their concerns and interests range widely, including the battle over strip mining, efforts to control flooding, the 1989-90 Pittston strike, the nationally acclaimed Wetlands Estonoa Project, and the grassroots revitalization of both towns led by the St. Paul Tomorrow and Dante Lives On organizations. Their talk of the past often invokes an ethos, rooted in the hand-to-mouth pioneer era, of short-term gain. Just as frequently, however, talk turns to more recent times, when community leaders, corporations, unions, the federal government, and environmental groups have begun to seek accord based on what will be best, in the long run, for the towns. The story of Dante and St. Paul, Crow writes, "gives twenty-first-century meaning to the idea of the good fight." This is an absorbing account of persistence, resourcefulness, and eclectic redefinition of success and community revival, with ramifications well beyond Appalachia. Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Introduction......Page 14 The People Who Tell This Story......Page 22 1. Frontier Times......Page 30 2. Incorporated Town—Early Years......Page 42 3. Company Town—Early Years......Page 46 4. Immigrant Labor......Page 53 5. Wild Times in St. Paul......Page 57 6. Civility in St. Paul......Page 63 7. Great Depression and Dante......Page 69 8. Race Relations in Dante......Page 78 9. Unionization......Page 84 10. The Two Towns Interfacing, Diverging......Page 90 11. Mining Safety......Page 96 12. The Strip Mine Act of 1977......Page 109 13. Regional Planning and River Politics......Page 127 14. Company Town with No Company......Page 144 15. The Pittston Strike of 1989–90......Page 152 16. Changing Attitudes......Page 172 17. Women, Conservationists, and the Economy......Page 177 18. Education and Youth......Page 186 19. Changing Strategy for Regional Renewal......Page 195 20. No-Company Town Fights On......Page 198 Conclusion......Page 215 Notes......Page 226 B......Page 238 C......Page 239 E......Page 240 G......Page 241 I......Page 242 L......Page 243 M......Page 244 P......Page 245 S......Page 246 T......Page 247 V......Page 248 Y......Page 249 Frontier Times -- Incorporated Town: Early Years -- Company Town: Early Years -- Immigrant Labor -- Wild Times In St. Paul -- Civility In St. Paul -- Great Depression And Dante -- Race Relations In Dante -- Unionization -- The Two Towns Interfacing, Diverging -- Mining Safety -- The Strip Mine Act Of 1977 -- Regional Planning And River Politics -- Company Town With No Company -- The Pittston Strike Of 1989-90 -- Changing Attitudes -- Women, Conservationists, And The Economy -- Education And Youth -- Changing Strategy For Regional Renewal -- No-company Town Fights On. Peter Crow. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 197-208) And Index.