Home of the ‘Rocket Boys’: We need to save McDowell County, WV

The town deserves more than this


If you’ve ever seen the Jake Gyllenhaal movie, October Sky, or read the memoir it was based on, you know about McDowell County, West Virginia. It tells the true story of Homer Hickam who grew up in Coalwood, part of McDowell County, doing all he could to go to college and work for NASA.

In real life and the movie, he accomplished everything he wanted to, and even built the legendary Skipper cannon as a member of the Virginia Tech Class of 1964. His older brother, Jim, was the football coach at my high school for decades. The story of the Rocket Boys holds a big place in my heart, but the setting is even more special to me.

Some of my family members, early 1900s (the golden age of McDowell County)

My grandparents grew up just on the other side of the mountain from Coalwood at the same time Homer was there. My mom was born in the county and her family drove in from Roanoke (a three hour drive) every weekend while she was growing up. What truly saddens me is while McDowell County was never a booming city, the population and support for the area is declining.

The house my nana grew up in, picture taken circa 1960

A big theme in October Sky is the decline of the coal mining industry. Today’s decline is caused by a desire for clean energy, but even back in the 1950s, the small towns of Appalachia were feeling the early repercussions of a collapsing job market.

McDowell County, the most southern county in West Virginia, only has 20,000 residents, and 35% of those live below the poverty line. Yet it is the most fascinatingly beautiful place I’ve ever seen. It is the textbook definition of rural, small-town America, nestled between the most stunning mountains you’ll ever see.

A coal train passing through the mountains

When I go “home” to McDowell County and look in the eyes of my Papa and my two great-uncles, I see a history. They all risked life, limb and lung disease in the coal mines for very little money. All three of them served in the armed forces, two in the Vietnam War. These three men, like many others in the county, gave everything they had for this country more than once. But how does America repay them?

My two great-uncles who served in Vietnam

Walmart leaves. The coal industry depletes without a replacement industry for the hundreds who still work in the mines. Due to the extreme poverty, drugs are a serious problem in the area and the education system is the worst in the state. Before Bernie Sanders in May, the last presidential candidate to visit the region was John F. Kennedy.

One of my great uncles standing on the mountain my whole family grew up on – we still visit today

So here’s my challenge to you:

The next time you plug in your iPhone to charge, think about where that energy came from. Think about all the coal that has been mined in the past 100 years, and the people who did it.

I think it’s time that we, as Americans, stop trying to “catch up with China,” stop worrying about building walls and using the wrong email accounts.

The coal mining communities of McDowell County have literally given America the energy it needs to build skyscrapers, run train and subway systems and even provide basic electricity. They’ve given so much of their lives to making America a great place to live. It’s time to stop taking them for granted. It’s time to start appreciating what they’ve done for us.

It’s time to save McDowell County.