West Virginia's industries and resources, then and now

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Industries then, 1808 to 1950

   Map 1, "Early industries" (1808 to 1900): Salt: in 1808 the Ruffner brothers built the first salt furnaces at Kanawha Salines, which became the largest salt-making area in the United States until the 1830s. Glass: Wellsburg had the first glass plant in present West Virginia, in 1813. Lumber: the first band sawmill opened in 1875, and more followed the railroads. Coal: 490,000 tons were mined in 1867 and 4.9 million tons in 1887. Map 2, "Boom years" (1900 to 1950): Lumber: 1909 was the peak year, with 83 band mills and 1,441 other lumber mills. Coal: 89.4 million tons and nearly 90,000 mine workers in 1917, and 127,000 coal miners in 1950. Chemicals: the modern chemical industry began in the Kanawha Valley in the 1920s and peaked shortly after World War II. Key: a kettle is salt; a bottle is glass; a saw is lumber; a coal car is coal; a flask is chemicals. Below the maps: The state's modern economy grew from railroads, mining and industry after the Civil War.

2. 1.

   On Ari's map, where were the first salt furnaces built?

   • Kanawha Salines
   • Wheeling
   • Wellsburg
   • Harpers Ferry in the east
3. 2.

   On the key, what does a bottle stand for, Bo asks?

   • Chemicals
   • Lumber
   • Salt
   • Glass
4. 3.

   When was the peak year of lumber production, Jun asks?

   • 1875
   • 1917
   • 1950
   • 1909
5. 4.

   How many times as much coal was mined in 1887 as in 1867, Kira asks?

   • 2 times as much
   • 10 times as much
   • 100 times as much
   • 4.4 times as much
6. 5.

   How many years passed from the first salt furnaces to the first glass plant, Luz asks?

   • 67 years
   • 3,621 years
   • 5 years
   • 15 years
7. 6.

   How many coal miners were there in 1950, by map 2, Milo asks?

   • 12,700
   • 89,400
   • 127,000
   • 90,000
8. 7.

   Why did band sawmills spread, by map 1, Noah asks?

   • Salt furnaces needed more wooden boards
   • Railroads reached more of the state
   • Coal mining had ended
   • Glass plants closed down
9. 8.

   On the key, what does a flask stand for, Pia asks?

   • Salt from the furnaces
   • Coal
   • Glass
   • Chemicals
10. 9.

    When did the modern chemical industry begin, by map 2, Ren asks?

    • In 1808
    • In 1875
    • In the 1920s
    • After the year 1950
11. 10.

    What does 'peak year' mean on map 2, Zee asks?

    • The year with the most production
    • The first year of production
    • The year a mill closed
    • The year with the least production