Cord Byrd: “Sunday, June 20, is the 147th anniversary of wild and wonderful West Virginia's joining the United States as the 35th…”

“Sunday, June 20, is the 147th anniversary of wild and wonderful West Virginia's joining the United States as the 35th State. I am proud of all that West Virginia has offered and continues to offer to the United States. West Virginia is a unique gem among the 50 States. It is the only State to be formed by seceding from a Confederate State, and only one of two States to be added to the Union during the Civil War--the other being the home State of my good friend Senator Reid, Nevada, which separated from the Utah Territory. Known as the Mountain State, West Virginia is the only State located entirely within the ancient Appalachian Mountain range which was formed over 300 million years ago. West Virginia has the highest elevation of any U.S. State east of the Mississippi River, with an average of 1,500 feet above sea level. That elevation means that the Monongahela National Forest Region in the southeastern part of the State has a climate more akin to northern New England and Canada, with spruce forests, cool summers, and snow-filled winters.”