History Alive! is an opportunity to hear and ask questions about people that influenced history. Gabriel Arthur is one of those individuals.

According to the West Virginia Humanities Council, Arthur is believed to be the first white man to see the Kanawha Valley while traveling with a band of Indians in 1674. He was sent with a partner and others from Fort Henry (present Petersburg, Virginia) to explore western lands and trade with the Indians. His partner was killed and Arthur traveled widely with the natives, apparently participating in raids in the Ohio Valley and elsewhere. During this time, he followed the Big Coal River to its mouth at the Kanawha River. Arthur and the southern Indians with whom he traveled were welcomed at the large Moneton Indian village (present St. Albans, W.Va.) before returning to Fort Henry with a load of furs. Portrayed by Doug Wood of Hurricane WV, the program is open to the public and free to attend.

Come to the Beech Fork State Park activities room at 7:00 PM on Saturday, July 22, 2022 to meet a reenactor portraying Gabriel Arthur.

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