In 1946 Russell W. Lee, one of the great photographers of the Depression, took over four thousand pictures throughout the Appalachian coalfields. His photographs, in such towns as Welch and Logan was part of a major report on health conditions in the bituminous coal regions. In 1947 Rear Admiral Joel T. Boone of the U.S. Navy's Medical Corps transmitted to the Secretary of the Interior A Medical Survey of the Bituminous Coal Industry; this "Boone Report," illustrated with Lee's photos, resulted in the subsequent creation of the system of UMWA Miner's hospitals in Appalachia.

Russell Lee's photographs, now residing in the National Archives, reveal the vibrancy of coalfields trading centers in the mid-1940s. Coal production spurred by World War II continued to rise, with resultant prosperity for Logan, Welch, and environs. The towns rejoiced in being in the "billion dollar coal fields." The WPA's 1941 West Virginia, A Guide to the Mountain State, describes how on pay days and Saturdays the narrow streets of Logan were chock full of miners down from the hills for amusement. The Guide's discussion of Welch mentions the title given the town by the New York Times, "Little New York." The Guide finds the title justified: "On Saturday nights thousands of coal miners from dozens of operations descend upon the town to shop and find amusement; among them are Negroes, Japanese, Chinese, and Europeans of every nationality. Race prejudice is conspicuously absent." In and around Logan and Welch, stores and restaurants, theaters and brothels catered to the cash-flush miners. Unfortunately, the advent of mechanization put the lie to the boast in an ad Appalachian Electric Power Co. put at the end of the program for Logan's 1952 Centennial pageant: "Logan's 'Good Old Days' … They've just begun." They were already over, for Logan and other coalfield urban centers.

Page 4: Boom then Bust now Recovery