Interview with Marica J. Casey, November 7, 2015

Partial Transcript: Alright, um, so how long have you lived in Elkhorn City?

Segment Synopsis: Marica Casey talks about her childhood living in Elkhorn City before she moved away. She continued to visit her grandparents in Elkhorn City every summer. She talks briefly about her family background in the area.

Keywords: Army; Family roots; Fathers; Grandparents; Home; Mothers; Moving; Summers; Trains; William Ramey

Subjects: Childhood; Elkhorn City (Ky.); Families.; Family histories.; Family--history

Partial Transcript: So what, what's it like living here?

Segment Synopsis: Casey talks about the slow-paced life in Elkhorn City, and talks about the quality of the roads. She talks about how the community supports one another, and as an example she tells the story of how the community helped her family when her grandson was diagnosed with leukemia.

Keywords: Active; Artists; Bills; Bone marrow; Cancer; Conveniences; Donation drives; Grandsons; Laid-back; Leukemia; Mike Taylor; Needs; New roads; On-ramps; Pikeville (Ky.); Resistant to changes; Roles; Slow paced; Support; Wi-fi internet

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Communities.; Elkhorn City (Ky.); Families.

Partial Transcript: Um, can you think of any other challenges that, um, Elkhorn City faces?

Segment Synopsis: Casey talks about how religion influences with community, particularly on the subject of alcohol laws. She talks about the city's economy, which was mainly based on the coal industry.

Keywords: Alcohol; Baptists; Challenges; Changes; Coal industry; Drinking; Economy; Income; Internet; Isolation; Labor unions; Money; Pentecostal; Prohibition; Roads; Strikes

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Economic conditions; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Elkhorn City; Economic development.; Elkhorn City (Ky.); Religion

Partial Transcript: Um, how would you like to see it in the future?

Segment Synopsis: Casey discusses the future of Elkhorn City, and her hopes for the preservation of its history. She says she does not want big businesses to come into the town, and talks more about the town's economy based on the coal industry.

Keywords: Alcohol; Ancestors; Benefits; Big businesses; Cemetery; Coal companies; Coal mines; Community; Community market; Community parenting; Economy; Exodus; Factories; Family; Future; Generations; Graveyard; Helping; Jobs; Land; Local business; Preservation; Propaganda; Respect; Shops; Small stores; Small towns; Strip mines; Technology; Underground mines; Work; Younger generations; Youth

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Economic conditions; Coal mines and mining--Environmental aspects; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Elkhorn City; Communities.; Community development.; Economic development.; Elkhorn City (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: What do--so what do people do for fun or entertainment?

Segment Synopsis: Casey talks about what people do for fun in Elkhorn City, including visiting with neighbors and many outdoor activities.

Keywords: "Avant Appalachia"; Avant-garde poetry; Ball games; Entertainment; Fun; Mountains; Neighbors; Outdoors; Poets; Porches; The Breaks

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Communities.; Elkhorn City (Ky.); Outdoor recreation.

Partial Transcript: Um, how do you think, uh, the, the coal and the railroad industries have affected the economy?

Segment Synopsis: Casey talks about how the coal industry has affected the town's economy as well as its ecological impact on the area. She says many people are unaware that the area is actually a rain forest. She talks more about her family history.

Keywords: "King Coal"; American Indians; Climbing trees; Coal industry; Daniel Boone; Ecology; Economy; Family; Fights; Frank James; Grandfathers; History; Native Americans; Railroad industry; Rain forests; River bottom; Scrip

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Economic conditions; Coal mines and mining--Environmental aspects; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Elkhorn City; Community development.; Economic development.; Elkhorn City (Ky.); Families.; Railroads

Partial Transcript: Um, s, some people are suggesting that Elkhorn City build a white water park on the river. What do you think of that?

Segment Synopsis: Casey gives her opinion on building a white water park in Elkhorn City. She tells stories about playing in and around the river as a child, including several stories about seeing panthers and mountain lions in the area.

Keywords: Activities; Amusement parks; Children; Cougars; Dams; Family traditions; Festivals; Fishing; Flooding; Fourth of July; Mountains; Panthers; Paw prints; Pikeville (Ky.); Playing; Rafting; Ratliff Hole; Summers; White water parks; Wildlife

Subjects: Childhood; Floods--Kentucky; Outdoor recreation.; River tourism.; Rivers--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Do you think--or, you know, in what ways has the river influenced your life? Has it influenced your artwork at all, or?

Segment Synopsis: Casey discusses how the river influences her life and her work as an artist. She tells more stories about the river from her childhood. She gives advice to visitors about the danger of the river.

Keywords: Advice; American Indians; Art; Bridges; Cows; Dangerous; Flood stage; Flooding; Great Depression; Influence; Native Americans; Outsiders; Paintings; Survival; The Breaks; Visitors; Water

Subjects: Elkhorn City (Ky.); Floods--Kentucky; Rivers--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Um, so can you describe some of the changes that you've seen in the river?

Segment Synopsis: Casey tells several stories about the river flooding. She talks about her favorite place on the river, and describes the sensory experience of being on the river.

Keywords: 1976 flood; Benefits; Breeze; Changes; Cliffs; Dams; Danger; Disasters; Drowning; Favorite place; Fishy; Flooding; Folk songs; Food; Green; Helping; Indigenous species; Senses; Smells; Spark Track; Swimming; Traffic lights; Water

Subjects: Communities.; Elkhorn City (Ky.); Flood damage; Floods--Kentucky; Outdoor recreation.; Rivers--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: So how is the river being used now, um, mainly?

Segment Synopsis: Casey talks about the ways the river is currently being used. She talks more about how various industries have impacted the river, focusing mainly on ecological damage.

Keywords: Boating; Chemicals; Coal mining; Ecology; Erosion; Fish stocking; Fishing; Frogs; Kayaking; Logging industry; Responsibility; Timber industry; Wildlife

Subjects: Coal mines and mining--Environmental aspects; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Elkhorn City; Elkhorn City (Ky.); Environmental protection--Kentucky; Outdoor recreation.; Rivers--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Uh, do you have any thoughts about how the river--what role the river's playing in bringing people to the city and what you think about that?

Segment Synopsis: Casey talks about the role of the river in bringing tourists to Elkhorn City. She talks more about her hopes for the future of the town.

Keywords: Art gallery; Businesses; History; Little shops; Mountains; Preservation; Role of river; Stores

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Economic conditions; Big Sandy River (Ky. and W. Va.); Community development.; Economic development.; Elkhorn City (Ky.); Tourism

Partial Transcript: Um, do you have any other stories you feel like you want to tell or anything else you want to add about the river, the town?

Segment Synopsis: Casey tells a story about taking her daughter, who has cerebral palsy, on the river. She talks about the area as the "Grand Canyon of the South." The interview is concluded.

Keywords: "Grand Canyon of the South"; Cerebral palsy; Daughters; Economy; Livelihood

Subjects: Elkhorn City (Ky.); Kayaking.; Outdoor recreation.; Rafting (Sports); Rapids; Rivers--Kentucky