James Carey Visits Dawes, Home of Ma Blizzard
Jimmy Don is what he is called…He was born in Charleston but lived in Dawes until he was 7. He saw some of his earliest movies at the Wilson Movie Theater there in Dawes, remembering them with fond memories. The old movie house was remodeled and now stands empty next to an equally empty quonset hut building. Many of his aunts and uncles lived nearby, and some still do….Cabin Creek is a lost world to my friend Jimmy Don and so many others…including two presidents of the UMWA - Arnold Miller and Cecil Roberts.
He graduated from Charleston Catholic, becoming a man known for his impersonations - of Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Cagney and many others….
He loves Soupy Sales and likes Don Knotts…Now he is retired, living in Bluefield, loving the air-conditioned lifestyle….spending his time on top of “Carey Mountain.”
The picture on top shows his family cemetary, decorated for Decoration Day 2007. On Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day, he and Frani, my wife, and one of his oldest friends, and I took a trip back to Dawes…It was the first time I have ever driven to Cabin Creek, going once with filmmaker Bob Gates for a photo shoot more than 27 years ago…..
He said that there was a woman by the name of “Ma Blizzard” who lived next door….He never knew why she was famous….As a member of the board of the WV Labor History Association and programmer of the WV Film Series at The La Belle Theater, I have learned about Ma Blizzard, WV’s own version of “Mother Jones.” Wess Harris published her grandson’s book, “When Miners March,” changing my own world forever. Wess and William C. have been fighting to stop Blair Mountain from being demolished by the coal industry…..I am sure Ma Blizzard would be proud of what her grandson and friends are trying to do. The WVLHA inducted Bill Blizzard into its Labor Hall of Honor in 2006.
Dawes is just down the road from Kayford Mountain, the most famous mountain in the world for being mountaintop removed…..Home to Larry Gibson.
