By Stephen Smoot
(originally printed in the Pendleton Times)
Since 1863, West Virginians have celebrated June 20 as independence day for the state and its people. West Virginia broke free of a Commonwealth of Virginia government that spent decades prioritizing the Tidewater and Piedmont over the mountains, valleys, and hills. Since 1863, the Mountain State has plotted its own course, often maligned, stolen from, held back, and even ridiculed.
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