WEST VIRGINIA (LOOTPRESS) – When West Virginia was carved out of Virginia during the Civil War, there was significant debate over what the new state should be called.
One of the leading contenders for its name was Kanawha, a nod to the Kanawha River, which flows through the region, and the Kanawha people, a Native American tribe that once inhabited the area.
The name Kanawha was initially favored for its historical and geographical significance.
Early discussions and legislative proposals referred to the new state as Kanawha, and many assumed this would be its official name.
The term was already in use for one of the state’s prominent counties, as well as for the river that was a vital transportation route.
However, opinions shifted during the constitutional convention held in 1861-1862.
Delegates debated various names, with Kanawha remaining a strong contender, but the final decision leaned toward West Virginia.
This choice was largely influenced by a desire to maintain continuity with Virginia, from which the new state was separating. The name also reflected the geographic reality of the state’s location in the western part of the original Virginia territory.
On June 20, 1863, West Virginia officially became the 35th state of the United States.
