Cisco, Cisco, Cisco, part 11 – Cisco, West Virginia

: 1957 USGS Aerial Photo of Cisco, WV

I’m trying to build the N scale replica of the town of Cisco, Utah circa 1970. Accordingly, it’s my routine to search “Cisco” on the web, but it goes wrong most of the times bothered by “San Francisco” or “Cisco Systems”. Sometimes, “Cisco, Texas” gets in my way. Thus, I was wondering how many “Cisco”s are there in the United States. My recent research during these Stay Home days revealed some of them. Let me introduce these places named Cisco as a sideshow for my Town of Cisco posts.


Cisco, Ritchie, West Virginia: the post office at Cisco, WV was located on the border of Ritchie County and Wirt County along the Hughes River at GPS coordinates 39.1286895 -81.285608[1]. Cairo-Cisco Road extended southwest from Cairo reached the community. The leading role of the region was oil and gas production.


The community of Cisco was named for Henry Lancisco “Cisko” Jackson(1838 – 1900) who was the proprietor of the general store[2]. Cisko Post Office, also named for Henry, was operated between 1886 and 1909[3]. Henry's nephew, Thomas Hart Benton Jackson(1861 – 1935) was the original postmaster. Henry’s grandson, Stokewell Jackson “Stokely” Enoch(1883 – 1925) was the last postmaster between 1905 and 1909.

The Buffalo School, the nearest school from the post office, at the mouth of Buffalo Run on Cairo-Cisco Road was at least open between 1911 and 1939 at GPS coordinates 39.134245, -81.273727. It burnt to the ground in the late 60s long after its closure[4]. The school appears in 1924 USGS topological map[5].

In 1891, besides Henry's general store/post office operated by Franklin H. Cain(1857 – 1937) since 1889, Cisco boasted of another general store by H. J. Ross, two blacksmith shops by Peter Lytle and Andrew Shepard, a shoe store by Robert Heeter, a sawmill by Issac James, and a corn mill by J. M. McCormick[6].


Henry's grandson, “Stokely” Enoch and Henry's nephew, Charles Ashley Marshall(1880 – 1952) operated the former Henry’s store from the early 1910s[2]. Lionel Leaman Gill(1879 – 1969), the proprietor of the grocery store since circa 1920, sold the grocery to Charles in circa 1925[4]. However, unfortunately, it was burnt to the ground in 1938. Charles therefore moved the store to Cisco-Cairo Road, opposite his home.

Edison Clay(1923 – 2008) and Celia Elizabeth Ownby(1923 – 2009) Kuhn owned and operated the former Henry’s store as Dutches Grocery Store for 18 years[7]. Kenneth and Joyce Moler purchased the store from Edison’s son Dutch E. Kuhn in the 70s and operated it as the J&K’s[8]. Kenneth’s brother James S. "Jim" and Rebecca J. "Becky" Moler succeeded the business in the 80s.


The name of the community changed from Cisko to Cisco in 1949 USGS map, but returned to Cisko in 1961, and changed again to Cisco in 1981[9].

A covered bridge crossing North Fork in front of the Henry's store survived until 1950: substitute steel through truss bridge was built in 1931[10, 11]. I believe this is when the backyard of Henry's store became the storefront.

The nearest rail connection with Cisco used to be the B&O Parkersburg branch at Petroleum about four miles north of Cisco. But the line was abandoned in 1987. The right of way became North Bend Rail Trail[12]. The “loneliest highway”, US Hwy 50 parallels the Trail.

The narrow gauge Cairo & Kanawha Valley Railroad, established in 1890 and operated until 1929, ran along the Cairo-Cisco Rd from Cairo, but never reached Cisco. The Little Kanawha Railroad, established in 1896 and operated until 1933, ran along the namesake river from Parkersburg to the mouth of Hughes River, but never reached Cisco.

Today, The Buffalo Methodist Protestant Church established in 1897 and rebuilt after 1953, and the former Henry's store structure still remain at Cisco.

revised, Oct. 21, 2020

[1] Feature Detail Report for: Cisco, USGS;
[2] Brake, Perry, (2013) Descendants of Jakob Brechtel, Family Tree Maker;
[3] Forte, Jim, Ritchie County, West Virginia Post Offices, Jim Forte Postal History;
[4] Metz, Lorene Cox, (1984) They Came Here..., deemfamily.com;
[5] Feature Detail Report for: Buffalo School (historical), USGS;
[6] West Virginia State Gazetter and Business Directory 1891-92, R. L. Polk & Co.;
[7] Edison Clay Kuhn Obituary, tributes.com;
[8] Six, Dean, (2019) Cisco, Cairo WV History;
[9] USGS TopoView web site;
[10] photo of the covered bridge;
[11] North Fork Hughes River Bridge, Bridgehunter.com;
[12] North Bend Rail Trail, West Virginia State parks;

: 1882 Report of Site Location for Cisko Post Office
: 1906 USGS map Elizabeth, WV
: 1908 Cisko postmark
: Google maps, Cisco, WV
　
　　
筆者がNスケールで復元しようとしているユタ州Ciscoについて調べようとインターネット検索すると、余計なページばかりよく引っ掛かる。最も邪魔なのはSan Francisco、次いで邪魔なのはCisco Systemsに関連するページである。テキサス州にあるCiscoという町に関連するページも結構邪魔だ。一方、お目当てのユタ州Ciscoの町に関連するページなどほとんどない。一体何件の「Cisco」がアメリカにあるのか。古い郵便局一覧を調べてみると、ユタ州Cisco以外に 14カ所ものCisco郵便局があったらしい。どんなところだろう。


Cisco, West VIrginia: 一カ所目のCisco郵便局は、ウエスト・バージニア州Ritchie郡およびWirt郡の境に1886年に開局した。登録所在地はRitchie郡。1845年に郡境を流れるHughes川の彼岸・Wirt郡側に硫黄泉が見つかり、以来この地にひとが訪れるようになる。この辺りの地名・郵便局名は、雑貨屋を営んでいたHenry Lancisco Jacksonというひとの名前をとって、Cisco/Ciskoと名付けられた。恐らく「Cis-」はHenry のミドル・ネーム、「-ko」はラスト・ネームに由来するのだろう。

Cisko郵便局は先に記したように1886年の開局。最寄りのBuffalo小学校は1911年までに開校した。少なくとも1930年代末まで続いたが、閉校後の1960年代末に校舎は焼失。Henry の雑貨屋はその後1910年代には孫のStokewell Enochが、1950年代にはEdison Clay Kuhnが「Dutches Grocery Store」として、1970年代からはKenneth Molerが「J&K’s」として営業を続けてきた。Google street viewで見ると「Ves-So」という看板が掲げられているが、残念ながら現在は営業していないようだ。かつては、他にも鍛冶屋や靴屋、製材所、製粉所があったという。

さて、地名のCisko だが、1949年発行のUSGS地形図ではCiscoに換わっている。ところが1961年には再びCiskoに戻り、更に1981年には再度Cisco、と変遷を重ねている。住民の意向だろうか。