West Virginia Timeline By emilyo4y2 Jan 1, 1607 The English established Jamestown Jan 1, 1671 First people came to West Virginia Thomas Batts and Fallen are the first europeans to reach West Virginia Jan 1, 1742 Coal was discovered The coal in West Virginia was discovered in Coal River Jul 4, 1776 Thirteen origanal colonies declare independence The 13 original colonies declare independance from Great Britain Jan 1, 1803 The size of the United States doubles Jan 1, 1859 John Brown leads a raid on Harpers Ferry Jun 20, 1863 West Virginia becomes the 35th state Jan 1, 1912 Conflicts break out between miners and mine owners Jan 1, 1917 The United States start World War I Jan 1, 1921 Miners and mine owners battle at Blair Mountain Jan 1, 1950 Eighty thousand miners lose their jobs