William McClellan Ritter

"In January 1900 W.M. Ritter chartered the Big Sandy & Cumberland (BS&C) Railroad in Virginia. The BS&C purchased the rolling stock of the WV&K RR, but the W.M. Ritter Lumber Company kept control of the WV&K right-of-way and built railroad. The W.M. Ritter Lumber Company used the BS&C to acquire the right-of-way from the Kentucky-Virginia state line to Hurley and then to Blackey in 1905, Stacy (Matney) in 1910 and up Slate Creek toward the West Virginia state line in 1911. In 1916 the BS&C was extended to Grundy. While the BS&C was responsible for acquiring the right-of-way, the BS&C contracted with the W.M. Ritter Lumber to build the railroad. Once constructed the lumber company would lease the railroad to the BS&C for operation. The N&W acquired the BS&C in 1923 and the logging railroads along the Levisa Fork constructed by the W.M. Ritter Lumber Company. The BS&C and W.M. Ritter Lumber Company logging railroad became the basis of the N&W’s Buchanan, Levisa and Dismal Creek branch lines."
~• from Norfolk and Western Historical Society P.O. Box 13908 — Roanoke Virginia — 24038-3908
Talk Among Friends
April - May - June 2016

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Oct 18 2018, 18:15:24 UTC

https://www.nwhs.org/eTAF/NWHS.eTAF.2016_02.web.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Ritter

"In 1894, Ritter established the W. M. Ritter Lumber Company in Welch, West Virginia. It would not be incorporated until 1901. He expanded his operations into Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.[1] In 1907, W. M. Ritter Lumber Company was indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of peonage. Ritter paid a ikonfine on behalf of his company.[1] The company would be regarded as the world's largest hardwood lumber company with over 300,000 acres of land. The company would eventually merge with Georgia-Pacific Lumber Company"

"In 1924, Ritter received national coverage for gifting US$3,000,000 (equivalent to $51,227,184 in 2022) worth of personal stock to 124 of his employees. Following the news, he was commended by President Calvin Coolidge"

"In 1905, Ritter lived and worked from Columbus, Ohio.[3] Prior to World War I, Ritter lived in Welch. During the war, he moved to Washington, D.C.[1]

Ritter was married twice. Ritter married Gertrude Adelaide Divine on February 2, 1896. They were later divorced.[9] He married Anita Owen Bell on July 20, 1926, in Richmond, Virginia. They had a foster son, Paul D. Ritter."