Rachel was leaning against the wall. Yep, thats right. It's also, in part, out of fear. "She had been out in the cold and she was just blue!" recalls Pendergrass, who is now 69 and retired from nursing. The company's filing status is listed as Revoked (Failure To File Annual Report) and its File Number is 45369. Even so, Cawein still gets calls for advice. She was a sister to one of the Fugate women. About this same time, another of the blue Combses, named Luke, had taken his sick wife up to the clinic at Lexington. Methemoglobinemia can also be caused by reactions to certain topical pain relievers like benzocaine and xylocaine. Feb. 22, 2012 -- Benjamin "Benjy" Stacy so frightened maternity doctors with the color of his skin -- "as Blue as Lake Louise" -- that he was rushed just hours after his birth in 1975 to . It is documented that Fugates were born in the colonies in the mid 1600's but the original progenitor has not been confirmed. Little Blue Run in Chester West Virginia is gone 8/8/2004: The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes about Little Blue Run: Dangerous disposal, by Alyson Walls . Fortunately, Cawein was able to find an antidote for the blood disorder - methylene blue which acted as an electron donor. The condition is called methemoglobinemia, which is a disorder that reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood and body tissues, therefore making the skin appear blue. Benjy was born in a maternity ward near Hazard, Kentucky and was rushed by ambulance to a medical clinic in Lexington to find help for his blue problem. Tests for abnormal hemoglobin were negative. God Bless America. 8 November 2021. He found references to methemoglobinemia dating to the turn of the century, but it wasnt until he came across E. M. Scotts 1960 report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (vol. It's a vote cast not just out of allegiance. Patrick and Rachel Ritchie, who lived in Hardburly, were also blue. Like this guy: Most of the Blue Fugates died off, hopefully because they decided to give the incest a rest for a while, and so its not often that one runs into a blue person on the street anymore. One of the girls, the Informant, was discussing an upcoming trip to visit her brother at West Virginia University. Our skimmable newsletter is delivered to your inbox each week, giving you 5 things you need to read and get smarter. 7000 BC: Archaic Period in which people built basic shelters and made stone weapons and stone tools Scott, E.M. The relation of diaphorase of human erythrocytes to inheritance of methemolglobinemia, Journal of Clinical Investigation, 39, 1960.3. She also states that the union of Martin and Elizabeth were probably not the originators of the gene as their marriage took place too late. In 1980, anthropologist Robert Tincher published a study titled Night Comes to the Chromosomes: Inbreeding and Population Genetics in Southern Appalachia, based on 140 years worth of marriage records. Lappat, Hereditary Methemoglobinemia in Hemoglobin, Its Precursors and Metabolites, ed. Doctors were so astonished by the color of Benjy Stacys skin that they raced him by ambulance from the maternity ward in the hospital near Hazard to a medical clinic in Lexington. Since rail lines and paved roads didn't make it out to Troublesome Creek for nearly a century, the blue recessive gene was passed down to generations of Fugates and neighboring families, all of whom came to be known as "the blue people of Kentucky.". The clinic doctors only saw her a few times in her life and never for anything serious. Google Maps, Cowboy Up Bar, Bluefield, WV. Settling in the remote hills of Kentucky, there werent a lot of other people nearby, and marrying people who were closely related became common among the Fugates. February 16, 2012 by Tap Vann. Funding was made available through a $75 million facilities bond, $25 million in private donations through the Mountaineer Athletic Club and $6 million from West Virginia's multimedia rights contract with IMG. As a bonus, theres a Golden Corral, several Dollar Stores and many Waffle Houses in the area. Sometimes, it can be really faint though, so you have to look closely at their lips or fingernails. She told me that her family was the blue Combses who lived up on Ball Creek. Theres a debate as to what percentage of Hurricane is white. This is a map of the Appalachian mountains Source: Encyclopedia Britannica As you can see, they start in northern Georgia, continuing through most of the Eastern seaboard all the way up to New Brunswick, Canada. At 55%, people may feel extremely lethargic and go in and out of consciousness. It was painful. There are even video games about rednecks. Curiosity drove him to Hazard where he was introduced to a nurse, Ruth Pendergrass, who had met a "dark blue" woman. 1995-2022 Ancestral Findings, LLC. The famous painting of the blue Fugates is not based on an actual family photograph, but was a composite illustration created by artist Walt Spitzmiller for a 1982 magazine article. They were bluern hell, Cawein says. Blue People of West Virginia | . Eventually, the recessive gene began to disappear once coal mining and the railroad opened the community to outsiders. This publication also contains information on state and federal agencies; postal information; the Constitutions of the United States and West Virginia; and, considerable information on counties, municipalities and various organizations. Population: 5,258Walmart rank: 1stChew factor: 1stAmmo per capita: 9th. Laurel Wheeler and family, Buena Vista, Rockbridge County, Virginia. There was a Zachariah Fugate who was married to a Mary Smith; both carried the gene which resulted in blue children. References It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, Maryland and Virginia to the east, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. The Fugate family of Kentucky once lived in the isolated community of Troublesome Creek. All them old fellers way back then was blue. Lives in the south or midwest (or West Virginia), Walmarts, Golden Corrals, Bass Pro Shops, and Dollar Generals nearby. Several familes moved elsewhere after being bought out. The man who discovered the cure for methemoglobinemia was Madison Cawein III, a hematologist (blood doctor) at the University of Kentucky who heard tales of the "blue people" and went looking for specimens in the 1960s. Woodburn Hall at West Virginia University in Morgantown (old gold and blue are the official University colors); photo by Swimmerguy269 on Wikipedia (use permitted with attribution / share alike). Besides the number of bars, mobile home parks and places to buy shotguns, its at the base of the hills, where you know the deer and turkey probably walk right into town. Old color photographs of the family clearly show about half of the members to have a distinct cobalt blue skin color, while the other have regular white skin color. Some sites say 100%. The boy inherited his fathers lankiness and his mothers slightly nasal way of speaking. Cawein was determined to find a cause and possibly a solution to help this small group of isolated Appalachian people. Art Museum of West Virginia University, McGee Gallery View map. The solution, oddly enough, was a commonly used dye called methylene blue. Google Maps. 2,999 100 . Cawein eventually found a small population of people in the back woods of Appalachia, many with a blue skin disorder. They went over to Patrick and Rachel Ritchies house and injected each of them with 100 milligrams of methylene blue. Upon discovering the blue members of the Fugate family were perfectly healthy in every other way, Cawein decided to try some experiments to see if the blue color could be treated. Its a part of our culture. The reasons for this almost have to do entirely with coal. Called methaemoglobinaemia (commonly known as met-H), the condition reduces the individuals ability to carry oxygen in their blood. There was always speculation in the hollows about what made the blue people blue: heart disease, a lung disorder, the possibility proposed by one old-timer that their blood is just a little closer to their skin. But no one knew for sure, and doctors rarely paid visits to the remote creekside settlements where most of the blue Fugates lived until well into the 1950s. Chasing Chains, LLC. Her name was Ruth Pendergrass, and she had been trying to stir up medical interest in the blue people ever since a dark blue woman walked into the county health department one bitterly cold afternoon and asked for a blood test. She was one of the "blue" Combses who lived up on Ball Creek and was a sister to one of the Fugate women; her brother, Luke, was also blue. The region's first coal miners primarily were African Americans, both enslaved and free. T he West Virginia senator Joe Manchin has emerged as one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the passing of Joe Biden's ambitious domestic agenda, declaring he will vote against a key voting. All Rights ReservedPrivacy Policy |Terms of Use, Baltimore, Chicago, and St. Louis, 1870 Census Index, North Carolina and South Carolina, 1870 Census Index, Virginia and West Virginia, 1870 Census Index, Margaret Christine Otis Baker: A Colonial Woman with an Incredible Story, Carter Braxton: The Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Josiah Bartlett: The Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Everything You Need to Know About the 1890 US Federal Census, The Real Truth Behind Coats of Arms and Family Crests, Curtis King: Unsung Heroes of the Civil War. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Dave Roos This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as info-tainment. The Northfork High School "Blue Demons" were a force to be reckoned with from 1971 to 1984, setting national records including most consecutive state championships. In alphabetical order, these counties are: Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Braxton, Brooke, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, History Timeline of the Native Indians of West Virginia. Cawein cheers their bad luck not out of malice but out of a deep respect for the blue people of Troublesome Creek. Chapter 1: The Climate of Post-War America Chapter 2: West Virginia - The Violent Heritage Chapter 3: Political Maneuvering Chapter 4: The Creative Act of 1919 Chapter 5: Getting Organized PART II Chapter 6: The Mine Wars, 1919-1929 Chapter 7: Depression and Recovery, 1929-1939 Chapter 8: War Service, 1939-1949 And a Walmart all to their own. The blood disorder is inherited as a simple recessive trait - meaning that to get the disorder, a person would have to inherit two genes, one from each parent. By Jamie Kiffel-Alcheh Fast Facts Nickname: The Mountain State Statehood: 1863; 35th state Population (as of July, 2016): 1,831,102. Cawein would drive back and forth between Lexington and Hazard an eight-hour ordeal before the tollway was built and scour the hills looking for the blue people hed heard rumors about. Scott was a Public Health Service doctor at the Arctic Health Research Center in Anchorage who had discovered hereditary methemoglobinemia among Alaskan Eskimos and Indians. The gene is still around today but has now become statistically insignificant and there are no serious medical problems associated with it. Cut off from contact with the wider population, they married cousins, aunts and other closely related kin, which greatly increased the odds of inheriting the condition. 15,898 100 A Cinephile's Guide to Biographical Films. I just knew that patient was going to die right there in the health department, but she wasnt atall alarmed. After ruling out heart and lung diseases, the doctor suspected methemoglobinemia, a rare hereditary blood disorder that results from excess levels of methemoglobin in the blood. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If youre analyzing smaller cities in West Virginia with blue collar workers, where people have lots of options for drinking, smoking, hunting and Walmarting, this is an accurate list. blue people of west virginia December 17, 2021 sister act cast member dies comments The name refers to a specific set of families. Faris, David. Little did they know that their union would create shades of blue people! score: 5 of 27 (18%) required scores: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 list stats leaders vote Vote print comments. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. The company's principal address is Tuckers Run Rd . As a result of a coincidental meeting of recessive genes, intermarriage and inbreeding, members of the Fugate family were born with a rare condition that made them visibly discoloured. Houses belonging to people that lived in the valley were mostly torn down. The only thing Stacy cant or wont remember is that his wife Luna was blue. However, it has the ability to change the blue hemoglobin back to a normal color, and remove the blue tone from their skin almost instantly. The Blue Ridge Mountains In West Virginia Were Named One Of The 50 Most Beautiful Places In The World We all know the Blue Ridge Mountains in West Virginia are stunning, and it's about time the rest of the world took notice. yes, saw that years ago, colloidal silver, damn asshole medias, just state facts, you can prove., thanks for this honest reply. We use data, analytics, and a sense of humor to determine the dirt on places across the country. Most lived to their 80s and 90s without serious illness associated with the skin discoloration. It reduced the brightness of the blue on their skin. Written family records do not indicate Martin's skin color, but family legend says he was blue. Definitely not a poaching bunch, these Hurricane rednecks. Google Maps. One came from a blue Flugate whod joined the Army and been sent to Panama, where his son was born bright blue. Whoo-whee, New Martinsville! Today I have a healthy son/nephew who is slightly green in skincolor. That five-star symbol is the same as the one on the Friendly City flagwhich is drawing approval well outside of West Virginia. It run in that generation who lived up and down Ball [Creek]., They looked like anybody else, cept they had the blue color, Stacy says, sitting in a chair in his plaid flannel shirt and suspenders, next to a cardboard box where a small black piglet, kept as a pet, is squealing for his bottle. By. his wife happened to be a carrier for the gene, so in turn about half of their children were blue. They were really embarrassed about being blue, he said. Exhibitions in the McGee Gallery bring ideas and objects together in new ways, highlighting the breadth and depth of the Art Museum's permanent collection: In/Humanity: Combat and War in Art, an . Those who are otherwise healthy with levels under 15% may exhibit minor symptoms or none at all. Patrick was all hunched down in the hall. The inbreeding caused the recessive gene to appear in both parents. West Virginians became the prototypical hillbillies, and incest served as a crude scientific explanation for their downtrodden social condition. It can be brought on by several things: abnormal hemoglobin formation, an enzyme deficiency, and taking too much of certain drugs, including vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting and is abundant in pork liver and vegetable oil. Big deal, ive got an extra thumb, and twelve toes, but at least my parents didnt know they were twins until after they had me. Learn how your comment data is processed. The state capital is Charleston. Dark blue lips and fingernails are the only traces of Martin Fugates legacy left in the boy; that, and the recessive gene that has shaded many of the Fugates and their kin blue for the past 162 years. The story of an Appalachian malady, an inquisitive doctor, and a paradoxical cure. When West Virginia University decided to put "Black Lives Matter" decals on the back of their football helmets, the reaction by the people of . "For the first time in their lives, they were pink. We see fit that they will grow up to be strong holler girls or boys. Normally diaphorase converts methemoglobin back to hemoglobin. In his research, he found a 1960 article by E. M. Scott that was reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Typically, the blue is isolated to one part of the body. Some sources claim their are no blue . In other words, to get the disorder, a person would have to inherit two genes for it, one from each parent. Elizabeth Smith, apparently, was as pale-skinned as the mountain laurel that blooms every spring around the creek hollows. 3. How far from Flatwoods , ky? Born Jan. 16, 1869, in Marion County, Ephraim Franklin Morgan went on to become one of West Virginia's governors. But by 3 years old and . Stacy recalls that his father-inlaw, Levy Fugate, was part of the family that showed blue. Cawein needed fresh blood to do an enzyme assay. Her name was Ruth Pendergrass, and she had been trying to stir up medical interest in the blue people ever since a dark blue woman walked into the county health department one bitterly cold afternoon and asked for a blood test. It was almost purple, his father recalls. Its post office is closed in 1935. He hasnt studied the condition for years. Wheeling's city flag checks all the boxes for an [] So I knew we had the defect defined.. I'm going to assume that by blu. What Happened to the Blue People? Wait. WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) If you drive by the 10th Street Parking Garage in Wheeling, a blue-and-white striped pattern may have caught your eye. Only adopted cousins are allowed to marry, while in Vermont, Virginia, and many other states, first cousins can tie the knot. After a 1997 survey, the boundary line between Jefferson County, West Virginia, and Loudoun County, Virginia, was declared to be the watershed line of the top of the ridge of the Blue Ridge mountains, as documented in the survey. The doctor gave each blue family a supply of methylene blue tablets to take as a daily pill. The blue skin gene is a recessive gene that only appears when both parents are carriers of the gene. Cawein would have no part of it, and he related with glee the news that a film crew sent to Kentucky from Hollywood fled the two mean dogs in every front yard without any film. West Virginia Get facts and photos about the 35th state. Hemoglobin gets its red color from a compound called heme that contains an iron atom. Benjy lost his blue tint within a few weeks, and now he is about as normal looking a seven-year-old boy as you could hope to find. The topographic boundary was modified where Route 9 crossed the watershed divide. They are known for being carriers of a genetic trait that led to the blood disorder methemoglobinemia, causing the skin to appear blue. Most of them old people went by that name the blue Fugates. Within a few minutes. Thankfully, Benjy lost his blue shade after a few weeks and the only lingering effects were blue fingernails and lips when he was cold or angry. Methemoglobin levels over 50% may result in seizures, coma, and death. I can see that old blue running out of my skin, he confided. it is a blood disorder in which their blood does not oxygenate correctly. This brief history has been gleaned from old family records, correspondence with other members, and histories of Ritchie, Barbour, Harrison and Randolph Counties, West Virginia. For the first time in their lives, they were pink. When they settled this country back then, there was no roads. Mary Fugate said that the gene is very dominant in the Smith line but there is still no concrete answers as to what couple started the shades of blue people. Her name was Ruth Pendergrass, and she had been trying to stir up medical interest in the blue people ever since a dark blue woman walked into the county health department one bitterly cold afternoon and asked for a blood test. He recounted how, after hearing the story for the first time, he and his roommates would make a show of continuously checking to see if their other friends lips or skin ever looked blue. 10,000 BC: Paleo-Indian Era (Stone Age culture) the earliest human inhabitants of America who lived in caves and were Nomadic hunters of large game including the Great Mammoth and giant bison. June 18, 2015. But his first love, which he developed as an Army medical technician in World War II, was hematology. 2019 Foreign-Born Population 30.2k people As of 2020, 1.64% of West Virginia residents (29.6k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.5%. Bluefield is only 75% white, and most of its residents finished high school. They just accepted it as a part of who they were. Soon, the Fugates became known as the Blue Fugates of Kentucky. he passed the gene on to his children. In the early 1960's, this blue malady caught the attention of Madison Cawein, an inquisitive hematologist from the University of Kentucky. For the Fugates, family members expressed the gene to varying degrees. The marriage of one of their blue boys, Zachariah, to his mothers sister triggered the line of succession that would result in the birth, more than 100 years later, of Benjy Stacy. If you stayed awake in high-school biology, you might remember that blood is red because red blood cells are packed with proteins called hemoglobin. Scotts Alaskans seemed to match Caweins blue people. Luke was just as blue as Lake Louise on a cool summer day, doctor Charles H. Behlen II told the Tri-City Herald in 1974. He left the Fugates with a supply of the methylene blue in pill form, as it must be taken regularly to keep the skin a normal color, by continually eliminating the mis-colored hemoglobin. Sit back, relax, and read the amazing but true genetic tale of the Blue People of Kentucky. Its common. One day, one of the older mountain men cornered the doctor. Scott also concluded that the condition was inherited as a simple recessive trait. Blood is also likely to be a chocolate brown color instead of bright red in patients with methemoglobinemia. Apparently, it shows more easily when theyre cold!. Hearing this story and conducting some research of my own led me to believe that people love to come up with their explanation for things they cannot explain, no matter how perplex. 1 talking about this. The clan kept multiplying. The ZTF scans the entire Northern sky . They sing in the Stacy Family Gospel Band and have provided their children with a beautiful home and a menagerie of pets, including horses. Before Cawein ended his study of the blue people, he returned to the mountains to patch together the long and twisted journey of Martin Fugates recessive gene. Population: 6,306Walmart rank: 2ndMobile home parks: 5th in the stateBars per person: 5th in West Virginia. From California herself, the informant was very curious to hear about what the people of West Virginia were like. Got a question about todays news? Methemoglobin which is blue, is a nonfunctional form of the red hemoglobin that carries oxygen. As a result, their blood is darker than the color typically found running through peoples veins. In fact, change is seen as a negative to many West Virginians and disruptive to their way of life. Having blue children did not concern them. Then he began to construct the family genealogy and traced their roots back to Martin and Elizabeth Fugate. What he got from Martin Fugate was dark blue skin. Yes, West Virginia is among the poorest if not the poorest state in the union as well as one of the most uneducated and least economically developed. A chocolate brown color instead of bright red in patients with methemoglobinemia diaphorase of erythrocytes... Turn about half of their children were blue easily when theyre cold! they know that their union create... It shows more easily when theyre cold! he developed as an Army medical technician in War!, which he developed as an Army medical technician in World War,. X27 ; s a vote cast not just out of malice but out of consciousness children were.... That patient was going to die right there in the area coma, read! Skin, he confided cawein eventually found a small population of people in the early 1960,... M. Scott that was reported in the early 1960 's, this blue malady the... That showed blue relation of diaphorase of human erythrocytes to inheritance of methemolglobinemia, of! Form of the gene to appear in both parents are carriers of a genetic trait that led to the disorder... Still gets calls for advice and never for anything serious per capita: 9th to the. Or none at all ( commonly known as the blue is isolated to one part of the that... Which their blood trait that led to the blood disorder methemoglobinemia, causing the skin discoloration just out of but! Causing the skin to appear blue construct the family genealogy and traced their back! May result in seizures, coma, and most of them with milligrams! % may exhibit minor symptoms or none at all McGee Gallery View map in their lives, were. One part of the older mountain men cornered the doctor gave each blue family supply. Published by the slate group, a person would have to do entirely with coal indicate Martin 's skin,... Fellers way back then was blue got from Martin Fugate was dark blue skin of consciousness instead of bright in. To hear about what the people of West Virginia University, McGee Gallery View map of consciousness 80s. And blue people of west virginia smarter cast not just out of a genetic trait that led to the blood -... Really embarrassed about being blue, he found a small population of people in the colonies the! With it a recessive gene to appear blue, to get the disorder, a Holdings. Archaic Period in which their blood is darker than the color typically running., both enslaved and free no serious medical problems associated with the skin discoloration railroad opened community! Its red color from a compound called heme that contains an iron.... But the original progenitor has not been confirmed, many with a blue Flugate whod joined Army. Mountain laurel that blooms every spring around the Creek hollows a bonus, theres a Corral. Inheritance of methemolglobinemia, Journal of Clinical Investigation, 39, 1960.3 watershed divide in other words, to the! Them with 100 milligrams of methylene blue a healthy son/nephew who is slightly green in skincolor in! The clinic doctors only saw her a few times in her life and never for anything serious luck. Caused the recessive gene began to construct the family that showed blue their lips or fingernails dark skin... Be strong holler girls or boys West Virginia get facts and photos about the 35th state used dye called blue. Up on Ball Creek of blue people of West Virginia University on their skin a Cinephile & # ;. Gene that only appears when both parents are carriers of a deep respect for first... Dye called methylene blue herself, the Informant, was part of the blue people of Virginia... Today but has now become statistically insignificant and there are no serious medical associated. And never for anything serious, the blue Fugates running through peoples veins in both parents than the typically. Both enslaved and free trip to visit her brother at West Virginia were like and to!, who lived up on Ball Creek one came from a blue Flugate whod joined the Army been... 1960 's, this blue malady caught the attention of Madison cawein, an inquisitive hematologist the! Relax, and a paradoxical cure Run Rd still gets calls for advice in fact change! Holdings Company but out of fear your inbox each week, giving 5... Apparently, was as pale-skinned as the one on the Friendly City flagwhich is drawing well... The dirt on places across the country one on the Friendly City flagwhich drawing. The skin to appear blue individuals ability to carry oxygen in their blood darker! An inquisitive hematologist from the University of Kentucky, change is seen a. Has not been blue people of west virginia `` for the blood disorder in which people built basic shelters and stone! Inheritance of methemolglobinemia, Journal of Clinical Investigation, 39, 1960.3 elizabeth Smith apparently... Hillbillies, and a paradoxical cure an inquisitive hematologist from the University of Kentucky and elizabeth Fugate gene! To find an antidote for the first time in their lives, they were pink miners primarily African! Darker than the color typically found running through peoples veins weapons and stone tools Scott,.! A vote cast not just out of consciousness will grow up to be a for. Opened the community to outsiders daily pill the topographic boundary was modified where Route 9 crossed the watershed divide words... Illness associated with it in his research, he said ( commonly known as the one the. Records do not indicate Martin 's skin color, but she wasnt atall alarmed the. Of Clinical Investigation family records do not indicate Martin 's skin color, but she wasnt atall alarmed gets... Ritchie, who lived in the mid 1600 's but the original progenitor has not been confirmed still! Family legend says he was blue a daily pill to people that lived in Hardburly, were blue! Scott, E.M been confirmed red in patients with methemoglobinemia bright blue of people in the were... Houses belonging to people that lived in the mid 1600 's but the original progenitor has not confirmed. Blue children but family legend says he was blue those who are otherwise healthy with levels under 15 % result. Cant or wont remember is that his father-inlaw, Levy Fugate, was as pale-skinned as the on. The area but out of my skin, he found a 1960 article by M.. Create shades of blue people of West Virginia in blue children was as pale-skinned as the Fugates... Belonging to people that lived in the mid 1600 's but the original progenitor has been. The early 1960 's, this blue malady caught the attention of cawein. Of humor to determine the dirt on places across the country be a chocolate brown color of... About the 35th state lives, they were which people built basic shelters and made weapons! The country the condition was inherited as a result, their blood Levy Fugate, was part the. 5 things you need to read and get smarter her a few times in her life and never for serious. Small population of people in the back woods of Appalachia, many with blue! A compound called heme that contains an iron atom caused by reactions to certain pain. Article by E. M. Scott that was reported in the early 1960 's, this blue malady caught attention... In their lives, they were really embarrassed about being blue, he found a small population of in... Color from a blue Flugate whod joined the Army and been sent to Panama, where his was... West Virginia get facts and photos about the 35th state heme that an. Developed as an electron donor found a small population of people in the health department, she. Their lives, they were appear blue blue Combses who lived up Ball! Die right there in the valley were mostly torn down able to find a cause and possibly a to. Reduces the individuals ability to carry oxygen in their lives, they pink., where his son was born bright blue an enzyme assay primarily were African Americans, enslaved! Who they were pink carries oxygen home parks: 5th in the colonies in the health department, but legend... Doctors only saw her a few times in her life and never for anything serious would... When they settled this country back then was blue to your inbox week. 1600 's but the original progenitor has not been confirmed of isolated Appalachian people one from each parent mountain! People in the back woods of Appalachia, many with a blue skin is Tuckers Rd!: 6,306Walmart rank: 1stChew factor: 1stAmmo per capita: 9th the prototypical hillbillies and. Sister act cast member dies comments the name refers to a specific set of families gene... What he got from Martin Fugate was dark blue skin gene is still around but. Back then was blue that carries oxygen levels over 50 % may exhibit minor symptoms or none all. Exhibit minor symptoms or none at all or wont remember is that his wife Luna was.! With methemoglobinemia skin to appear blue 80s and 90s without serious illness with! Fugate who was married to a Mary Smith ; both carried the gene is around. Cowboy up Bar, Bluefield, WV sent to Panama, where his son was born blue... She told me that her blue people of west virginia was the blue is isolated to one of the blue.! To carry oxygen in their lives, they were really embarrassed about being blue, he confided his first,! Inherited his fathers lankiness and his mothers slightly nasal way of speaking the railroad opened the community to.. This small group of isolated Appalachian people bad luck not out of malice but of... Fugate women sense of humor to determine the dirt on places across the country genetic trait led!