Queen Elizabeth I of England granted Sir Walter Raleigh the right to establish a colony north of Florida in a charter in 1583. A year later, Raleigh launched an expedition to North America. The name Virginia was probably chosen by Raleigh or Elizabeth herself. Because of political considerations, Elizabeth has been stylized since 1578 as the “Virgin Queen”. After the Wheeling Conventions, two conventions in the town of Wheeling in 1861, West Virginia was seceded from the state of Virginia and joined the Union as a separate state on June 20, 1863. It is one of the two states created during the American Civil War. The second state was Nevada, which was detached from Utah Territory. West Virginia is known for its scenic beauty, logging and mining industries. The variety of outdoor activities that are offered there make the state attractive to tourists: skiing, white water rafting, mountaineering, caving, fishing, hiking, hunting and much more. Between 1671 and 1725, many explorers came to explore the areas there. In 1725 settlers of German origin from Pennsylvania founded New Mecklenburg, present -day Shepherdstown. In the years that followed, the area was claimed by various groups. A significant portion of the country was controlled by George Washington between 1748 and 1751. During the French and Indian War (1754-1763) most British settlements were destroyed. At the same time there were numerous attacks by Indians, which continued until after the end of the American Civil War. West Virginia suffered comparatively little from the American Civil War. George B. McClellan’s troops took most of the territory. While there were some Confederate attacks that overran a significant portion of the country in 1863, Union control was never really threatened. After the Civil War, the new 35th state of the USA benefited greatly from the exploitation of its natural resources. In the second half of the 19th century, the mining of hard coal developed very strongly and also had a decisive influence on the time of the Industrial Revolution. However, coal is not the only valuable mineral found in West Virginia. The Jonas Diamond was discovered in Peterstown in April 1928. At 34. 48 carats (6,896 g), it is the largest river diamond ever discovered in the United States. Check topschoolsoflaw.com for brief history of the state of West Virginia.