Wise County/Russell County

Wise County Wise County was formed in 1856 from Lee, Scott, and Russell Counties. It was named for Henry Alexander Wise who was governor of Virginia from 1856 to 1860. The county seat is the town of Wise. After the Civil War the town of Wise grew and the county's industry expanded because of the growth of the railroads and the increased mining of coal in the region. Noted novelist John Fox Jr. lived in the town of Big Stone Gap here for a portion of his life and wrote the best-selling novels The Trail of the Lonesome Pine and The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come. Russell County Russell County was formed from Washington County in 1786. The county is named for William Russell, a Clinch Valley pioneer and member of the Virginia House of Delegates who introduced the legislation forming the county. The Clinch River runs through the county and the Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve lies within the river’s watershed. Named for a towering rock outcrop known as the Pinnacle, this preserve has an assortment of geological features as well as a variety of freshwater species. There also are many caves in the region. The county seat is Lebanon.