The author was born in Elkins, WV and lived in Bemis, Randolph County during his early formative years. He also spent extensive time in Glady with relatives. He and his family moved to Monterville, WV in the mid-1960's when his father took a job for the Western Maryland Railroad at Slaty Fork. He attended and graduated from Tygarts Valley High School at Mill Creek. He and his family then moved to Valley Head in the early 1970's. He attended Potomac State College and later West Virginia University where he later graduated. He worked in the Facilities Management Department at WVU for 38 years before retiring in 2017. During the course of his life, he has spent countless hours with his father, grandfather, uncles, brother and son camping, hunting and exploring the mountains of Randolph, Pocahontas and Pendleton Counties. Many of these trips were planned solely to investigate abandoned towns, logging, mining, & civil war camps and to investigate the history of Native American Indians. It was during these numerous trips that he documented the history of these areas. Additionally, he has spent many long hours researching old newspapers and manuscripts on micro-film in libraries, studying court house records, census records, and conducting personal interviews, and many other sources to gain an in depth knowledge about the subject he is writing on in these books. Steve is also willing to help others with family history and/or historical information if requested. Contact: Stevebodkins03@gmail.com