Elkins Joins the Rosie the Riveter Bluebird Trail

ELKINS, W.Va. — June 25, 2026 — Elkins officially joined several communities across West Virginia that have launched the Rosie the Riveter Bluebird Trail. During an event yesterday at All Veterans Memorial Park, representatives of community organizations including the Emma Scott Gardening Club, veterans’ groups, and scout troops installed a bluebird box near the Elkins Rosie the Riveter statue. The ceremony honored past Rosies while looking ahead to the future.

The Rosie the Riveter Bluebird Trail is one initiative within the American Rosie Movement, which honors the famed “Rosies” of World War II by fostering a new social movement that inspires Americans to work together.

Headlining yesterday’s ceremony was Lorraine Moran (pictured below), a former Rosie who will turn 103 in July. The many jobs she held during World War II while her husband served our nation overseas included serving meals to U.S. soldiers at Davis & Elkins College and the local airport. Mrs. Moran will also serve as the Grand Marshal for the July 4 parade in downtown Elkins.

For the millions of Rosies like Mrs. Moran who worked in the defense industry, the bluebird became a symbol of hope and cooperation during the war. Decades later, the bluebird, despite its declining population, endures as an important symbol of optimism. To that end, the Rosie the Riveter Bluebird Trail seeks to honor the Rosies’ legacy by ensuring bluebird populations can safely nest, recover, and thrive across the U.S.

Anne Montague, a Charleston, W.Va. resident who has worked for the past 18 years to ensure that the Rosies’ contribution endures, addressed yesterday’s gathering. “Rosies loved the bluebird because they are good parents; they are red, white, and blue; and most of all, they almost died out without notice until we humans pulled together and learned how to save them.”

Communities that are already part of the Rosie the Riveter Bluebird Trail include Fairmont, Grafton, Shinnston, Weston, and Duffy. The planning phase will continue for at least the next two years while the leaders of this initiative decide on the exact trail route, its entry points, and partner communities.

To learn more about the American Rosie Movement, visit: https://www.americanrosiemovement.org/

To learn more about nationwide efforts to preserve bluebird populations, visit: https://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/