In 1940 the exodus of rural West Virginians to the industrial flatland of Northern Ohio began, as large numbers of victims of the Great Depression sought better lives. The migration continued until the mid-'60s and has been labeled one of the last such events in U.S. history.

Carl E. Feather's parents were part of that great journey in 1956, settling in Kingsville in Ashtabula County. Now lifestyle editor for the Ashtabula Star Beacon, Feather wrote about the migration in a series for his newspaper published in 1994. Response was positive and many readers urged him to expand the articles into a book.

That has happened. "Mountain People in a Flatland" (Ohio University Press, $39.95 hardcover, $19.95 paperback) contains interviews with many of the people who made that journey, seeking to better their lives. In fascinating detail, Feather writes about determined, courageous, stalwart stock, who endured hard work in massive manufacturing facilities.

"The Appalachian migrants felt that God was with them as they came north," Feather writes, "and that helped them weather the inevitable storms of settling in a new region.

Feather sees the mountaineer as believing in "the ultimate strength of democracy. He does not like to told what to do, yet his attitude is not flippant, for the mountaineer knows freedom must be tempered with responsibility." Feather's parents showed him first-hand "their intense love for the mountains and (they) shared the pain they experienced every time the car headed north after a visit 'back home'. "

One reason that West Virginians flourished in their new flatland can be attributed to being accustomed to hard work. "Employers found these qualities desirable," he writes. Between 1940 and 1970, an estimated 3.5 million mountaineers "yanked up their roots and headed to the northern cities of opportunity." While Ashtabula was not a leading recipient of the migrants, it attracted its share, though not in numbers recorded in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Akron. But Ashtabula "provided hundreds of southern highlanders with the same opportunities available in these large cities without the stresses inherent in an urban atmosphere."

"Mountain People in a Flat Land" contains many excellent photographs of the people who related their experiences to Feather. His abilities with a camera match his steady hand as an observer skilled in painting pictures with words.

The book was, he admits, a labor of love. "The book honors those people, but most importantly, it's a way to honor my parents long after they and I are gone," he said. "I love Appalachia, its people, culture and mountains."

Writing the book began in earnest in July of 1995. "I began building chapters around decades of migration, places where people worked, kin connections and communities of origin," he said, although outside events forced him to stop writing once or twice. He received the go-ahead from the publishers on June 4, 1997, the day his son graduated from high school. Last summer he revisited the people he had interviewed, "photographing them, letting them read the chapters they were quoted in, making prints and weaving scholarly references into the text."

During the interviews, he first tried taping, but found that many of his subjects felt uncomfortable with a recorder running. "I finally left the recorder at home and filled 25 to 30 pages of legal-sized paper from each interview."

Feather believes his book is the first popular history written on the migration.

The first-time author tosses compliments at his editors. "I kept Gillian Berchowitz's letter of acceptance hanging on the wall over my computer during the revision period," he said. "It kept me motivated."

Of manuscript editor Nancy Basmajian, he said she was "more than an editor; she's been a teacher. I have learned so much from her that I've applied to my daily writing at the Star Beacon. Truly, writing and revising this book has been my college education. I can't thank Nancy enough. I have a tremendous amount of admiration for her skill and attention to detail."

Should the book become a success, Feather said he'd liked to do a statewide "Mountain People," focusing on families who settled in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. "I'd also like to do a book about mountain people who stayed put, how they rode out the bad economic times, and why they didn't follow kin north." He also hopes to put together a volume of inspirational photography and writings.

Carl Feather embraces his childhood memories of his native state. "I associate nothing but good with those days," he said.

Readers who pick up a copy of "Mountain People in a Flat Land" should find it a fascinating, nostalgic and satisfying account of the human desire for betterment.