When construction engineers reached Big Bend Mountain in Summers County in 1870, they faced an important decision: should they lay 13 miles of track following the Greenbrier River around the mountain or bore a mile-long tunnel straight through it? After careful calculations, they determined that the long-term savings in mileage would be more valuable than the immediate cost of building a tunnel.

So, they decided to construct what would become the Great Bend Tunnel, also known as Big Bend. It was the longest tunnel in the United States at the time. A major engineering feat, the challenging work wasn't completed until 1872. It was a key part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's expansion, opening the way for easier and faster travel through West Virginia's southern mountains.

The route of the tunnel through the mountain is illustrated by the blue line on the map.