Shenandoah National Park is a place of such beauty and color, we were catching our breaths with each turn on Skyline Drive. The leaves are nearing their peak, and we saw reds (okay, colorblind Stan didn't see so many!), oranges, yellows, greens, purples, even pinks, that made the mountains look like a quilt. The history of the place isn't so easily described; in fact, it's quite complicated. In the early 1900s, the "powers-that-be" decided the country needed a national park close to the large cities of the east...something along the lines of Yellowstone, with its miles and miles of wilderness as well as dramatic beauty. Various areas were scouted, and the mountains on the western edge of Virginia were declared perfect for the venture. The only problem: the land was privately owned by thousands of individuals and families. The government's solution was a combination of actions: buy up the land where able (usually at grossly undervalued amounts); declare land as necessary for federal roadways (eminent domain); and in many cases, condemn the land, forcing owners off their lands through eviction. The propaganda for the park's creation included outrageous statements: that it was acreage that had been overused and blighted (true only for perhaps 15% of the total); the land was uninhabited wilderness (more than 2,000 people had homes along the 105-mile Skyline drive that is the spine of the park); the few people who did live there were destitute, uneducated and unchurched (many schools, churches and farms prospered in the area).
The unsavory history took a little of the shine off of the spectacular scenery, as did the knowledge that much of the park was racially segregated for the first half of its existence. But there is some positive history that helps to offset a bit of the negative. First, the park literally was built by the CCC--Civilian Conservation Corps, established by FDR to combat the Great Depression's devastating effect on households across the country. Thousands of young men from economically distressed families were hired for $30 a month. Of that amount, $25 was automatically sent back to their families. They were given nutritious meals (many gained weight in spite of the grueling work) and learned vocational skills, such as wiring and plumbing. And the camps in which they lived were supervised by the military, which provided uniforms, conduct codes and strict discipline.
The CCC was responsible for public works projects that spanned the country. Shenandoah came to life under their sweat and back-breaking work. The park's Skyline Drive was built, including its rocked guardrails and overlooks; the road winds along and through the ridge of mountains, with specatular overlooks (and drop-offs) on either side the entire way. Hiking, biking and horse trails are plentiful, and a few guest lodges built by the CCC are still in use (although significantly updated in recent years).
By the time of the park's completion in 1938, the CCC had:
* installed 28 water/sewage systems
* made 4,001 signs and markers (including granite mile markers)
* built 165 miles of horse trails
* installed 136 miles of telephone cable
* planted or moved 147,595 trees and shrubs
* seeded or sodded 361 acres
* built 1,145 miles of fire hazard trails
* cut 1,149 acres of vistas
* built 101 miles of hiking trails
We fell in love with Shenandoah, even though we saw only the northern half of the park. We hope to explore its southern half in November, when we return to western Virginia. Until then, we're headed east and south. Tomorrow, we'll reconnect with our friends Wilbur and Orville Wright as we visit Kitty Hawk and the monuments to their successful flights on the windswept coast.
I'll close with a couple funny family moments:
-We passed a dead skunk, a victim of roadkill, and knew we were in for a terrible stench. Kelsey, as though trying to disprove our warning, inhaled a huge breath, turned a shade of green, and said, "Yep, it smells awful."
-We saw cotton crops for the first time today (with the fluffy bolls visible in the pods). Kendall said we must be in Arkansas, because her electronic toy/teaching map identifies cotton as one of the crops grown in that state, and doesn't list it for North Carolina. Should we toss our Rand McNally road atlas out the window?!
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