Shenandoah National Park ⓘ

People have lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains for at least 9,000 years. American Indians hunted and gathered game, fruit, nuts, and berries on the upland slopes. Some constructed permanent villages at the lowest elevations in the Piedmont and Shenandoah Valley outside the Park. The earliest European settlers moved into the foothills by the 1750s. These settlers moved upwards in a constant search for land on which to farm, graze livestock, and tend to orchards. In the mid to late 1800s people purchased mountain land for the extraction of resources: copper, lumber, bark for leather tanning, and water for powering mill operations. Others early saw the beauty of the Blue Ridge as a commercial product in itself, and built resorts catering to visitors from the cities. There are some groups and individuals that have left a significant mark on Shenandoah National Park. The several hundred mountain residents who lived on the land that became the Park left behind their homes and communities, forced to start anew. The Civilian Conservation Corps employed hundreds of young men to build roads and trails, to re-establish wilderness and create a park that people would come to see. George Freeman Pollock saw a business opportunity in the clean air and mountain views and established Skyland Resort , a getaway from the industrial cities nearby. Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover built their own getaway here, Rapidan Camp , as a retreat during Hoover’s often tumultuous Presidency. Park managers and visitors have played a role in Shenandoah National Park’s history. Park managers initially established segregated facilities. Black visitors could picnic and camp in Lewis Mountain, but nowhere else. Desegregation occurred officially in 1950, yet the impact of separate facilities did not vanish overnight. People from Shenandoah’s past can be found all around. If you pay close attention you may walk past the foundations of an old home site or through a cluster of apple trees that were once an orchard. You may stop at an overlook and stand on a rock wall that a young man from the CCC built years ago. Every trail and campground, every overlook and bend on Skyline Drive has been travelled before. You, our visitors today, decide what Shenandoah National Park will become for people who have yet to visit this enchanting place.

History in Shenandoah National Park is evident all along Skyline Drive: at overlooks with rock walls, at stone-lined ditches, at every bend in the road. Developed areas like Big Meadows, Panorama, and Dickey Ridge tell stories of what Park managers planned for Shenandoah and how those plans have changed. At Skyland imagine the colorful entertainment and the parties, the life of vacationers here before the Park was established. At Rapidan Camp listen to the river flowing and feel how Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover could have felt at their getaway in the mountains. Visit Lewis Mountain, today a quiet campground and picnic ground, but once a segregated area intended for black visitors who were prohibited from the other developed areas in Shenandoah. Contemplate the history of land preservation and public recreation on the Appalachian Trail, 105 miles of which is located right here. Don’t just take it from us; over three hundred of Shenandoah National Park’s historical structures are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There is history everywhere in Shenandoah if you look closely.

What would prompt an eighteen year old to leave home, work 5½ days a week of manual labor, in all seasons and all weather, just to earn $30 per month, out of which only $5 he could keep for himself? Answer: the Great Depression, one of the longest-lasting, most profound economic downturns in the history of the Western industrialized world. Part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s response to these dramatic events was for the government to adopt a variety of programs, together coined the New Deal. New Deal programs came in three categories: relief, recovery, and reform. The CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, was a relief program funded from 1933-1942. FDR formed the CCC as a part of his First 100 Days legislation. The program was designed for the immediate relief of families with unemployed young men. Enrollment in the CCC was originally limited to unmarried, healthy men with families aged 18 to 23. The men would agree to a minimum of a six-month term of service, focusing on soil conservation and reforestation with vigorous, disciplined outdoor labor. The CCC provided uniforms, shelter, three meals a day, and training. They got paid $30/month, $25 of which was sent directly home to their parents. They got $5 for their own use! Much of the work that the Civilian Conservation Corps accomplished was located in national, state, and local parks. In 9 years the CCC planted nearly 3 billion trees and developed more than 800 parks across the United States. This work included building shelters, stocking rivers and lakes with nearly 1 billion fish, clearing beaches, digging canals and ditches, restoring historic battlefields, and countless other projects. Between May of 1933 and March of 1942, 12 CCC camps in 9 different locations opened in and around what was to become Shenandoah National Park. Each camp was home to around 200 boys at any given time. The U.S. Army controlled the camps and regimented the lived of those who lived there. During the nine years the Civilian Conservation Corps existed in Shenandoah, they helped build the infrastructure for the future national park. Their achievements included the instillation, construction, and landscaping of areas all along Skyline Drive, overlooks, picnic grounds, and developed areas.In their cumulative accomplishments are some impressive statistics:

These numbers do not reflect the high school diplomas earned, work skills taught, and lives saved through the CCC. An unanticipated consequence of work in and with the CCC was preparation for the massive call-up of civilians to military service during World War II. The more than 6,500 boys who came to Shenandoah not only created the park as we know it today, they became men who have left their legacy for our future generations to enjoy.

Decades before Shenandoah National Park was established, vacationers traveled to Skyland Resort seeking respite from urbanized, mechanized city life. The resort was created in the late 1800s and grew in popularity among middle class business people in nearby urban areas. George Freeman Pollock, dynamic and gregarious, managed Skyland with a showman's flair. His ever-present bugle awoke guests each morning, summoned them to meals and elaborate entertainments, and announced the departure of the daily mail. Pollock promoted the resort through his newspaper, The Stony Man Camp Bugle Call. Published somewhat erratically, the paper provides a glimpse into daily life at the resort we know today as Skyland. Bugle Call July 2, 1898 (343kb pdf) Bugle Call July 11, 1898 (343kb pdf) Bugle Call July 25, 1898 (1.1mb pdf) Bugle Call August 8, 1898 (1.3mb pdf) Bugle Call August 22, 1898 (1mb pdf) Bugle Call September 15, 1898 (642kb pdf) Bugle Call August 9, 1901 (344kb pdf) Bugle Call August 23, 1901 (461kb pdf)

In 1854 Samuel and Maria Williams of Brooklyn, New York purchased 21,371 acres of land in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia for $4,750. One year later the land was passed on to the Virginia Cliff Copper Company for $1,000,000, although only $7,000 was ever actually tendered. Soon 5,371 acres of the tract were sold to the newly incorporated (January 1858) Stony Man Mining Company for $550,000 of stockholder funds . In 1866 the Miners Lode Copper Company (incorporated in NYC in 1865) purchased the property--its principal stockholders were Stephen M. Allen and George H. Pollock.

Although copper did exist in the area and was mined, it was not commercially successful. By 1889 Pollock and Allen were forced to obtain a $52,000 mortgage to pay their debts. The following year, convinced by Pollock's son George Freeman that the property had value for resort development, Pollock Sr. and Allen incorporated as the Stoneyman Park Preserve Lands, Inc. and began selling mortgage bonds guaranteed by building lots at the new Stoneyman Park Preserve. By the time Pollock Sr. and Allen died in 1893 over thirty building lots (at the future Skyland) had been sold. The lot sales, however, were to no avail for in 1896 the Albemarle County Courts ordered the entire property sold at public auction to satisfy the 1889 mortgage.

George Freeman Pollock convinced the Chancery Court to allow him to buy the Blue Ridge land on credit although he had no real occupation and little money. He was back before the judge again in 1900, 1902, and 1904, in each case gaining approval to sell off part of the assets to bring his debt current. By 1906 he was able to borrow, mortgage, and mortgage again enough to finally retire the 1889 mortgage and, theoretically, to gain title to the resort. In actuality Pollock never owned the Stony Man Camp/Skyland property. At the time of the establishment of Shenandoah National Park he had $67,107.22 in outstanding liens against a property ultimately appraised at less than $30,000. He received nothing for almost four decades of work on the resort and many of his creditors, as the copper stockholders years earlier, received nothing.

Pollock was not a businessman, but he was a promoter. Over the years he sold lots for and developed cabins on almost fifty lots and established the rustic architecture still seen at the resort. He established dining and recreation halls for which there were no alternatives and did guarantee some regular income, but most of all he planned and engineered elaborate balls, costume parties, teas, jousts and tournaments, musicales, pageants, and bonfires. Many of the cabin owners first came for the three-month season, but as automobiles became ubiquitous, shorter stays of a few weeks or just a few days became more common. With the advent of the Skyline Drive, day-tripping was the norm and the "old" Skyland became a thing of the past.

The Skyland Resort became the core of the new Shenandoah National Park after the National Park Service awarded the new concession contract to Virginia Sky-Line Company, Inc. in 1937. The Richmond-based company immediately began to build new facilities and to rehabilitate the earlier ones. Twelve historic Skyland structures remain and allow modern visitors to experience life at the turn of the 20 th century.

The figures and forces of the early days of Skyland Resort come to life in a tour of the recently restored 1911 cabin.

Some forces of nature are readily visible, while occur on a time scale that makes them difficult to detect by human senses. Interactions between people and the landscape have brought about change in many ways. Most land in Shenandoah has been disturbed by human activity in some way. Climate change is resulting in changing weather patterns that Park scientists are actively monitoring to understand the impact these changes will have on Park resources. Our air quality is affected by pollutants from outside the park, sometimes impacting the views from the many scenic vistas along Skyline Drive. Shenandoah is one of the best place to view dark night skies for people who live in the crowded eastern seaboard, yet light pollution is a constant threat to nighttime views. Forest health can be heavily impacted by diseases , pests , and nonnative species . Even the soundscape can impact animal life. Park staff and cooperating scientists are working to better understand these many environmental factors and to find ways to manage those that are adversely impacting the condition of park resources.

There's nothing quite like spending a night under the stars. Here in Shenandoah, there are two kinds of camping: campground camping and backcountry camping. Start planing your trip by determining what kind is right for you. Whatever you decide, get your campfire stories and marshmallows ready.

For questions about campground regulations and reservations, please call (540) 999-3500, option 2.

Is boondocking allowed in Shenandoah? Depends on your definition of “boondocking.” Dispersed camping, or “Backcountry Camping” is allowed. It requires a permit and there are important regulations. Find out more on our backcountry camping pages. However, boondocking with an RV or any other vehicles is prohibited. RV and other overnight stays must be in one of our five campgrounds. When campgrounds are closed for the season, car and RV campers must seek campsites outside the park.

Emergency: 1-800-732-0911 Information: (540) 999-3500. For a list of options, click "Contact Us."