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Establishment of Skyland Resort
The Skyland Resort was built in 1895 by George Freeman Pollock, a young Washington, DC man. Skyland was intended to be a place where the affluent people from major cities would come to relax and recreate. Around 1931, the Skyline Drive was built past it. Rather than destroying it to restore the natural beauty as was the practice in most parts of the Park as it was established between 1924 and 1936, Skyland's accommodations were expanded. -
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The Automobile Revolution
At the beginning of the century the automobile entered the transportation market as a toy for the rich. However, it became increasingly popular among the general population because it gave travelers the freedom to travel when they wanted to and where they wanted. -
An Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities
The Act, signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt, was intended to allow the President to set aside certain valuable public natural areas as park and conservation land. It also allows the President to reserve or accept private lands for that purpose. -
Establishment of Glacier National Park
While the designation of the forest reserve confirmed the traditional usage rights of the Blackfeet, the enabling legislation of the National Park does not mention the guarantees to the Native Americans. Some Blackfeet held that their traditional usage rights still exist de jure. In the 1980s armed standoffs were avoided narrowly several times. -
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Prohibition
Prohibition compromised the alcohol industry of the mountain folk, and their ignorance of outside information led them to unintentionally produce illegal moonshine. -
Establishment of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was established after 50 members of Congress and the Secratary of the Interior were treated to dinner in 1907, and saw the scenic value of the area. -
Eugenical Sterilization Act
In total, 7325 individuals were sterilized in Virginia under its sterilization law. Of those sterilized about half were deemed “mentally ill” and the other half deemed “mentally deficient.” The Virginia Colony was frequently the destination of displaced mountain folk deemed mentally feeble. -
Shenandoah National Park and Smoky Mountains National Park are Approved by Congress
The Legislation Relating to Proposed National Parks is passed by Congress and land acquisition for the Shenandoah and Smoky Mountains National Parks begins. -
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The Sterilization Movement
After displacement, several families were placed into sterilizations centers such as the Colony for forced sterilization because they were believed to be unfit for reproduction due to eugenics and their supposed mental weakness and feeblemindedness. -
Public Park Condemnation Act
The Public Park Condemnation Act was an example of and extremely controversial movement. The unique “blanket condemnation” of such a large tract of land remains a problematic eminent domain law issue in Virginia, and continues to inhabit the stories of families whose ancestors lost their homes in the 1930s. -
Establishment of Grand Teton National Park
The valley of Jackson Hole remained primarily in private ownership when John D. Rockefeller, Jr. visited the region in the late 1920s. Rockefeller started buying Jackson Hole properties for the purpose of later turning them over to the National Park Service. This plan was revealed to the residents of the region and was met with strong disapproval. After congressional approval, President Calvin Coolidge signed the executive order establishing the park. -
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Great Depression
This economic downturn was a major reason for the implementation of certain national parks to promote cultural nationalism and capitalize on parks for CCC labor. -
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The Construction of Skyline Drive
The Skyline began in 1931, and the final section was completed and opened in 1939. The Civilian Conservation Corps had a hand in the construction of Skyline Drive, and business for Skyland and the Auto Revolution were impacted by this development. -
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The Construction of Skyline Drive
The Skyline began in 1931, and the final section was completed and opened in 1939. The Civilian Conservation Corps had a hand in the construction of Skyline Drive, and business for Skyland and the Auto Revolution were impacted by this development. -
Establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps
The CCC was designed to provide jobs for young men, to relieve families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression in the United States while at the same time implementing a general natural resource conservation program in every state and territory. -
Smoky Mountain National Park is Established
After overcoming numerous social, economic, and political issues, Smoky Mountains National Park is established. -
Establishment of Shenandoah National Park
Land acquisitions for the National Park is completed and displacement is in progress, and Shenandoah National Park is finally established. -
Approval of Blue Ridge Parkway
Congress formally authorized the project as the Blue Ridge Parkway and placed it under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. Several New Deal Agencies were involved in construction, and business for Skyland and the Auto Revolution were impacted by this development. -
Wilderness Act of 1936
This law required the restoration of Shenandoah to it's original, unadulterated form. This required the destruction of some of the remaining mountain homes and the roads leading there, and was carried out by the CCC. -
Hollow Folk Published
This book misrepresented the hollow inhabitants in Blue Ridge in order to sway public opinion toward the idea that the inhabitants were a social deadweight in need of removal for their own good.
