Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1924-10-17
MEETING OF DIRECTORS OF
SHENANDOAH VALLEY INC.

1 -
Il SHENANDOAH VALLEY inc
Il The directors of the Shenandoah
4iyalley Inc met on Oct 10th, al Rawle.
lSprings, Va, as guests of Mr. D. F
| Wine, Secretary of the Organization
1.-The meeting Was well attended and :
mass Of business was given attention,
In the absence of MIR. Frank Sublett,
Pres, Major Chas. Roller. Vice Presi-
dent, of Augusta Military Academy,
presided. Shenandoah County Direc-
tors were both present.
| Relative to the budget it was in
Iteresting to learn that Shenandoah
County had paid in almost half Of her
lquota of $500 90. Considerable more
is subscribed and many businesses
Twill yet wish to subscribe and help
this Big project along. The fiscal year
will end January 10th, and any who
wish to give financial aid, may do SO
by seeing their directors.
The question of National Park in
the Massanutten and Blue Ridge areas
occupied the greater part of the dis
fcussioI, which lasted till / A. M. Mr..
Pollock, owner of Skyland, was pres
ent and gave most interesting story
of this project. Several members of
the National Park Commission have
already visited the Blue Ridge Area
and will return to go over the Massa-
nutten section.
A few facts as to this park win be
helpful. In the first place the Gov
eminent has decided to locate Nal
ional Park in the Southern Appa-
lachian Range. Some twenty-five
sites have been offered, from the Mason
and Dixon line to Smoky Mountain in
Alabama and Tennessee. This last site
has made wonderful impression.
Great attitudes, Virgin Forests, Water
Falls, moderate climate, these are ma
jor points in the selection of a Nat
ional Park.
The Blue Ridge area, from Front
Royal to Otter's Peak offers Just
such advantages. Those who made a /
brief survey of this section, notably
about Skyland, were amazed at the |
forest depths and water possibilities of
this range. Nothing like it had ever
been dreamed Of From one peak, |
over 1000 feet high, one can see
Washington's monument, Madison
Court House, and the lights of New
Market, in the valley, at night. Suf-
flee to say the members of the COM
mission have their eye on this area.
Whether it will include the Massa-
nutten area is question. The Direc-
tors of the Shenandoah Valley Inc,
went on record as favoring the in
clusion OF the two areas, and will
work to that end
The section would afford over / ,OOOI
miles OF trout streams, which would be
open to the public. The government
would stock the streams, build lakes,
md develop it to fine point. The
park would be stocked with game and
birds, deer, etc. These could not be
hunted in the park, but if they wanderi
tut into the fringe of the park, in
uniting season, they may be bagged
Naturally millions of dollars would !
'e spent in the development of the
'ark, and the local inhabitants would {
'rofit immensely by the opportunities '
or labor, contracts, material, and in II
ldent investments. Mineral, farm {
ands, and water power resources {
would not be encroached upon unneces-
arily. What the government wants I
5 a native forest in its deepest i
ecesses covering approximately Ia
900 square miles of land. 1t
The slogan "a National Park near i
ne National capital will make a
trong appeal, for the gateway of the |
Hue Ridge section would be.only two
r three hours from the National
apital. With our splendid roads now,
nd those yet TO be built, points of
atural scenery, rarest of all valleys,
averns OF world wide Importance.
ne can well imagine what the future
lay have in store for the Shenandoah
alley. It
A new era indeed faces thel
ltizens OF this state, for all Virginia c
nil be interested in a movement of
UGH capital importance. Some states
ear US have over twenty state parks.
'hich have proven to be an amazing c
sset, quite an unexpected result,
fter one carefully analytic facts.
he conservation of water, timber,
Wild life, aside from the vital issue Of
lealth alone, as it relates to thousands
nd thousands, brings untold wealth tol
he state. 1t is a problem that may
veil challenge the attention of every
public spirited citizen, for it augurs an
Effort that will as definitely decide
he future, as does the mountain peak
whose slopes, varying but fraction of
IN inch at the top, send one drop of |
water into the pacific and its brother
drop into the Gulf of Mexico. IA
Park for the People near the
Nations Capital let it ring wide and
convincingly,
MAIL CARRIER TRIED