Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-16
SHENANDOAH PARK
SUCCESS ASSURED
Virginia Backers Report
100000 Raised to Buy
Part of 600 Square Miles.

That creation of the Shenandoah
National Park. occupying more than
500 square miles in the nearby Blue
Ridge Mountains of Virginia, will be
come a fact at this session of Con-
gress, virtually became a certainty to-
day following announcement that the
people of Virginia had raised $780,
O00 with which they will purchase
part of the area and present it to the
Federal Government.
The boundaries of the proposed
park less than 80 miles from Wash
ington over the Lee highway. were
defined little more than a year ago
by the Southern Appalachian National
Park Commission, which was ap-
pointed by Secretary of the Interior
Work to select a site for great ma
tional park in the East, which would
rival in beauty and development the
big reservations of the Western
States.
Two Areas Proposed.
The commission, however, found
two areas which it declared should
be preserved forever as typical eX-
amples of untouched American wilder
andoah National Park should be
created first because of it's ease of
development and immediate accessi-
bility to the densely populated East
ern States. But it also urged develop
ment of the Great Smoky Mountains
of Tennessee as twin Eastern park.
All of the existing national parks
were carved from Federal-owned
lands. There being no precedent
where the Government purchased
lands for national park purposes. the
people of Virginia were told that the
Federal Government would accept
the area and develop it as fitting
member of the national park family,
without cost.
S1,2OO,OOO Fund Asked.
Congress authorized the Southern
Appalachian National Park Commits
sion to survey the proposed area and
accept options on the land. AS re-
suit of this survey, the commission
informed the people of Virginia that
If they would subscribe a minimum
of $1,000, 900 before April 1 and pro-
vide means of raising the remainder
necessary for the purchase of the
area later, the commission would
present a bill to this session of Con-
gress to have the area officially des1g-
mated the Shenandoah National Park.
The Shenandoah National Park AS
socia ton, Inc, was formed by a rep
resentative group of men from all
over the State. They decided that
the money should be raised by pop
ular subscription and employed the
Bankers Service Corporation of New
York City to undertake an intensive
money raising campaign. 1t was de-
cided to sell acres of the proposed
park for Sc each, the purchasers
agreeing to give their acres to the
Government upon designation of the
area as a national park.
Secretary Buys First Acre.
Secretary Work bought the first acre
and members of the commission were
so enthusiastic that they, too. bought
a considerable number of acres. 1t
was announced from the Richmond
offices of the Shenandoah National
Park Association today that the mini
mum amount demanded had been
pledged according to the stipulations
of the commission and that the cam
paign would be pushed on to raise the
remainder.
In this connection it was pointed out
that the drive cannot stop at the mini
mum quota. 1t will be necessary to
raise considerably more. But the bulk
has been gotten and the commission
can now go to Congress with the offer
of the park as a gift and ask it to
accept. Although the entire $1,000, 900
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