Evening star., 1932-09-24
|TYHANNERSSEE
SHENANDOAH PARK
IN IDEAL WEATHER
Clouds Give Way to Sun as
Visitors Inspect New
Playground.
THRILLED BY SCENERY
ALONG 'SKYLAND DRIVE
First Public Group to View Nat.
ural Beauties Roams Through
$4,000 Acres ot I1nberland.
BY STAFF Correspondent Of The Star


SKYLAND, Va, September 24-The
Shenandoah National Park, yelled in a
sulky shroud of clouds and rain last
night as the Bicentennial Conference on
Planning, Parks and Government ar
rived, unfolded in al its glory under a
benevolent sun today as park executives
from every section of the United States
inspected the newest and first Eastern
unit OF the national park system
Within three hours drive over hard
surface roads of the National Capital
and described by Horace NJ Albright.
director of the National Park Service, as
link OF the Capitals own park system,
opening a practically virgin forest, pro-
tected from the depredations of vandals,
the park road along the highest ridge
Of the Blue Ridge Mountains was opened
to pubic group for the first time
today.
The scenic highway built along "a
miles OF mountain top is appropriately
named "Skyland Drive" the park ex--
ecutives found yesterday as they took
their cars up into the clouds and TO
get to this mountain resort.
Opened for Delegates.
The road was opened especially for
the conference this afternoon. and from
Panorama to Swift Run Gap it pre-
sented series Of startling views of the
great and fertile Shenandoah Valley on
the one hand and the folded contours
of the oldest geologic formation in the
United States, the Blue Ridge Noun
tainS on the other.
Afoot, on horse back and in automo-
biles, conference delegates roamed in
IL -
acres Of land that will be garden spot
for Washingtonians to disport them
selves when the park is formally taken
over by the Federal Government.
The park. it was explained at the
session OF the conference held in the
recreation hall last night. by Arno 3.
Cammerer. the associate director of the
National Park Service. who has been
in charge of development of Eastern
national park areas, will be closed to
the motoring public until the park is
formally accepted by the Federal Gov
ernment, but its trails, long favored
and its mountainside will be opened
for camping. :
The road, which was inspected this
afternoon, is place close to the heart
of the mountain folk, who helped build
it, and who in years to come undoubt-
edly will derive their livelihood from it
and begin to live like other folk. with
schools and other advantages of modern
day life that have been denied them by
years of isolation and inacceSsibility
from the urban centers.
Tells Of Careful Study.
Mr.. Albright, in explaining the estab-
lishment of this park and the construc-
ton of the scenic highway last night
all ,f Af1,I -, Iaf Id %
this areas selection as an Eastern ma
tional park and of the plans for its de-
velopment as a playground He said
that because of its accessibility by the
new road to cities of the entire coun-
try below the Mason-Dixon line, it un-
doubtedly is destined to become an un-
equaled playground for rich and poor
alike and promised that it would be
provided with facilities for equal en-
joyment of all classes when opened to
the public.
1t will, he said, be allowed to revert
to the care of Mother Nature with every
effort being bent to help Nature reclaim
and repopulate the region as she sees
fit. Cabin establishments, tried in some
national parks, will not be allowed in
the Shenandoah area but ample facili-
ties and conveniences will be provided
for those who wish to pitch their tents
in its forest Businesses. Its trails will
be kept open and resort accommodations
will be encouraged. but there will be no
encouragement of private interests
settling in the park.
He said it is planned eventually to
push the scenic highway along the
mountain ridge 80 miles from the pres
ent opening at Panorama, through to
Front Royal, Va.
The conference is staying here over
night. Before the road inspection there
was chicken barbecue out in the open
and tonight there will be bonfire with
entertainment by the mountain folk.
Tomorrow the delegates will make a
further inspection of the park