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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Luray in Page County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

The Greatest Single Feature

Shenandoah National Park

 
 
The Greatest Single Feature Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 25, 2016
1. The Greatest Single Feature Marker
Inscription. “The greatest single feature is a possible sky-line drive along the mountain top. . .Few scenic drives in the world could surpass it.” —Southern Appalachian National Park Committee, 1931

By 1929, more than 23 million passenger cars were registered in the U.S., making the automobile one of the most significant social changes ever. Early advocates proposed that Shenandoah National Park’s main attraction be built for the motoring tourist. Skyline Drive would be for leisurely drives and picnics in the cool mountain air.

When the Great Depression stalled fund raising for park land acquisition, planners turned to a drought-relief appropriation and forged ahead with Skyline Drive. They purchased 100-foot rights-of-way, and hired local labor while the architects struggled to design the road along the narrow legal route. The first section opened temporarily in 1932 to rave reviews, but erosion problems gnawed at the roadsides and the architects.

Help arrived in 1933 when the first Civilian Conservation Corps “boys” came to the proposed park and set to work on trails and infrastructure. Once the government took ownership of the adjacent land in 1935, the CCC boys’ work focused on stopping erosion, and installing the overlooks, plantings, and landscape details that
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make Skyline Drive so beautiful.

(sidebar)
Drive The Drive
Skyline Drive is your portal to Shenandoah‘s treasures. It is both a journey and a destination. Seventy-five scenic overlooks offer expansive views of the rolling hills to the east, and the valley to the west. The 35-mph speed limit brings back the pleasure drive! Relax, slow down, and enjoy every mile.

Mile markers along the west side of the Drive tell you where you are. They are numbered north to south: Mile 0 at Front Royal and mile 105 at Rockfish Gap. In publications and maps, their numbers are used to show locations of special points of interest along this scenic highway.
 
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public WorkMan-Made FeaturesRoads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1931.
 
Location. 38° 39.595′ N, 78° 19.236′ W. Marker is near Luray, Virginia, in Page County. Marker can be reached from Skyline Drive south of Lee Highway (U.S. 211), on the right when traveling south. Located in the Panorama parking area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Luray VA 22835, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Thornton Gap (within shouting distance of
The Greatest Single Feature Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 25, 2016
2. The Greatest Single Feature Marker
this marker); Rappahannock County / Page County (within shouting distance of this marker); William Randolph Barbee (within shouting distance of this marker); Rocks Older than Mankind (approx. ¾ mile away); Marys Rock Tunnel (approx. ¾ mile away); Gaps in the Story (approx. 1.3 miles away); If These Walls Could Talk (approx. 2½ miles away); Old Rag (approx. 2.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Luray.
 
Also see . . .  Sheandoah National Park. National Park Service (Submitted on December 28, 2016.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1. Duplicate markers
Duplicates of this marker cluster are found at the Skyline Drive Overlook at the north entrance of the park.
    — Submitted January 20, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 11, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 28, 2016, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 476 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on December 28, 2016, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.

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Mar. 28, 2024