Luray in Page County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
A Home Away From Home?
Shenandoah National Park
In late 1935, when Shenandoah National Park was officially established, 465 families remained on the land, most with no plans for relocation.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Resettlement Administration was tapped to help. The government allocated funds to purchase 6,291 acres in seven locations; 343 were in Page County’s Ida Valley just below you. The Ida plans called for 28 farms, each with a house and outbuildings for livestock.
A cadre of “enumerators” conducted a detailed census of the families and deemed 293 “homestead prospects” meaning that, based on information gathered, these families had the means to pay the $5 monthly rent the first year and then purchase the property at its appraised value with a 40-year mortgage.
Only 172 families chose to move from their mountain homes to homestead communities like the one below you; very few bought them a year later.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 38° 33.737′ N, 78° 22.986′ W. Marker is in Luray, Virginia, in Page County. Marker is on Skyline Drive (at milepost 45), on the right when traveling south. Marker is located on Skyline Drive, in the Crescent Rock Overlook. 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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Civilian Conservation Camp (approx. 0.8 miles away); Construction of the Skyline Drive (approx. 1.7 miles away); Shenandoah's Centerpiece (approx. 2.1 miles away); Stony Man Trailhead (approx. 2.2 miles away); Prelude to a Park (approx. 2.2 miles away); Guarding the Past (approx. 2.6 miles away); Old Man in the Mountain (approx. 3.6 miles away); Big Meadows Lodge (approx. 3.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Luray.
More about this marker. A photograph at the top of the marker depicts a mountain family at their home. Photos on the right side of the marker contain the caption “The Dodson family, leaving their mountain home in 1937. The Civilian Conservation Corps helped load and transport their belongings to the Ida Valley, just below you. Today, you can still see the houses of the homestead community intended to be home to those forced to move.”
Credits. This page was last revised on January 21, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2016, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 635 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 28, 2016, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on January 20, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.