Giver of Parks

Giver of Parks. Virgil McCroskey. ... was a man who had many gifts to share. Perhaps the largest gift he ever bestowed was this state park; 4,400 acres of which he donated in 1955, in memory of his mother Mary Minerva McCroskey. Virgil was anything but a selfish man. He received great satisfaction from seeing others enjoy the natural beauty of the land, as he had since childhood. , Virgil was born on October 5, 1876 in Rockville, Tennessee. He was not yet three when his family journeyed out west, eventually settling on a farm near Colfax, Washington. Here, working on his father's farm, he learned a great love for the outdoors, especially trees and wildflowers. As a boy, Virgil could gaze east from their farm at the base of Steptoe Butte across the fields to this forested ridge in Idaho. Later he would buy both and then donate them to the states of Washington and Idaho for the purpose of becoming state park areas. , As a young man Virgil endeavored upon many undertakings. In 1898 he received diplomas fro Washington State University in pharmacy, economics and history. Virgil practiced pharmacy from 1903 to 1920 in Walla Walla, Waitsburg and Colfax. He also traveled abroad and embarked on multiple adventures such as climbing Mt. Rainier, as well as Mt. Hood. , Virgil grew tired of the confinement of the pharmacy and missed the outdoors. After his father's death in 1910 he inherited the family farm and worked hard to maintain its stature. Although he loved to work on his land, he realized that after he was gone there would be no one left to continue the land's preservation. That is what made him decide to see the family farm, and buy Steptoe Butte and Skyline Ridge with the idea of donating them as state parks. He hoped this would ensure preservation of his labors for others to enjoy for many years to come. , In 1946, after much persuasion on Virgil's part, he donated 120 acres to the State of Washington, thus creating Steptoe Butte State Park. Virgil also wanted to donate his Skyline Ridge to the State of Idaho, but was having a hard time convincing the legislature that this ridge could cost any sort of tourism. This did not discourage Virgil however; as he continued to struggle for the acceptance of his project. He enhanced his offer by agreeing to perform all maintenance of the park for the first 15 years and provide $500 per year for park operating expenses. Finally his aspirations came true as the legislature voted for the acceptance of his gift in 1955, thus creating what is now Idaho's second oldest state park. Virgill kept his promise as he labored almost every day in this park until his death in 1970 at age ninety-three.