Prelude to a Park

Prelude to a Park. . , "This is no fancy Camp or fashionable resort, and we claim this as one of the greatest advantages we can offer. We do not cater for fashionable patronage, but if you want health, recreation, and rest, these we can give you in abundance." , Stony Man Camp promotional brochure, 1895, What began as a rustic tent camp in 1894 evolved into Skyland Resort, a vacation community of nearly 50 cottages and cabins where proprietor, George Freeman Pollock produced a "constant succession of events sufficient to satisfy even those who find it necessary for their happiness to be amused all the time.", Pollock and other camp regulars worked tirelessly to make Skyland the hub of a new eastern national park and bring a cherished experience of their own to the nation., (Sidebar):, The Field at Skyland, "Our patrons are cultured, refined people, seeking health, rest, and recreation." Promotional brochure, Pollock's "field" was the site of croquet, tennis, and later, along with the adjacent Recreation Hall, more elaborate pastimes: Pollock's rattlesnake show, Indian Pow-Wows, and elaborate dinners to name a few.