Document Bank of Virginia
Search using this query type:

Search only these record types:


Advanced Search (Items only)

Opening of the Skyline Drive, Photograph, 1934

CONTENT WARNING

Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation. 

Context

The Skyline Drive was created and designed to be a scenic driving road as part of Shenandoah National Park. The Shenandoah National Park was created in 1926 to preserve the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains for recreational use and for future generations. The creation of the Shenandoah National Park represented one of the biggest land seizures using eminent domain in Virginia state history. The park is composed of about 190,000 acres of donated and state purchased land that was later given to the federal government for the creation of Shenandoah National Park, the Skyline Drive, and the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway.

The groundbreaking for the Skyline Drive happed July 18, 1931. The construction of the roadway was considered a pioneering effort given the topography of the region. Designers had to develop new techniques in landscape architecture and engineering to create a safe roadway through the mountains. The funding for the roadway was originally allocated by the Federal Drought Relief Administration which encourages the employment of Virginia farmers and apple pickers who were suffering from the economic impacts of a severe drought. Other workers were provided by the Civilian Conservation Corps who graded the slopes of the roadway, built guardrails and wall, constructed overlooks, made signs, built a variety of structures needed for visitation, and planted hundreds of thousands of plants as part of the landscape design. In 1932, the Marys Rock Tunnel was bored through solid granite. The tunnel is 670 feet long and became one of the most iconic visual features of the roadway. The last potion of the Skyline Drive was completed in 1939.

Today the park has grown to about 200,000 acres and serves as one of the most popular parks in the country.

Citation:  Heinemann, R. L. Shenendoah National Park, Skyline Drive, Prints and Photoprgaphs Collection, Library of Virginia.

Standards

VS.1, VS.9, USII.1, USII.6, VUS.1, VUS.8, VUS.10

Suggested Questions

Preview Activity

Look at It:  Look at the photograph, what details in the photo tell you about the opening of the Skyline Drive?  Be specific

Post Activities

Current Connections: How does the right to private property vs. the state's use of eminent domain laws create conflict?  Can you cite a current or past issue that illustrates this conflict?

Artistic Expression: You are an artist creating an advertisement for the opening of the Skyline Drive. Based in the photograph, create an image that would encourage visitors to visit the Skyline Drive.

STEM STAT: The Skyline Drive required engineers and Landscape architects use their problem-solving skills to design the Skyline Drive. If you were an early engineer or landscape architect, what would concern you most about designing a roadway in the mountains? Consider environment, changing weather conditions, erosion, and other factors which might influence design decisions