The Greatest Single Feature Historical

The Greatest Single Feature Historical (HM1WE2)

Location: Luray, VA 22835
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 39.595', W 78° 19.236'

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Inscription

Shenandoah National Park

"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
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.
Details
HM NumberHM1WE2
Tags
Placed ByNational Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, December 28th, 2016 at 1:01pm PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 733139 N 4282445
Decimal Degrees38.65991667, -78.32060000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 39.595', W 78° 19.236'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 39' 35.7" N, 78° 19' 14.16" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)540
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Skyline Dr, Luray VA 22835, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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