On 11/26/12 4:41 PM, "Kitty Manscill" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> The Shenandoah National Park brought help to an area that was suffering from
> the Great Depression.  The CCC camps in the Park brought jobs to young men
> who had little hope for their futures.  And the Park continues to help the
> growth and development of the surrounding area.

Well, so the park construction gave jobs to some people. But at what cost???

Who were the people who got those jobs? Did the CCC give jobs to all of the
people of working age who were displaced by the construction of the park?

The state of VA used eminent domain proceedings to take this land and give
it to the federal government, which then built the park. The loss to the
individual people who lived on this land, whether owners, tenants or
squatters, and to their community, is incalculable. Throwing a few bones to
a few people in the form of CCC jobs could not begin to compensate for the
very real losses sustained.

Anyone interested in Virginia and America, past and present, really needs to
take the time to learn more about this shameful episode.

http://www.nps.gov/shen/historyculture/mtnresidents.htm

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG99/anderson/appalachia/intro.html
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug99/anderson/appalachia/reject.html

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/va/shenan/

http://rothsteinsfirstassignment.blogspot.com/

One of the best things about doing family history research is that it allows
(or sometimes forces!) you to explore history in a much deeper way than you
might otherwise.  

C.Etter

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html