Geological Survey (U.S.) . Proposed Shenandoah Valley National Park, Virginia. 1926. 890 x 700 mm. Imprimée en couleurs. Folded in four. Fine condition. Map showing the proposed national park in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, scale 1:125,000, printed in 1926. The relief is represented by contours and spot heights. The process of creating Shenandoah National Park in Virginia began with several proposals and legislative actions. In 1924, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce proposed establishing a national park there to preserve the region's natural beauty and stimulate tourism. The map of the Proposed Shenandoah Valley National Park shows the park's proposed boundaries and highlights scenic roads, including the future Skyline Drive. In April 1926, the Parks Commission recommended the creation of Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, and President Calvin Coolidge signed the enabling legislation on May 22, 1926. The initial area of Shenandoah National Park was to be 521,000 acres. Congress approved the creation of the park in 1926, and the park was inaugurated in 1935. The Appalachian populations and communities living in the Shenandoah Valley were displaced following the creation of Shenandoah National Park. The exodus of Appalachian populations from Virginia was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies to create more jobs during the Great Depression. New Deal programs (including the Civilian Conservation Corps) helped develop roads and infrastructure. The displacement of Appalachian communities in Virginia between 1930 and 1940 was a tragedy for the communities affected. The Southern Appalachian National Park Committee played a key role in evaluating potential park sites. Meanwhile, the Commission for the Creation of a National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains was appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior in February 1924 to identify a suitable site for a new national park in the Southern Appalachians. The committee brought together park planners, foresters, and scientists to identify an area easily accessible from the East Coast and with sufficient natural qualities to be protected. After extensive study, the committee recommended the northern Blue Ridge Mountains (Virginia) as the optimal location, in part because it met the National Park Service's criteria for a new park. This important selection marked the official start of the process that would eventually lead to the acquisition of land, the expropriation of homes, and ultimately the creation of the park.