Driving Through Time - The Digital Blue Ridge Parkway
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About this Item
| Title | Rough Grade Work |
| Date | October 31, 1936 |
| Description | Photograph shows a rough road cut into rocky slope and curving away into the distance. Taken in section 2C of the Blue Ridge Parkway; automobiles, construction equipment, and buildings are visible in the distance. |
| Commentary | The route that the Blue Ridge Parkway was designed to take was formulated despite various disagreements over the path it should take. The designers wanted it to run through a natural area to preserve the integrity of the area and attract tourists to bolster the mountain towns economies. Workers on the road were part of the Civilian Conservation Corps which was started by President Roosevelt as a part of the New Deal legislation. The CCC employed almost 3 million young men between the ages of 18-24 and put them to work conserving and developing natural resources across the United States. By employing these young men the Roosevelt administration hoped to reinvigorate the economy by providing tourist destinations as well as paying the workers for the effort they put forth building the destinations. |
| Location |
Location Name: Section 2C Parkway Milepost: None
Latitude: 36.416769
Longitude: -81.193564 |
| Creator Individual | W.D. Stanton |
| Tags |
Alleghany County (N.C.)
Automobiles Building Construction Construction equipment Land construction Landscape Machinery Photographs Road construction Roads View of road |
| Credit | Courtesy of the North Carolina State Archives |
