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Page 18 · column 1 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
As the acquisition of the Shenandoah National Park dragged on, families who had always lived in the mountains could only partially practice the way of life they had inherited. They could not kill animals, cultivate new ground, or haul timber. As the day of resettlement approached, many families could not put in a garden or fatten their hogs.
The coming of Skyland had encouraged new mountain industries: Begging, selling paper flowers to tourists and entertaining Skyland’s visitors. The development of the park accentuated this behavior, but those who really knew the mountain people knew how varied and productive their lives had been and still were in places removed from the tourist attractions.
A social worker, Mozelle Cowden, who had studied virtually every family in the park area, wrote an essay in 1936 titled What Are They Like? She described a “typical” man’s life:
“There are five persons in his family. He and his wife have between a first and fourth-year education.
“He is a share renter, cultivating less than five acres. He lives too far away from school for his children to attend, and they go to church only occasionally, since no regular church services are held within reach. The family has good health, with the exception of bad teeth. The weight and height of the children are normal.
“They live in a log house which is kept reasonably clean, and there are flowers around the door. They have canned fruit and vegetables, some
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