Article

Shenandoah Valley Corridor

Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park

A mountain view shows a valley of farms, residences, and industry.
As seen from Signal Knob, the Valley scenery includes farms, towns, and industry.

Ann & Rob Simpson

Fertile soil and a transportation corridor brought wealth and prosperity to the Shenandoah Valley. They also made the Valley an avenue of invasion and counter-invasion, and a target for destruction. The Civil War wrought permanent change in the Valley's social and economic order.

People, Places, & Stories

Showing results 1-3 of 3

  • Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park

    Cedar Creek Crossing

    • Type: Place
    • Locations: Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park
    The remains of a bridge abutment is made of limestone blocks.

    The Valley Turnpike was the main transportation route through the Shenandoah Valley in the early 1800s. During the Civil War both US and Confederate armies used it. The armies contested the crossing at Cedar Creek during the campaigns of 1862 and 1864, with the bridge burned and rebuilt several times.

  • Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park

    French & Indian War Along Cedar Creek and in the Shenandoah Valley

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park
    A sketch plan of a 1700s fort shows the scale and notes.

    The expansion by the French into the Ohio River Valley led to conflicts with claims by the Virginia frontier settlers. The Indian natives also viewed the increased number of European settlers, especially those in the Shenandoah Valley, with alarm, seeing them as unwelcome encroachers on land they considered theirs.

  • Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park

    Valley Turnpike

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park
    A paved three lane highway passes through a rural valley landscape.

    The Valley Turnpike helped develop the Shenandoah Valley. It grew from a crude wagon road into a paved artery to distant states and cities. The road was part of a sweeping change in transportation between the American Revolution and the Civil War. It is now part of US Route 11.

Last updated: October 13, 2023