Prince William Forest Park Administrative History

Importance of Post-War Community Relations

In 1946, Capt. Ira B. Lykes was once again able to direct his full energy into camp management as he prepared for the summer camping season. He had the assurance of 1st Lt. Charles L. Spear, CE, commanding the Bomb and Shell Disposal team of Fort Belvoir, that the area was "long since cleared" of unexploded mortar shells, booby-traps, and other explosive devices. [103] (See map NCP 6.5-64, 1946 for the exact location of weapons areas.) Thus assured that his was not the "forbidden forest" of literature but once again a natural preserve for man and beast, Lykes renewed his community liaison efforts. Given the proximity of the park to the Quantico Marine Corps base and its recent wartime usage, without community support the park could easily have been swallowed up by the Korean Conflict military build-up. Speeches to groups like the Prince William Chamber of Commerce gave Lykes a forum to outline the benefits of having a national park in the county, announce plans for the Chopawamsic Recreation Area, and appeal for allies in the upcoming budget wars. [104] Lykes gained some powerful community backers.

Prince William County was firmly controlled by the Byrd organization. Requests for funds went through its long-term congressman, Judge Howard W. Smith. Smith relied on the local arm of the Byrd organization for advice on specific projects. Locally, the few men of power and influence were the businessmen, doctors, large landowners, and lawyers. [105] Lykes made it his duty to befriend them all. A key friend was Dudley Martin who owned a Chevy dealership in Triangle. [106] A leading citizen, Martin was very active in the politically influential Chamber of Commerce. Another intimate, Dr. Ben Philips, served with Lykes on the Civilian Defense Board. Philips was also a member of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors for many years. Another associate, Charlton Gnadt, was Commissioner of Revenue for the county and a proud member of the Byrd organization. Gnadt personally interceded with Judge Smith on behalf of the park on numerous occasions. [107] Charlie Cloe, a "major domo" of Dumfries politics, was charmed by Lykes and could also be counted on to "see Judge Smith about doing things." [108] Lykes eschewed any closer involvement in politics. He always worked through others to avoid embarrassing compromises. [109] Indeed, it proved to be very useful for Lykes to be considered a "great man" by Prince William County's leading citizens. With such a powerful "home team" behind him, Lykes could move freely through the bureaucratic jungle to get approval for his plans, easily thwarting all usurpers to his park. [110]

Unique Funding of Park Roads

Lykes' acumen in public relations aside, a deft hand at procuring funds remains the acid test of any manager's performance. It is in this area that Lykes masterminded an innovative scheme which netted the park its most enduring legacy of his stewardship.

It all began quite innocently. While strolling through a field in the park one day in 1946 Lykes noticed a sign which read "caution land mines." This discovery prompted a trip to Fort Belvoir to "get the colonel to take a look." On their way back to the park the colonel and Lykes observed soldiers at Fort A. P. Hill building roads and bridges as part of a training exercise for the Army Corps of Engineers. Once constructed, the roads and bridges were torn down so that a new team could complete the exercise. This practice seemed pure folly to a man with no roads in his park. So, Lykes said to the colonel, "Hey, come on down. I've got plenty of roads for you to build." [111]

The thorn in the rose was the fact that while Army men and equipment could be used to build the roads, the NPS would have to provide the necessary cement, gas and fuel oil. [112] Not to be stymied by details, Lykes appealed to National Capital Parks Superintendent Frank T. Gartside for funds. [113] He was able to "talk him into" a $25,000 appropriation to cover the NPS side of the deal. [114]

The colonel proved to be a man of his word. At 5:00 a.m. the day after his visit Lykes was awakened by an army commander. Outside he found a company of men and their equipment. After getting the men settled into Camp Two, the commanding officer asked Lykes, "Where would you like your road?" Following a route previously surveyed, Lykes got some sticks and preceded the troops, staking out the road. Similar Army assistance continued until 1950. [115]

NPS supervisor for the road building projects was Robert C. Horne, chief of the Engineering Division. On-site supervision was provided by the Army CEs and Lykes. [116] Overall supervision of Army engineers was provided by Lt. Col. Willard McCrone. Most of the work was provided by the 62nd and 94th Battalion, Army Corps of Engineers. The bridges were designed by the 112th Battalion, Corps of Engineers. By February 1, 1949, Maj. Gen. Wirth, commanding Fort Belvoir, made an inspection tour of the park to witness the extensive improvements accomplished by his men. [117] (See Illustration Five for details on Army construction projects.) Lykes estimated the value of the Army Corps of Engineers' contribution to be well over $2 million. [118] Not a bad return on the NPS investment of $25,000 for supplies. Lykes' wartime lessons on the depth of the Defense Department's purse had paid off.

ILLUSTRATION V

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS COMPLETED BY THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Bridges:

1 pile bridge on South Branch of Quantico Creek above Camp 2
1 Armco arch bridge above Camp 1
Design work: Bailey, Johnson, Hitchcock, and Hamilton

Roads:

Building:

administration building and traffic circle
central service area (5 buildings and barn)
2 ranger stations (built 1947)

Other Facilities:

earth filled dams at Camp 4
cleared and graded lake bottom at Camp 4
day use and road intersection
stockpiles: lumber (from lake bottom and road right-of-way), crushed rock (from quarry with army equipment)
demolition: all portable and temporary buildings left by the OSS near Camp 4, relocated boathouse from Camp 5 to Camp 2

(Lykes to Rot, February 20, 1948, 1460 #6)

News of Lykes' road building coup spread far beyond the Interior Department. On February 10, 1951, the Saturday Evening Post wrote of Lykes' accomplishments in an article entitled, "Do You Have A Million Dollar Idea?" He was rewarded for saving the Park Service millions of dollars with a cash award of $1,000, a princely sum at the time. [119]

Given their close working relationship, Lykes' involvement with the Army Corps of Engineers was not without amusing incidents One such incident involved the dam at Camp Four. As Lykes and an Army engineer were inspecting the site, the Army engineer asserted that his men could build the dam in one week. A bet was made and the race against the clock began. Using powerful arc lights, the men worked night and day. At the end of the week Lykes had to supply twelve cases of beer for the troops before he could take possession of his new dam. [120]

The Park Receives a New Name

In addition to road improvements, Lykes included changing the name of the park among his top priorities upon his return in 1946. Lykes believed the name "Chopawamsic" was inappropriate for the park for which he had such grand designs as it was "inclined to provoke laughter when pronounced before the uninitiated." [121] Hence, Lykes recommended to his superiors that the name Chopawamsic, devoid of "aesthetic, historic or commercial value," be dropped. Further, he suggested, "let us have done with the words 'Recreational Demonstration Area.' Let us call it a Park, which it is or will be one day soon, I sincerely hope." [122] For his park he preferred the name "Old Dominion," a name "rich in early American history, strong in meaning and character." [123]

Lykes was generally regarded as a very capable man. Consequently, his superiors were inclined to humor him with respect to the park's name. Besides, Wirth and other officials in Washington considered Chopawamsic hard to spell and cumbersome. [124] Nevertheless, the park had been given the name Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area by the act of Congress which transferred the area to the NPS on August 13, 1940 (See Appendix II). No action was taken on the matter until another act of Congress was pending. In 1948 the long contemplated transfer of lands from the Chopawamsic RDA to the Quantico Marine Corps Base was the subject of congressional action. (See Chapter Four for details.) As the legislation finalizing the land transfer, was being hammered out in committee, consensus existed on a name change as "the name Chopawamsic would no longer have any particular significance after [the land transfer] as the Chopawamsic River would be outside of the park area." [125]

The name "Prince William Forest Park" was favored by Arthur Demaray, associate director of the NPS, and his assistant Conrad Wirth. Perhaps they foresaw that the Prince William County Board of Supervisors would be flattered by the change. [126] In any case, on August 20, 1948, Lykes received an official memo from national Capital Parks Superintendent Irving Root advising him that the area's new name was Prince William Forest Park. [127] Although he did not get his favored "Old Dominion," Lykes was rid of the detested "Chopawamsic" and the "certain stigma" he felt went with it. [128]