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Stuarts Draft

In a place where cornfields and chocolates are equally abundant, Stuarts Draft, located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, is a community engagedd in a balancing act between industry and agriculture. Some of the residents would say it is an uneasy balance that has created an amazing amount of growth and change in the last twenty years, but most would agree that the down-home spirit of the areas people have helped "The Draft" retain its small-town, farm community atmosphere.

In 1749, Thomas Stuart purchased 353 acres near the South River, a tribuary of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. 'Draft' probably refers to the document drafting the land sale or is a reference to the river itself (draft is an old term for river or creek and is part of the name of several such in the area). The plain on the south side of the river tends to channel the wind, thus forming a rather constant draft. John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was born in the vicinity in 1774.