In 1934, agents from the Resettlement Administration and the National Park Service visited Dickson County, under petition by local business leaders, to evaluate submarginal farmland and natural resources for a potential National Recreation Demonstration Area. Decades of poor agricultural practices, timber cutting, and ore pits from the defunct iron industry had left the landscape severely scarred. In 1935, the Resettlement Administration purchased 3,821 acres, including several farms, and the families were relocated. In 1936, the National Park Service began supervising the conversion of the rugged terrain into recreation grounds with cabins, lakes, picnic areas, and trails. Initial construction employed laborers from the Public Works Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. Three CCC companies worked to complete the park's infrastructure, including Company 4495, a Junior African American unit that arrived from Knoxville in December 1935 and built the spillway and a dock at Lake Woodhaven; Lake Acorn was also created. Within three years, a beach, bathhouse, boating facilities, picnic and camp area, mess hall, administration building, and group cabins were completed. CCC Companies 3464 and 4497 also worked there. In 1943, the National Park Service deeded the park to the State of Tennessee.