While all preceding presidents came from the eastern half of the United States, Hoover's origins were further from Washington, D.C.—he had been born in Iowa and spent much of his life in California.

He instructed his secretary Lawrence Richey to find a secluded retreat site within 100 miles (160 km) of Washington, D.C., at least 2,500 feet (760 m) above sea level to avoid mosquitoes and—most importantly—close to an excellent trout stream for fishing.

Less than three weeks after Hoover's March 4 inauguration, the Madison Eagle announced the President and his wife had selected the upper Rapidan site.

Although Virginians offered to give Hoover the camp, the President used his own funds to buy the land for $1,045 (at the going rate of $5 per acre), and building materials for $22,719.

[12] At the 164 acre (66 hectare) Rapidan Camp, President Hoover enjoyed fishing in the streams, which were stocked with trout by the Interior Department.

Fishing seems to be the sole avenue left to Presidents through which they may escape to their own thoughts and may live in their own imaginings and find relief from the pneumatic hammer of constant personal contacts, and refreshment of mind in the babble of rippling brooks.Moreover, it is a constant reminder of the democracy of life, of humility, and of human frailty—for all men are equal before fishes.

His distinguished guests included inventor Thomas A. Edison and his wife,[18] aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Supreme Court Justice Harlan F. Stone, Governor Theodore Roosevelt Jr.,[19] psychologist Lillian Moller Gilbreth, businessman Edsel Ford,[20] and British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald and Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill.

"[18] However, the President was not without friends in the press, and at least one of those, "Ding" Darling, the accomplished cartoonist for The Des Moines Register and with whom Mr. Hoover shared an interest in conservation of natural resources, was a guest at the Camp on several occasions.

They dammed the creek beside the tower, caught and cooked lunch, and then watched the Secret Service comb the hills in search of them.

[5] In addition, Hoover and MacDonald came to an agreement that formed the basis of the 1930 London Naval Treaty while meeting at Rapidan Camp, talking for hours sitting on an "historic log".

The incident resulted in a variety of legends and a great deal of apocryphal media publicity,[31] including tales that the boy had managed to sneak past the Marine guard on duty before giving the opossum to the President as a birthday present.

However, the best understanding of historians is that the story originated weeks earlier when Admiral Joel T. Boone, Hoover's physician, was exploring trails in the surrounding mountains and came upon an eleven-year-old boy named Ray Buracker.

With the inducement of riding to camp, the shy boy was persuaded to present his opossum directly to the President and his guest, Charles Lindbergh.

[14] The President raised money to build a small schoolhouse that included an apartment for Christine Vest, the teacher they hired.

[35] The story of the backwoods mountain schoolhouse was publicized nationally, resulting in donations including schoolbooks, furniture, and a piano.

After Hoover left office, the student body dwindled as the surrounding population was forced via a blanket condemnation law to leave the area for the establishment of Shenandoah National Park in 1935.

The Cabinet Camp was built on land planned for incorporation into Shenandoah National Park, but still privately owned by the Madison Timber Corporation.

No lease was signed,[37] and a dispute arose about whether the Cabinet members had an oral contract with Madison Timber to construct the camp.

The rising value of the property once the road and camp were constructed likely led the state to purchase cheaper park expansion land elsewhere.

Rapidan Camps rehabilitated the cabins, and over the decades its membership has grown to approximately 100 families who share the facility as a seasonal retreat.

[45][46] With encouragement from Virginia Governor Pollard and Senator Byrd, President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Rapidan Camp in 1933,[47][48] but found the narrow trails too rough for his wheelchair, and the mountain streams too cold for swimming.

In 1948, the Boy Scouts of America were granted a twenty-year lease to use it as a summer camp, which was also in accordance with Hoover's wishes.

[52] Until 1992, the camp was a vacation perk for high-ranking federal government officials,[53] including Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and Vice President Walter Mondale, who was snowed in on one visit and had to be cut out by Secret Service officers with chainsaws.

[56] In 2004, Shenandoah National Park completed a restoration of the grounds and the remaining three cabins to their condition in the era of the Hoover presidency.

[60] The National Park Service also offers guided van trips that leave from the Harry F. Byrd Visitor Center at Big Meadows.

During Hoover's administration, cabin porches were decorated with boxes filled with geraniums, and interior floors were covered with grass rugs.

Large elevated outdoor decks were built with holes for the trunks of mature live trees, whose branches sheltered the cabins and porches.

A replica of a corner of the President's cabin and surrounding deck is located inside the Hoover Presidential Library in Iowa.