Negro Run was one of "at least 1,441 federally recognized places across the nation include slurs in their official name".
African-American families were living in the lower White Oak Canyon during the Jim Crow era,[5] which is most likely the basis of the official name change in 1933 to Nigger Run.
From that letter, the Shenandoah National Park Superintendent began the process of officially changing the racist name of the creek.
The Board of Geographic Names[6] reached out to other state and local historical societies to ask for comment on the proposal.
The Madison County Historical Society preferred to see the creek named "Dyer Run" after the family that owned the property and lived in that area prior to the establishment of the park.