Short answers, pulled from the story.
The word Shenandoah is of unknown Native American origin with several competing translations. Proposed meanings include "River Through the Spruces," "River of High Mountains," "Big Meadow" (from Iroquois), and the popular but linguistically disputed phrase "Beautiful Daughter of the Stars."
Adam Miller, also known as Adam Mueller, is recognized as the first permanent settler in the Shenandoah Valley. He staked claims in 1727 on the south fork of the Shenandoah River, near the boundary between present-day Rockingham County and Page County, Virginia.
The Shenandoah Valley was called the breadbasket of the Confederacy and served as a backdoor route for Confederate raids on Maryland, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Its importance made it the focus of three major campaigns, including Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862 and Philip Sheridan's scorched-earth campaign in autumn 1864.
The Shenandoah Valley contains several notable limestone caves, including Luray Caverns and Grand Caverns, both designated National Natural Landmarks in 1974 and 1973 respectively. Other caves in the valley include Endless Caverns, Shenandoah Caverns, Skyline Caverns, Dixie Caverns, and Melrose Caverns.
The Great Wagon Road was a major immigrant route through the Shenandoah Valley that originated as a Native American trail called the Great Warriors Trail. It became the primary thoroughfare for settlers moving from Pennsylvania into the southern backcountry and was later paved with macadam by the Valley Turnpike Company before the Civil War. Today it corresponds roughly to U.S. Route 11, which runs parallel to Interstate 81.
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver, which is West Virginia's state song, mentions the "Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River" in its first verse. The song references the Shenandoah River but does not name the valley itself.