Conditions throughout Patrick County during and immediately after the Civil War were difficult although needed improvements in transportation began to occur. In 1879 the Danville and New River Railroad Company began laying tracks from Danville to Martinsville and on to Stuart and in 1925 the County got its first paved road.

During the Prohibition years of 1920 to 1933, the making of moonshine whiskey became another supplement to farming income and even now the area's streams occasionally betray evidence of having once hosted whiskey stills along their banks. Wagon loads as large as 100 gallons were sometimes confiscated by "revenuers," and dealers perfected selling techniques like "Blind Tiger Transactions" to protect their identities from the prying eyes of the law. In a Blind Tiger sale, the seller hid behind a brick wall with a small portal through which he could deliver his product without revealing his identity to the buyer.

The Great Depression years of 1929 to 1940 saw a population decline, but the loss in jobs was mitigated when the City of Danville made a bold decision to construct a Power Plant on the Dan River and the federal government pressed ahead with construction of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, portions of which pass just north of  Primland. Building the damn took two years. Wages started at 98 cents a day, gradually increasing to 40 cents an hour as the workers became more experienced and the labor more difficult.

In 1937, Samuel Spruce owned the land at Primland and used the Eli Thomas Lumber Company in nearby Stuart to mill his logs. Back then it would take two men three days to cut, shape and transport a wagon load of railroad ties to market, for which the going rate was $4.

By 1966, portions of the property were owned by George Southern, who built a small number of residential lots (many now owned by Primland) in a section known as the Busted Rock Wilderness Area.

In 1977 Primtimber Inc. bought the land and entered the market for whole tree chips. Its product, "Primlumber," quickly became the largest distributed wood bundled product in its marketplace. In 1986, the company chose "Primland" as an umbrella name for all activities conducted on its property.  By this time, those activities included a carefully planned recreational resort offering fishing, hunting, sport shooting and horseback riding.

The nearest town to Primland is Meadows of Dan, settled in the 1820's. Its community center is composed of small shops catering to tourists, with antique stores, gift shops, a fudge factory, craft shops, a farmers' market and more creating a truly pleasant destination.

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