Snapshots Spotlights: US National Parks

Visitors observing the magnificent grandeur of the Grand Canyon National Park from
Mather Point on the South Rim. National Park Service Photo by Michael Quinn

Snapshots Spotlight 

US National Parks: An American Treasure

In the 2009 PBS documentary series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns eloquently describe our National Parks: “They are a treasure house of nature’s superlatives---84 million acres of some of the most stunning landscapes anyone has ever seen…. But they are more than a collection of rocks and trees and inspirational scenes from nature…. [They are] where countless American families have forged an intimate connection with their land—and then passed it on to their children”.¹

The first concept for setting aside large preservations of land of natural and cultural beauty is attributed to American painter and writer, George Catlin. During the 1830’s, Catlin travelled extensively through much of North America on an endeavor to capture the images on canvas of North American Indians and the wilderness they lived in. In 1842 Catlin published writings chronicling his adventures and suggested that the government should preserve what he called “a Nations Park” that would preserve and showcase the “pristine beauty and wildness… where the world could see for ages to come”.^2,3

Yosemite National Park. The view of El Capitan on the left, Bridal Viel Falls to the right and Half Dome in the distant center.
Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0.

     As other travelers, painters and writers explored and witnessed the spectacular scenery of the expanding United States, the interest in preserving the majestic natural beauty of those areas grew. The first such area was Yosemite Valley, which in 1864, California Senator John Conness sponsored legislation which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. That set aside Yosemite Valley as a protected land and under the control of the State of California, would become America’s first designated State Park. Later the Yosemite Valley would become part of the larger Yosemite National Park.²

Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular attractions in Yellowstone National Park,dwarfs visitors watching from nearby. National Park Service photo by Jim Peaco

The very first official National Park established in the United States, as well as the World, was Yellowstone National Park. During 1869-71, several expeditions ventured into the remote area of the territories of Wyoming and Montana. David E Folsom, Henry D. Washburn and Ferdinand V. Hayden had each explored the Yellowstone area and publicized their amazing geologic documentation of the many geysers, as well as other geothermic and geologic features present in the area. However since the proposed park was in a US territory rather than a state like Yosemite in California, it was established as a National Park under the protection and administration of US Federal Government. The bill passed Congress in 1872 and was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant.²

In 1875, Mackinac Island, located on Lake Huron in the state of Michigan, was designated as the second US National Park. However in 1895, it was transferred to the State of Michigan and become a State Park. In 1890, three National Parks were established in California: Yosemite, Sequoia and General Grant (which later became part of Kings Canyon National Park in 1940).²

Between 1899 and 1919, many other National Parks were established:

• Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, 1899
• Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, 1902
• Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, 1903
• Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, 1906
• Glacier National Park, Montana, 1910
• Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, 1915
• Hawaii National Park, 1916, (Later split into Hawaii Volcanoes and Haleakala in 1960)
• Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, 1916
• Mount McKinley National Park, Alaska, 1917 (Later became Denali National Park in 1980)
• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 1919
• Zion National Park, Utah, 1919.

President Theodore Roosevelt and conservationalist John Muir during a tour of
Yosemite National Park in 1903.
Photo from The National Parks: Shaping the System, National Park Service.

One of the greatest advocates for the establishment of Protected National Parks was conservationist and a founder of the Sierra Club, John Muir. Muir first travelled to the Yosemite Valley in 1869 to take a job working in a sawmill. However, his life was forever transformed by the natural beauty and grandeur he witnessed there. He has been described as the “patriarch for both the idea of wilderness preservation and the development of National Parks”.⁴

John Muir became instrumental in aiding the preservation of land for seven National Parks. In 1903 he gave President Theodore Roosevelt a tour of Yosemite National Park to see many of the magnificent views of the scenery there. President Roosevelt, after experiencing Yosemite and several other National Parks that year, would become one of the greatest political advocates and a primary supporter of  the National Parks, signing legislation that established five additional National Parks, and designated 18 National Monuments during his presidency.¹

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful, not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”  John Muir4

      The National Park System has grown significantly since it was first established. Currently there are 59 US National Parks that are a beautiful treasure of diverse gems scattered across 27 states and two US Territories. California has the most of any state with nine, Alaska is next with eight, Utah has five and Colorado with four.⁵

So why go visit a National Park? Sometimes just witnessing the immense beauty of nature can offer a great peace, strength and clear perspectives in life. Great people with an appreciation for some of the most awe inspiring places have gone before us to preserve these remarkable works of nature for us to see, value and appreciate. Experiencing and witnessing those magnificent National Parks, will give us the courage, the strength and the determination to continue to support, preserve and pass on those majesties of nature to the many future generations to come. So help support and preserve an American Treasure! Visit a National Park!

Snapshots Across America features these game cards:

 

     

Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon National Parks have also been featured on the new U.S. Mint America the Beautiful Quarters that were released in 2010.

Follow us for more Snapshots Spotlights about the many great tourist attractions featured in the educational boardgame, Snapshots Across America. New edition to be released Summer 2015.

Sources:

¹Dayton Duncan & Ken Burns. The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. PBS Documentary Series aired 2009. Companion Guide. Alfred A. Knopf. New York. Print. 2009.

²Barry Mackintosh. The National Parks: Shaping the System. National Park Service-U.S. Department of the Interior. Washington, D.C. Print. 1991. Web.

³George Catlin. Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs and Conditions of the North American Indians. Wiley and Putnam. New York. Print. 1842. Web.

⁴John Muir. Our National Parks. Houghton Mifflin and company. Boston-New York. Print. 1901. Web-Library of Congress.

⁵The official Website of the National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/index.htm.
US Department of the Interior. Washington D.C. Web.

Copyright 2015, Sandell Games.