The National Park Service protects over 400 areas, spanning
over 84+ million acres in “fifty states, the District of Columbia,
American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin
Islands.”
From the tropical forests in Florida, to the snow-covered
mountains of the Northern Maine Wilderness, we, as Americans, have so much wondrous ground to cover. In between the
rolling hills, hot springs, and waterfalls, there are thousands of
monuments to take in. Each one, unique to a specific moment
in time, will allow you to embark on a historical journey.
Everything from houses to battlefields are protected under
the National Park Service, giving us the opportunity to step
into some of the deepest, most moving cultural experiences
that one can have as an American.
Celebrate with us this year and wish the National Park Service a happy 100th birthday, as we remember how it all started, and why its services and pledges are stronger now than
ever before.
In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a
bill that set aside over 1 million acres of
land spanning over Wyoming, Montana, and
Idaho, for use as a “pleasuring-ground.”
This bill became known as the Yellowstone Act of 1872, and
protected the land from all “injury and spoliation.” This made
Yellowstone untouchable, which was surprising at that point
in history, being that the west had been under severe exploitation. Once the park was protected, Congress, along with a few
key conservationists, began to entertain the idea of preserving
various lands around the country, and the movement to establish more parks and monuments would soon be in full swing.
The National Parks and monuments were originally overseen
by the Department of the Interior. Stephen Mather, a conservationist, led a campaign to change this, and invited the idea
of a specific agency that would protect and manage the parks.
Mather won, and in 1916, the National Park Service was born,
with Mather as its first director.
The National Park Service was a spec ialized branch within the
Department of the Interior, and was now responsible for Yellowstone, and other lands and monuments within the United
States. The second director after Mather was Horace M. Albright, who was appointed assistant director to Mather, and
took over when Mather became ill.
President Woodrow Wilson is known as another contributing
founder, as he signed the bill that authorized and instructed the
new agency “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment
of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave
them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
16 Summer 2016 Adventure Outdoors