National Parks Timeline

Christian Kotch
 1864 - Yosemite Land Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. This Act
guaranteed the protection of land in California. This area would later become Yosemite
National Park.
 1872 - Land from Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming were set aside and protected to form
the first official National Park. The set aside land consisted of about 3,400 square miles
and was deemed Yellowstone National Park by President Ulysses S. Grant.
 1905 – Creation of the Forest Service under the United States Department of Agriculture.
Forests and grassland were used for sustainable practices like recreation, livestock,
timber. These lands were used for recreation and production, so they were not left
untouched.
 1906 – The Antiquities Act was signed. This was signed by President Rosevelt and
created Mesa Verde National Park along with other parks that featured historic and
prehistoric ruins. The idea for Mesa Verde was to protect ancient Pueblo ruins carved
into cliffs and preserve these structures from future change or excavation. This Act also
protects national monuments across the country.
 1916 – The National Park Service was formed. Prior to this year the National Parks were
overseen by the Department of Interior and had no official organization to watch over and
maintain the parks. Stephen T. Mather wanted a service department to take over the park
system. This happened when Congress passed the Organic Act in August of 1916.
 1964 – The Wilderness Act and Eastern Wilderness Act (1973). Both Acts are under the
Bureau of Land Management. They declare that any areas that are preserved and
untouched by humans can only be accessed and explored by foot. Cars, all-terrain
vehicles, bicycles, and any other form of transportation other than by foot are prohibited
in these areas. This is to preserve the natural state of these designated areas.
 1973 – Endangered Species Act. This prevented disturbance to endangered or threatened
species and their habitats. It also allowed for more research into what species of wildlife
may be threatened or endangered.
 Stephen T. Mather and Horace Albright - Stephen T. Mather, a millionaire from his
successful mining company took a job offered by Franklin K. Lane to help resolve issues
regarding the quality of National Parks. In 1915 and 1916 Mather worked hard to create
the National Park Service. Horace Albright became the director after Mather in 1929.
Albright added activities like campgrounds, ranger stations, and hiking trails into the
parks to attract tourism and keep them safe.
 In the late 1800’s, as the way of life was shifting from agriculture to industrial throughout
most of the United States, powerful figures like the President saw that the change could endanger
the natural beauty found throughout our country. Initiatives taken at this time like protecting
untouched land, set foundations for future generations to build a system that protects wildlife and
nature. This system evolved into our National Parks.
In reviewing the history of the National Parks, I discovered one of their goals was to
preserve and protect nature. I compiled significant events that I feel demonstrated how protecting
nature has grown into the National Park system over time. In the late 1800’s actions like
protecting land in Northern California were the earliest contributions to the National Park chain.
President Abraham Lincoln took the initiative to set aside land because of how drastically the
United States was changing in size, population, and industrialization (Brief History of National
Parks, 2020). President Ulysses S. Grant expanded on what Lincoln did by combining land from
three states to designate it as the first National Park, Yellowstone. Yellowstone consists of over
3,400 square miles that house endangered species like bison, buffalo, and wolves (History of
National Parks, 2021). The purpose of National Parks progressed from preserving untouched
nature, protecting ancient ruins like the ones in Mesa Verde National Park. President Theodore
Rosevelt wanted to protect history too. Therefore, many battlefields and monuments are in
National Parks, so they cannot be changed or disturbed.
The late 1800’s and very early 1900’s set fundamental ideas for the parks like preserving
land, monuments, and historic areas. However, there was no set organization to maintain the
parks until 1916 when the National Park Service was created. Stephen T. Mather is who you
would consider the founder or father of the National Park Service. Mather was a millionaire who
enjoyed camping with his family at Yosemite National Park. He noticed some issues with the
park such as the roads to access them. His concern for the maintenance of the parks led him to
create a proposal on how to fix the issues. Mather created the National Park Service when his
proposal passed through Congress. He became director of the organization and used his own
money to help get the organization on its feet (National Park Service, 2012). Horace Albright
became the second director in 1929. He used Mathers's foundation of the National Park Service
to expand it by adding recreational activities in the parks to attract visitors. Some additions that
Albright made were adding campsites and hiking trails throughout the parks for people to enjoy
(National Park Service, 2012). Parks throughout the United States have continued to add and
promote activities to draw in guests. While each park has unique activities based off their
geological location the concept to create a fun, interactive, and learning experience for guests is
the same. Some places like Yosemite offer snorkeling and others like Yellowstone offer
snowmobile tours to view the park. When I was young, I had the opportunity to tour Yellowstone
on a snowmobile and it has since then left a lasting impression that makes me want to go back
and do it again.
The National Parks also provide a haven for endangered species. The Wilderness Act of
1964 and Endangered Species Act of 1973 enforce stipulations that protect current and future
generations in wildlife in the parks (Tapps & Wells, 2019, p.123). The Wilderness Act places
regulations on how people can view certain areas of parks. In these areas no motorized or
mechanical ways of transportation are allowed. This is to prevent disturbance of native species
habitats (Service History, n.d.). The Endangered Species Act is similar but does not allow any
construction or renovations that could potentially disturb natural land and habitats in parks and
areas where endangered species live.
In a little over 150 years, the National Park system has evolved from land set aside to a
large agency that strives to protect nature and educate people about the importance of it. While
populations grow and urbanization continues to expand through the United States, it is important
that we continue to support organizations that dedicate their time and resources into protecting
land and animals that we are at fault for disturbing. It is our responsibility to take care of the land
inside and outside of parks because it is what allows us to survive. In the future I hope to see
more land preservation acts and initiative to clean surrounding lands.

References

A Brief History of National Parks. Visit USA Parks. (2020, November 24).
https://visitusaparks.com/history-national-parks/.

National Geographic Kids. (2021, February 10). History of the national parks. History.
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-the-national-parks.

U.S. Department of the Interior. National Park Service History: National Park System Timeline. National
Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/hisnps/NPSHistory/timeline_annotated.htm.

National Park Service. (2012, November 24). The First Directors: Mather and Albright. www.nps.gov.
https://www.nps.gov/whsa/learn/historyculture/upload/The_First_Directors_Mather_and_Albright_
-192KB_PDF.pdf.

Tapps, T. N., & Wells, M. S. (2019). Introduction to recreation and leisure. Human Kinetics.