One hundred years ago today, conservation efforts in the United States reached a watershed moment, when, on August 25, 1916, President Thomas Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act, which created the National Park Service (NPS).
There already existed a number of national parks and national monuments up to this point, starting with Yellowstone, the first national park, and Devils Tower, the first national monument. Those two sites, and the sites that were created after them, would now all be under the oversight of a specific federal agency within the US Department of the Interior. From this point onward, the NPS has come to include numerous other sites of natural, ecological, cultural, and historical significance.
As of yesterday, August 24, 2016, there are 413 NPS sites, with Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine being the most recently created site. (As it turns out, President Obama has set aside more acres of land for preservation than any other president.)
I've been watching the Ken Burns documentary
The National Parks: America's Best Idea, having just finished episode 3 today. The first episode especially presents the idea that the national parks are a uniquely American concept: In other parts of the world, especially Europe, the wealthy and elite controlled, and even limited, access to great natural wonders. But in the United States, the national parks were created with the intention of giving access to these places for everyone, making the experience of these wonders something democratic.
In many ways, the sites preserved by the NPS help Americans, and all others who come to visit, put us in tune with the soul of the United States of America. Certainly many of the places in the NPS system were made for superlatives, like the Grand Canyon. And even the extremes of elevation in the United States are under the oversight of the NPS, the highest point in Denali National Park and the lowest point in Death Valley National Park--not to mention extremes in temperature. Indeed, these sites allow us to experience scenic wonders, as well as those places that shaped the history and culture of the United States to be what it is today, giving us a deeper sense of the pivotal events by preserving where they took place. Their preservation demonstrates that our society continues to value their significance, whether it's the Ellis Island Immigrant station or the town at Nicodemus National Historic Site.
Given the breadth of the NPS's offerings, today's Centennial celebration of the NPS is something very special indeed. And it's made me think back upon all my experiences in national parks and other NPS sites, and I share now 100 such experiences narratively. Many of these experiences I've recorded through the use of a National Parks Passport since December 2004--please see the picture below that Mom kindly took of me with my passport.
The first National Park I have memories of visiting is Glacier National Park in Montana, back in the summer of 1997. My family's visit there was part of a great long train trip in which we traveled in a loop around the western United States, and Glacier NP was our first stop. We stayed in Whitefish, a town to the west of the park, and to get there, the Amtrak Empire Builder route traveled along the southern edge of the park, along the border with Flathead National Forest. We traversed around the park's scenic areas, beholding many waterfalls and lakes like St. Mary's, with absolutely clear water. We also got pictures at the Continental Divide at Logan's Pass.
(A couple of years later, we visited Niagara Falls, which is part of the Niagara National Heritage Area that was designated in 2008 and includes the region of western New York.)
In the summer 2000, while vacationing in Maine, we spent a few days at Acadia National Park, the easternmost national park, on Mount Desert Island. (Acadia actually marked the centennial of its creation as a national monument last month.) We drove around on the Park Loop Road, and stopped to hike trails to see sights such as Jordan Pond, Thunder Hole, Sand Beach, Echo Lake, The Bubbles, Otter Cliffs, and Schoodic Point. The highlight I most distinctly remember is ascending Mount Cadillac. Later on during our Maine vacation, once we had reached the easternmost edge of Maine's Atlantic Coast, we crossed the US-Canada border to visit Roosevelt Campobello Island International Park.
In summer 2001, I paid my first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park, and have been there two other times, on August 12, 2008, and just last month in July 2016, making it the National Park I have visited the most. During the first two visits, we rode up Trail Ridge Road, from Estes Park the first time, and from Grand Lake the second time. On our first visit, we rode to the Alpine Ridge. During the second visit, we rode all the way to the Continental Divide at Milner Pass, one of the few places I've been in my life where there's actually a line to pose for pictures.
On our drive there, we stopped to hike the Coyote Valley Trail, within sight of the Never Summer Mountains. While in the area of this trail, Mom and I actually waded across the width of the Colorado River, whose source is in Rocky Mountain National Park. (Incredible to think of the Colorado River's humble beginnings, which, hundreds of miles downstream, give way to incredible scenic wonders like Glen Canyon and the Grand Canyon.)
Further along the road, we stopped at the Holzwarth Historic Site, formerly a western dude ranch. We also stopped to view Lake Irene. One point in the drive to Milner Pass took us through a stretch of road that went through multiple hairpin turns, one right after the other. After turning around to head back to Steamboat Springs, where we were staying, we went along the East Inlet Trail to Adams Falls.
Last month, I made a short visit to Rock Mountain NP, and took a walk along the shoreline of Lily Lake, which was so serene and peaceful, especially when I heard the distinct rustling of the breeze in the aspen trees. This visit was definitely one of my most memorable of my national park and NPS experiences.
In summer 2007, while my family was vacationing in the Lake Tahoe area, we drove down to Yosemite National Park. It's well known for its falls and other attractions in the Yosemite Valley, but we entered the park by an area I had little familiarity with: the Tuolumne Meadows, a scenic alpine meadows area. We then drove on the Tioga Road to the Yosemite Valley, where we saw Bridalveil Fall, Half Dome, El Capitan, and Tenaya Lake.
In summer 2010, my parents and I were vacationing in the Smokies region, and visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On our first day of visiting there, we drove on the Cade's Cove Road, which took us by scenic wonders, and historic sites, like Cable Mill, and a couple of historic churches, Baptist and Methodist. On our second day of visiting the park, we drove the full length of Newfound Gap Road, which leads to Newfound Gap, at the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. This is also the point where the road intersects the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, one of a few trails in the NPS system. We drove through the North Carolina side all the way to the edge of the park and into the Cherokee Reservation. On this drive, we also stopped at the Mingus Mill, the Mountain Farm Museum, and waded in the Oconaluftee River. (We were fortunate to be there the week before Memorial Day, when the crowded tourist season starts.)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway, whose northern terminus is in Shenandoah National Park. In summer 2005, while on our way back from a vacation in Lake Lure in western North Carolina, we stopped at the Folk Art Center. (There are some other scenic drives that can be had on a number of other parkways in the NPS system.)
The NPS also preserves scenic areas along our nation's bodies of water. In 2009, I started attending Valparaiso University, which gave me a few opportunities to visit Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which is about 15-20 miles of Valparaiso, along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. I actually had the opportunity to attend a lecture given by former Indiana Dunes NL Superintendent Constantine Dillon, who produced movies before his NPS career. He talked about the great wealth of riches the Indiana Dunes has, especially in biodiversity, and how it has yet to reach its full potential.
One very memorable experience was going to Porter Beach in late October 2012, and feeling the fierce winds blowing on my face off hundreds of miles of open Lake Michigan waters, which was due to the massive, intense Sandy superstorm system. I also was at that same beach about three years later hanging out with my friends as we wrapped up a post-college reunion get-together. I also had a nice visit to Kemil Beach at the end of my freshman year. The great thing about the Indiana Dunes beaches is that one can see the Chicago skyline from them.
Besides the sand of the beaches and dunes, there are also lots of wooded areas included in the Indiana Dunes NL. I was once attending a retreat near the woods, and one morning, I went on a hike with some fellow retreatants through the woods, past the Chelburg Farm, which is the site of the annual Maple Syrup Festival.
Speaking of historic structures, the Indiana Dunes NL also is the site of the five Century of Progress Homes: the
Wieboldt-Rostone House, the Florida Tropical House, the Cypress
Log Cabin, the House of Tomorrow, and the Armco-Ferro House. I've had the opportunity to attend twice the annual tour of these homes. These homes were at the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago in the early 1930's, and they were then moved to Beverly Shores. They are leased out to individuals willing to restore them to the condition they had at the fair. (By the way, if you're interested, you can check the website for info on getting tickets for this year's tour in early September. And act quickly, because the tickets sell out fast.)
United States Federal Route 12, heading from its split with US 20 in the Miller area of eastern Gary, goes along a very scenic drive through the Dunesland to Michigan City, paralleling the South Shore Line tracks for much of that distance.
Another memorable NPS shore area I've visited is Cape Hatteras National Seashore, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This National Seashore contains two of the five Outer Banks lighthouses. There's Bodie Island Lighthouse, which has a nice wildlife viewing area by it. Then there's Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse, according to the Cape Hatteras NS
website. Dad and I actually hiked up 257 steps to reach the top, for some great views of the Outer Banks and the Atlantic Ocean.
We also took a ferry to Ocracoke Island, which has the Ocracoke Island Lighthouse, which is not open for public viewing. Ocracoke Island also has a herd of "Banker" horses.
During that same trip, we visited the Wright Brothers' National Memorial, the site where the Wright brothers made the first successful flights in history from a heavier-than-air craft. There are actually markers noting the distances covered by those first four flights, reconstructions of the facilities they used while working on their aircraft, and a monument set on a hill. We had the unique experience of visiting this site a few months before the centennial of their first flight on December 17, 1903. (Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park also preserves some history related to the life and work of the Wright brothers.)
And during that same 2003 summer vacation to the Outer Banks, we also visited Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, which preserves an area that was among the earliest British settlements in North America, back in the 16th Century. The site preserves an Earthen Fort from that time, as well as other cultural aspects of English, African, and indigenous peoples who lived there.
Before we got to the Outer Banks, though, we had the opportunity to visit some other historical offerings the NPS stewards. First was George Washington Birthplace National Monument, along Pope's Creek, in the Virginia Tidewater Region. The house Mr. Washington was born in burned down in 1779, but the foundation is still marked out. Nearby, the house's kitchen, which was a separate structure, still stands. There's also a memorial house that was constructed in honor of Mr. Washington, and is furnished in a way that is typical of 18th Century Tidewater Virginia. And there's a living history farm, too. (Leading to his Mount Vernon home is the George Washington Parkway, a scenic drive that passes along the Potomac River in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. Adjacent to it near the Pentagon is the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove.)
Later that day, we stopped at Yorktown Battlefield, part of Colonial National Historical Park. We toured the area around Redoubts 9 and 10, which saw the last part of the action in the Siege of Yorktown, right before the British Army under General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington, which was the engagement that finally forced the British to sign a treaty ending the American Revolutionary War. (This war's beginnings are preserved at Minuteman National Historical Park in Massachusetts, and the NPS has sites pertaining to other battles and important events in this period of American history, especially at Boston National Historical Park.)
Colonial National Historical Park also includes Historic Jamestowne, the 1607 English settlement. There are archaeological ruins that remain, including the fort, the church, and the House of Burgesses building. The Jamestowne Veerhoos Archaeorium has a number of other artifacts from the settlement. Connecting the two sites is the Colonial Parkway, one of many NPS scenic routes.
I am very drawn to the history of this country's founding. So I was most excited to finally have the chance to visit the sites of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia earlier this summer, including Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell Center, the Declaration House (a reconstruction of the home where Thomas Jefferson rented an apartment in which he drafted the Declaration of Independence), Congress Hall, Old City Hall (where the US Supreme Court met when Philadelphia was the temporary US capital city), and the President's House site (where Presidents Washington and Adams lived). (Federal Hall National Memorial in New York City preserves the site where the federal government under the US Constitution first met.) I was fortunate enough to be there on June 14, Flag Day, and I attended a ceremony at Independence Hall, at the place on the day the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes. June 14 was also the day they created the Continental Army, in 1775.
I also visited the smallest NPS site in the whole system, Thaddeus Kosciuzko National Memorial, at 1/50 of an acre. It preserves the house in which Polish nobleman Thaddeus Kosciuzko rented an apartment for a few months during the 1790's when he sought payment from the US Congress for his efforts in helping the Americans in the American Revolutionary War. (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska is the largest NPS site, at 13.2 million acres. Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas is the smallest national park, at about 6000 acres. A
website I found, though, claims the David Berger National Memorial is the smallest NPS site, honoring one of the Israeli athletes who was murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics.)
There's a memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence in Constitution Gardens, at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The National Mall is one of a number of urban parks the NPS oversees. Adjacent to the Mall is President's Park, south of the White House. I remember waiting there to go into the White House for a timed tour back in the 1990's. This is also where the National Christmas Tree is, with a lighting ceremony every year in early December.
The National Mall has a number of other monuments and memorials, and I've had the opportunity to visit them during numerous visits to Washington, D.C. There's the Washington Monument with its unbeatable views from the top--and somehow, during two of my visits, I've ended up seeing it in the midst of restoration efforts.
There are sites that honor other important Americans, like the Jefferson Memorial. On the other side of the Tidal Basin, with its lovely cherry trees, is the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial, the latest NPS site I've visited for the first time, finally getting the chance to see it earlier this summer on June 15. It has a number of Dr. King's thought-provocative quotes. Nearby is also the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, with its focus on the different significant periods in US history that occurred during his administration. There are many memorials to wars, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the World War II Memorial, which was especially moving for me to see. (The NPS also preserves sites related to World War II history at Valor in the Pacific National Park, which includes the USS Arizona Memorial. And then there's Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in California, which preserves that aspect of that era.)
I've also visited the Lincoln Memorial, at the west end of the National Mall. Also related to Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., we visited Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, which includes Ford's Theater, where President Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865, and Petersen House, across the street, where he passed away the next morning. (I purchased my NPS passport in the Ford's Theatre gift shop.) (The NPS also preserves sites pertaining to the beginning of the Sectional War, Fort Sumter National Monument, and the end, Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park, and sites of major battles that occurred throughout that conflict.)
On the opposite end of his life's spectrum, my family and I visited Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in central Kentucky, while we were headed to a vacation in Nashville. At the top of a hill is the Memorial Building, which contains a replica of the log cabin in which he was born. On the site are Sinking Spring, from which the farm where Mr. Lincoln was born gets its name, and Boundary Oak, another natural landmark. (Later in that trip, on the way home, we made a short stop at Mammoth Cave National Park, and I got the chance to ascend down to the entrance of one of the caves, one of many caves sites in the NPS system.)
In the late 1990's, on a vacation that took us further south in Illinois, we visited the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, which preserves the home where the Lincoln Family lived in Springfield. In addition to touring the home, we also walked around to see the other homes in the nearby neighborhood that are preserved from the 19th Century.
Indeed, the NPS preserves a number of home sites related to US presidents, and even first ladies, as well as other prominent Americans. One memorable NPS site visit for me was to the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site. There, I had the extraordinary opportunity to tour the home where he was born and lived while growing up, as well as visit the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church sanctuary, where Dr. King, Jr., served as pastor, and the graves of Dr. and Mrs. King, by the King Center.
And the NPS preserves sites related to the development of the nation: During a vacation that took my family to St. Louis, we visited Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. This is around the eastern terminus of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, one of many historic trails in the system, at the other end of which is Fort Clatsop, near Astoria, OR, part of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. (I was in the vicinity of the Lewis and Clark trail when I spent a week in and around the Winnebago Reservation in northeast Nebraska.) We had the opportunity to visit the Gateway Arch, the tallest monument in the world at 630 feet--we even got to ride a tram up to the top. We also visited the Old Courthouse, which is part of this NPS site.
There are other sites that speak to aspects of commerce and industry in our country's history: During a layover between trains in Washington, D.C., I went to Georgetown, the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, the longest NPS site stretching 184.5 miles, preserving a corridor that helped moved goods in the early years of the American republic. (While riding the Amtrak Capitol Limited Route, which I've done on three round trips so far, the train passed alongside part of this canal corridor, all the way to Harper's Ferry, WV, which is the location of a national historical park. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail also passes through this town, too. And the NPS has its hands in preservation efforts for other historic corridors, like the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and Route 66.)
And then there's Pullman National Monument, one of the newer historical NPS sites, in the Pullman neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. It encompasses a factory where Pullman company workers made train cars, and the town George Pullman built, with some splendid homes that still stand in the neighborhood, as part of his vision for a place where the company's employees would live. I made a short visit there today to mark the NPS Centennial.
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| Thanks to the man I saw in Arcade Park in the Pullman neighborhood who kindly took this picture of me posing with the Pullman National Monument Visitors' Center in the background. Below is a picture of the stamps I got at the Visitors' Center for my NPS passport. |
One of the other more recently-designated NPS sites I've passed by is the Sewall-Belmont House of the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument in Washington, D.C., during my recent visit there this past June while sightseeing before catching my train west to Chicago. (While riding the Megabus into Washington, D.C., earlier that day, the bus traveled along a short portion of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.)
Truly, truly, we the people of the United States are so privileged to have access to this wide array of national treasures, managed by the the NPS, and this list of my experiences so far, while exhaustive, is only scratching the surface. As the NPS heads into another century of stewardship of these sites, I look forward to visiting even more of them, to get to know this great country even more deeply. I am thankful to those who came before us who worked so hard to preserve these places so people then, and for the generations to come, my own and those beyond, could continue to enjoy them. Indeed, we behold these places as our own, thanks to the work of the National Park Service, which safeguards them.
Here's to a great century of accessing these amazing places, and looking forward to another one, and beyond, of experiencing the riches of the United States.
