The National Park Service is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. In 1916, a number of locations — including Yellowstone, Yosemite and Washington’s very own Mount Rainier — were given national park status. Over the years, places such as Carlsbad Caverns, the Everglades and the Great Basin were added to the roster. And in 2013, California received its ninth national park with the addition of Pinnacles, formerly a national monument. In whole, it is a century’s worth of beauty and wonder set aside for generations to enjoy and appreciate, a pretty remarkable feat.
Today’s book, “59 Illustrated National Parks,” is not only a gorgeous tribute to our 59 national parks, it’s a mini history lesson about humanity’s connection to nature.
Two men had incredible foresight and influence in the development of the national park system: naturalist John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt. Many of us already associate these men with the creation of protected wilderness areas, but have you ever heard of Ferdinand Hayden? Without his involvement, Yellowstone might have been exploited for mining and agriculture instead of becoming a protected — and much-loved — national park.
There had been plenty of talk about a hellish region full of “steaming pools, evil smelling bowls of mud and gushing fountains” mainly due to the tales told by a trapper named John Colter. Word of “Colter’s Hell” spread among explorers and trappers, eventually coming to the attention of Ferdinand Hayden, head of the Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. Gathering together a team of scientists, a painter and a photographer, Hayden set off for Yellowstone in 1871. According to author Nathan Anderson, “Hayden’s team brought national attention to the region … through the diligent practice of art and science.” The national park system wouldn’t be in place for another 45 years, but thanks to men such as Hayden, who convinced Congress to protect the Yellowstone region from mining and agriculture, the idea of setting aside natural areas for preservation was in motion.
