History of National Parks in the United States - Research Paper Example

The history of National Parks in the United s National parks of the United s are the treasure houses for the superlatives of nature. They have become the home and refuge of several species of animals which would have otherwise become extinct (Gartner 1986). The history of these national parks is part of the world’s constant debates. The idea embodied in national parks is constantly evolving and entails the reminders of the most prominent places, aspirations, principles and sacrifices of America regarding to the preservation of the country’s heritage and animals. This history is also considered as the history of the people who constantly worked hard to preserve and save the land which they loved throughout their lives as United Sates’ residents. The history of United States’ national parks can be traced as far back as the discovery of Yosemite in 1851. The discovery of this place of inspiring beauty elicited events which led to the legislations that were used to protect and preserve land for future generations. White men who were members of an armed battalion entered the Yosemite Valley in 1851 in search of Indians so as to drive them away from their homeland. Those white men then named the valley “Yosemite”, believing that it was the name of the Indian tribe which lived in that valley. In 1855, James Mason led a group of white men to the discovery of the valley (Gartner 1986). After failing as a gold miner for years, James Mason believed that he could prosper by establishing and running a tourist hotel in Yosemite Valley so as to promote the scenic attractions of California. Four years later, James Mason returned to the same site, but now with a photographer. Later, other writers and artists travelled to the valley and as a result images and word concerning the valley spread fast across the US. This attracted more tourists who were specifically eager to see the beautiful valley by themselves (Gartner 1986). An editor of the New York Tribune called Horace Greeley then wrote about the valley, saying that if the county of California and other relevant authorities do not take care of the safety of the trees in the valley, then he would be sure to deplore it. He perceived that the value of the valley several years later would be very high if care and caution was taken to preserve it. Therefore, the discovery of the valley served as an important path in the history of National Parks in the United States. By late 19th century, actions of the United States to tame the land had come with devastating consequences. Entire species of animals had been destroyed and forests had been subjected to outrageous ravage. All these actions were committed in the name of progress. One naturalist named John Muir then expressed his concerns by categorically stating that the great wilds of the United States of America which were once boundless and inexhaustible had now become invaded and destructed completely. Within this period, there were only a handful of concerned Americans who perceived that national parks were the only structures that were considered as the important means to protect the country’s pristine places. A young politician named Theodore Roosevelt was one of the few concerned people as of that moment. Roosevelt was later to become the president of the United States of America and establish five national parks, 51 bird sanctuaries, four national game reserves, 18 monuments and 100 million acres of national forests. In 1890, there were already four national parks established due to the concern of the few people who were determined to preserve the environment. Despite the fact that these national parks were under the guard of the army, they were nonetheless subject to great dangers (Albright 1985). Wildlife in the park was constantly killed; park meadows were overgrazed by livestock; tourists provided means for the destruction of rocks and trees through carvings and ancient forests were not spared either. Although the congress had created the national parks by late 19th century, there was no provisional authority to oversee them. The Army found it exceptionally difficult to guard the entire 2 million-acre national parks by a mere horseback. There were no laws set to punish offenders and so wrong doers always escaped with only warnings or may be expulsion from the parks. It was also difficult to protect the park. During winter, cavalrymen were used to patrol the park for poachers on skis. However, in such circumstances the conditions were often treacherous as the cavalrymen lost their lives in avalanches and were killed brutally by poachers (Albright 1985). John Muir was appreciative of the army’s contribution towards the preservation of the national parks, but he preferred that the park be controlled by the federal government. Muir later in 1892 alongside a handful of Californians formed the Sierra club to help in the protection of the Yosemite Valley. Fifty years after the idea of national parks was conceived, several national parks had already been established. However, there were still no proper mechanisms established to protect them from destruction. The departments of war, interior and agriculture – all claimed to be in charge of the national parks but nothing had been done to avert the vulnerability of the unprotected national parks. In 1914, one of the advocates of the protection of the national parks, John Muir, died without being able to save the national from destruction. However, his efforts were not in vain. A group of concerned citizens including USA’s rich personalities, adventurers, and railroad barons took up his cause and followed his footsteps. One charismatic businessman called Stephen Mather used his wealth and charisma to initiate change in the management of the nation’s national parks. Stephen Mather was considered as the right man who came at the right time to help in the fight of national parks’ protection (Sutter 2002). When Mather visited Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks, he was very unhappy with what he witnessed. He recognized that the hiking trails were in extremely poor conditions, cattle grazed in meadows and there were plans to log the beautiful sequoia trees. He then sent a letter to the secretary of the interior stating his anger and dissatisfaction of how the national parks were administered. In response, the secretary said that if Mather was not satisfied with what things were done, he should come to Washington and do the job. Mather agreed to take the challenge and went to Lane’s office, expressing his interest to run the national parks for a year. Following the example of John Muir, Mather became the perfect man for the job. He promoted and protected the places which Muir taught him to love and protect. Before the National Park Service was established in 1916, the country’s parks, especially in California, existed as haphazard collection of sceneries guarded by the army and totally ignored by the congress. The parks were then controlled mainly by railroads that funded most developments in the parks. Being the first director of the National Park Service dedicated his time to change all these systems. He agitated for more national parks which could be reached by more people and be promoted by one cohesive system. With determination, he carried this out with protection of the parks being his top agenda. The first step of Mather and his assistant Horace Albright was to introduce automobiles in the national parks to transport visitors to the park. This move was received with a lot of opposition, especially by those who lived near the parks who claimed that it was like an attempt of allowing the serpent into the Garden of Eden. Stephen Mather’s contribution to the evolution of United States’ Parks is attributed mainly to his noble calling to direct the National Park Service. Despite being a player in the private sector for a long time, his service in the National Park service gave him an opportunity to engage in public undertakings which propelled him to be a strong public figure. With intense energy and exceptional friendliness, Stephen Mather was well known and trusted in his service. However, Stephen was also prone to depression which subjected him to hospitalizations. Mather realized that he could find his solace in the arks, so every time he was depressed he could visit them and he could become relived (Albright 1985). This is the kind of healing power that he expected all Americans to experience. As a result, he worked exceptionally hard to ensure that the parks are well taken care of in order to make them habitable and protect the animals and plant life in the parks for the wellbeing of all Americans. Mather and Albright did almost everything to ensure that there was enough publicity and visitors were attracted to visit the national parks. In this pursuit, they approved the start-up of golf courses and zoos at the national parks. In fact, they proposed Yosemite as a crucial setting for the winter Olympics (Sutter 2002). Superintendants in USA’s national parks then started to follow Mather’s example in his creative public relations engagements. There are several other activities which were also organized by Stephen Mather including the “Buffalo Plains Week” which assisted in promoting the protection of the country’s national parks. In 1920s, America entered its most difficult times in its history with the fear and experience of economic cataclysm and wars. These factors threatened the existence of peace and freedom in United States which were fundamental elements for the protection of the country’s national parks. The National Parks underwent dramatic changes over the dark years of the 1920s. A new president called Franklin Delano Roosevelt expanded the number of National Parks and transformed the concept and notion of a National Park (Sutter 2002). Within the same period, young scientist George Melendez Wright insisted that it was as important to preserve wildlife as it is to protect scenery. Horace Albright took over the leadership of National Park Service in 1929 under the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. His main intention when he took over the position was to increase the number of places under Park Service Protection. One of his intentions was to transfer military parks, monuments and battlefields from the war department and agricultural department to the national park system. In 1933 while the president and Albright went to Virginia’s Blue Islands for a trip, Horace Albright noted places that he could set up the Second Battle of Bull Run in the civil war. Back at the State House, the president asked Albright to write his proposal and within a few days Roosevelt signed two executive orders that were aimed at transforming the park service (Sutter 2002). The service agency was given the mandate to oversee over 20 military parks, monuments and historical battlefields. This marked an era where National parks preserved natural wonders and wildlife, and embraced the fundamental aspect of America. Within the same period, George Melendez who was working as an assistant Park Naturalist in Yosemite Park was totally convinced that the park management team was overlooking what he considered as a primary aspect of the national park system – preserving wildlife in its natural state (Lowery 2009). He managed to convince his managers to allow a scientific survey of the condition of wildlife across USA. In 1930, he set out with a team of three for a tour of western parks; a tour which would take them approximately four years. The team discovered during the tour that there was no balance of nature as some species such as lions and wolves were shot as unwelcome predators in their natural environment. They noticed that Elk, antelope and Elk were fed on hay during winter while buffalos were confined to corrals like domestic cattle. Protection of predators took a center stage in 1940s when the efforts of Adolph Murie were known and recognized. He spent two years at Yellowstone studying the Coyotes of the Park. He then presented a report to oppose a policy of hunting predators in the park. The superintendant then got upset and took no interest in the report written by Adolph Murie. Adolph Murie conducted a study which showed that wolves strengthen sheep and caribou herds, but his assertion was dismissed as a pro-wolf propaganda. Later, Adolph was given the responsibility of wolf-control. He kept the number of Wolf killings to the minimum and his prediction was proven when the sheep herds rebound (Lowery 2009). The park service therefore instituted a ban on wolf-killing. This marked the stop of predator killing. By mid 1950s, visitors to America’s national parks increased significantly. The number of Americans visiting the national parks had reached 62 million. Most visitors arrived at the parks by car and the parks were never ready to accommodate them. The meadows at Yosemite which had previously been left to livestock grazing were now used to park visitors’ cars. The camp grounds became extremely overcrowded. Park Service Director Colin Wirth then proposed a programme called “mission 66” which was timed to be completed in 1966 so as to coincide with the country’s 50th anniversary. In this mission, $787 million were used to construct new parks and to repair and maintenance existing ones as well as addition of more staff (Gartner 1986). This led to the modern appearance of the parks which include good roads, upgraded sewer system, improved campgrounds, and more visitor centers. Visitor centers were modernized to include museums, information offices and rest rooms – all under one roof. Many people opposed these developments but they went on anyway (Wirth 1980). National Parks in America are now the best parks which everyone yearns to visit after several years of struggle by many people to improve them and advocate for a better preservation of animal and plant life. Today’s national parks in America are not only a good habitat for both prey and predator animals but also good places for American citizens to visit and enjoy their summer with their families. References list American National Parks: History.PBS. Web. 2012. 6 May. 2013. Albright, Horace, M. The Birth of the National Park Service; The Founding Years, 1913-33. Salt Lake City, Utah: Howe Brothers, 1985. Dilsaver, Lary M., ed. America's National Park System: The Critical Documents. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1994. Print. Gartner, Bob. Exploring Careers in the National Parks. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 1993. Print. Lowery, William. Repairing Paradise: The Restoration of Nature in America's National Parks. Washington: Brookings, 2009. Print. Sutter, Paul. Driven Wild: How the Fight against Automobiles Launched the Modern Wilderness Movement. Seattle: University of Washington press. 2002. Print. Wirth, Conrad, L. Parks, Politics, and the People. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980. Print. Read More