Going back to 1832, artist George Catlin wrote that the look and feel of the American West could disappear unless the federal government took steps to protect the land and the life it sustained. Catlin called for “a nation’s park.” Instead, in 1849, Congress created the Department of the Interior, to protect and manage the nation's natural resources and cultural heritage. Yellowstone was the first National Park, designated in 1872 – in a territory, so there was no state agency that could manage it. The Dept of the Interior didn’t have the manpower or expertise to run national parks. Conservationist Stephen Mather and journalist Robert Sterling Yard began writing and publishing articles that made the case for creating a National Park Service. They saw the agency welcoming visitors to parks and protecting the lands’ natural beauty and cultural importance. After U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed the law establishing the National Park Service, Stephen Mather was appointed its first director.
A b/w photo from npshistory.com [National Park Service History] with the caption:
Stephen T. Mather, Superintendent's Conference, October 1925, Mesa Verde National Park. (NPS)
On August 25th, 1916, the U.S. National Park Service was established, thanks in large part to a number of people who essentially wrote the Park Service into existence.
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