The “Wild” History of the National Park Service

With around 1,200 national parks and preserves spread across over 100 countries, the National Park Service, or NPS, is one of the largest organizations to help preserve and promote both historic and natural spaces including monuments. 84 million acres spread across the U.S. states and territories fall under NPS protection.

The history of how the Park Service formed into its current state is an incredible story of perseverance and determination. It helped change the attitude of early Americans relationship with nature from being solely a resource to something that could be preserved and protected for future generations. 

So how did this transformation begin? Read on to learn more!

Origins

The idea of a National Park Service can actually be traced back to early Europe. The European model however, sought to preserve trees and wildlife for timber and hunting, not recreation and conservation. It wasn’t until the 19th century that nature was viewed as anything other than a resource for clothing, food and shelter. 

This started to change when people began drawing inspiration from nature for art and literature. The Transcendentalist movement embodied this idea with notable figures such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau creating writings centered around simple living and self-reliance in nature. 

Also during the 19th century, Americans were intent on expanding westward with many experiencing the beauty of the West Coasts scenic locations. Naturalist John Muir was incredibly important in bringing the wilderness of the West to those who had never seen it before. 

It was through these early events and pioneers that Americans began to develop a sense of national pride for these wilderness areas along with an urge to protect them. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln created the Yosemite Grant Act that helped protect the land in Yosemite Valley from commercial development. This began the movement towards preservation and protection of America’s wild places. 

Creating The First National Park

In 1872, Congress declared Yellowstone the first National Park with the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act of 1872. The bill was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1st and created the first national park in the world. It was envisioned "as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" – although this was not extended to the Native Americans. 

The Act also set aside over 1-million acres of public land in future states such as Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Other national parks began to follow such as Sequoia National Park, Mackinac National Park and Yosemite National Park. 

The creation of these parks broke with the policy of transferring public lands to private ownership. But while these areas were being set aside for preservation, there was no single agency in control of these new federal parklands. That all changed in the 1900s. 

“So on August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service through the National Park Service Organic Act.”

Creating The National Park Service

In 1906, then President Theodore Roosevelt gave presidents the authority to create national monuments with the signing of Antiquities Act. This meant that areas of natural or historic significants on public land could be preserved. Devil’s Tower in Wyoming became the first national monument created under the Act and was done so by Roosevelt. 

Despite the American government implementing these actions, each park was managed individually and encountered many problems. Many were severely understaffed, unpaid and had no resources to protect from vandals or poachers.   

The proposed construction of the Hetch Hetchy Valley dam in 1908 and 1913 ignited preservationists like John Muir and the Sierra Club to declare that the valley should remain protected because it was within Yosemite National Park boundary. Despite their best efforts, the dam was eventually constructed. 

This lead to environmentalists advocating for stronger government protection of these areas. So on August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service through the National Park Service Organic Act. 

With the creation of this new organization, the agency’s mission was to “provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” It allowed for conservation and protection of scenery, wildlife and the natural and historic objects found with in each park. 

In 1933, an Executive Order transferred 56 national monuments and military sites from the War Department and the Forest Service to the National Park Service. This was a major leap forward in developing the NPS as the organization known today. Later, Congress declared the General Authorities Act of 1970 which improved the administration of the national parks and clarify their authority over what was protected. 

National Park Service Today

Comprised of more than 84 million acres across more than 400 areas in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands–the National Park Service is a far cry from its humble beginnings. In 2016 alone, the parks were visited by roughly 331 million people. 

The NPS also employs more than 20,000 people to care for the parks and generates around $35 million a year for the U.S. economy. It’s a unique and incredible part of American history that has helped maintain and preserve our wilderness for years to come.