[NOTE:  So far I have completed this introduction and the first lesson for the classroom — nine more lessons to go. Stay tuned!]

This survey is based on a class I teach at Eastern Washington University called “The History of National Parks.” Unlike that course, this website it is not interactive; there are no discussions, quizzes, or papers.

For the interactive version, you will need to move to Cheney, a delightful college town in eastern Washington — located, by the way, within a one-day’s drive of seven American and seven Canadian National Parks!

In the meantime, I  hope that you will find this “classroom” informative and even entertaining. I have included images, short films, and self-graded Quizlets to help you learn the material.

Note: the website as a whole includes other sections to facilitate your understanding of National Parks – see menu at the top of page.

Course Overview

National Parks — Glorious but “We almost never got them”.
The national parks have been called “America’s best idea.” But…

— We did not always have the parks,

— We almost never got them, and

— From time to time we’ve been in danger of losing them.

The very fact of our setting aside landscapes and buildings for future generations to enjoy runs counter to another American ideal: progress. That is, progress as defined by converting giant trees into board feet of lumber, beautiful landscapes into mining enterprises, and majestic buildings into rubble in the name of urban renewal.

This “course” tells the story of the slow emergence in the United States of a conviction that, in John Muir’s words, “we need beauty as well as bread” — that we need ancient forests to admire rather than to exploit, flower-clad meadows to enjoy rather than plow.

Throughout this course we will learn about the early history of some of the parks: Yellowstone, Yosemite, Rainier, Everglades, Acadia, and many others. We will also look at some of the parks that have been set aside for historical importance rather than nature preservation: Gettysburg, Lincoln’s Home, and Fort Larned among others. For perspective we will look at some of the parks set aside by state and local jurisdictions as well as by the federal government. Additionally, we will venture beyond the boundaries of the United States and, for comparison, explore national parks in other regions of the world.

Our story is in part the narrative of the many battles fought between those favoring and those opposing preservation. It is also an account of the many more battles over what preservation means: should there be highways in wilderness parks, for example? Does preservation of scenery include preservation of indigenous peoples, plants and animals? Is it alright to “enhance” the scenery, as for example, by turning colored search lights on the waterfalls of Yosemite? And more recently, should we allow snowmobiles in Yellowstone or gondolas in the Grand Canyon?

The focus in the class will be on National Parks as places of great natural beauty and interest; but as the park system has evolved more and more parks have focused on historical sites. Our readings in the Thinking Person’s Guide to America’s National Parks (see below) provide many thoughtful essays on the broader role of national parks.

Above all this is the story of American landscapes and historical settings at their most impressive, and it is the story of men and women at their most, well, heroic. Heroic in the sense of digging deep into themselves to find the words, paint the pictures, take the photographs, and create the films that help make possible all of this preservation. In History 452 we will be the beneficiaries of some of these words, paintings, photographs, and films, as we make an educational journey into the world of the National Parks.

Outcomes — National Park History is designed to provide you with: 

— An understanding of how and why the National Parks were created.

— Information about the controversies that often raged around preserving scenic landscapes and setting them aside as parks.

— Familiarity with some of the key figures in park creation and management, including John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and Stephen Mather.

— An understanding of important themes and issues in park development and management, such as (in the early days) whether to allow automobiles into the parks.

— An awareness of how the National Parks mission has expanded to include many settings other than natural landscapes, such as historic battlefields.

— Information about important policy discussions in the parks, such as whether to limit tourist numbers and how best to bring the voices of indigenous persons into the parks.

— An enhanced personal relationship to nature — ranging from experiences in major parks, such as Mount Rainier, to a deeper appreciation of local natural areas, such as Cheney Wetlands.

— A preliminary bucket list of parks to visit based on your study of “parkology.”

Course Prerequisite

Please bring with you to our class a love of learning, nature, history, reading, and discussion. Be prepared to expand your familiarity with National Parks in particular and American environmental history in general. Expect to leave the class as a better scholar and writer than you began. And, if possible, plan on visiting some natural and historical sites in your free time.  You may not be able to get as far away as Yellowstone, say, or Yosemite this fall, but we have some fine natural settings right at our doorstep at EWU — Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, for example, Riverside State Park, and Cheney Wetlands.

I made this video while teaching this course about ten years ago, composed of films I made on the Washington Coast and films I made earlier in:

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

Lowell National Historical Park (Massachusetts)

Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)