Fireside Talks
J. William T. Youngs, Fireside Talks
(Note: these are not in a separate book. They are online, free, with your weekly assignments.)
These are the “Ranger Talks” of National Park History, but since I am not an official park ranger, I’ve adopted the more informal title, “Fireside Talks” for my essays, pictures, and films relating to our subject. While developing this course I have been traveling across the United States by RV, Spyder motor cycle, and electric bicycle gathering ideas and materials for the class. Additionally, during the past decade I have traveled further afield to Canada, Columbia, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, China, England, Wales, the Netherlands, Jordan, Iceland, and Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic — 1000 miles NORTH of Iceland! My talks cover many different kinds of information. Some are essays on important park-related concepts; some are “show and tell” photo- and film-presentations on particular parks. I guess I could just call them lectures, as I would in a face-to-face classroom, but I think “Fireside Talks” is a more interesting title, and I hope you do too! In addition to my own talks, I will include “Guest Talks” by fellow Historian, Professor Larry Cebula, and Yellowstone Park employee and recent EWU graduate Jewell Greedy.
A Perilous Day at Long’s Peak
A Perilous Day on Long's Peak in Colorado, 1962 Once upon a time I was a college student, like all of you. And like you, I felt an urge to wander and explore. After finishing my junior year at Harvard I set out on my motor scooter for what turned out to be an 8000...
“Oh! The Joy!” — Sublime Moments in American History: The Lewis and Clark Expedition and Washington’s Crossing(s) of the Delaware
To read the full talk click here: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/oh-the-joy-sublime-moments-in-american-history
My “return” to Opal Creek
(Note I visited the Opal Creek Wilderness region on the weekend of December 1-3, 2017, and wrote this talk during the following week.) I am calling this final Fireside Talk "Return to Opal Creek" even though I had never even been to Opal Creek until the fall of 2017....
Lessons from “The Great Outdoors” (Film)
As we venture more deeply into the wilderness in literature, film, and philosophy we are learning a kind of language, composed of stories and concepts. Along the way we are discovering a "conversation" that uses the terms of that language. Our study of the History of...
JHCGA Climate Change and National Security
JHCGA Climate Change and National Security While I was in Jackson Hole in 2018, I attended a forum on climate change sponsored by the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs. The forum focused on "Climate Solutions, Coal Communities, and Economic Diversification." The...
John Muir, Biographical Sketch
John Muir, Biographical Sketch Source: American Realities HISTORICAL EPISODES FROM RECONSTRUCTION TO THE PRESENT VOLUME 2 J. William T. Youngs New York, Longman, 2011 In the essay below, we will review the life of America's foremost park advocate. SUMMARY: Like...
ALP = Appreciation, Lamentation, Preservation — Review
Ideology and Action John Adams once said that Independence was born in the hearts and minds of the American people before the Revolution actually began. Americans were accustomed to discussing "natural rights" before they waged a war and established a government...
Responding to Climate Change in Two National Parks
"We were not allowed to use the words global and warming in the same paragraph." A few years ago I was at a high school reunion in Indiana and had an interesting conversation with a classmate, Jan Van Wagtendonk -- you already know Jan from a YouTube video I assigned...
Wilderness Appreciation and Practical Mechanics
History 452 Graduate Students: This essay has a word or two about the seemingly unlikely connection between mechanical and humanistic talents in three leading naturalists. In looking for the final version of the ms, I was unable to find the latest draft; so the...
Henry David Thoreau as Preservationist
J. William T. Youngs, Professor of History, Eastern Washington University 2012 Thoreau Society Annual Gathering "Celebrating 150 Years of Thoreau's Life, Works, and Legacy" I want to begin by confessing to the singularity of my using a MacBook for my lecture notes...
Protective Gear: Tyler and Mark
One (of many) recurrent themes in History 373 is the question of the ways in which and the degree to which we expose ourselves to the wilderness. And which of these ways and degrees seem legitimate -- as measured by our class standards -- and which levels of exposure...
Tanzania Journal (1)
During August, 2021, I went to Tanzania with my family -- eight of us in all. During this Fall Quarter I will post notes and images on our Safari for our course on the American wilderness. Now, of course, Tanzania is not part of the US, but by looking at wilderness in...
Guest House 102 in the Arctic
"I wonder what it must be like to spend a few days at Guesthouse 102, I wonder if Dr. Youngs could post pictures of the inside of the building?" A Wilderness student asked me this question after reading my talk, "A Polar Bear's Death." That got me thinking: we have...
A Modern-Day Grizzly Bear Encounter in Yellowstone
We have been talking a lot about bears lately. Most recently in "Where's the Park, Papa?" Patrick McManus tells us: The park bears aren’t what they used to be either. Most of the bears you see along the roads look as if they’ve spent the past five years squatted in a...
Tanzania: Wildlife Encounters — 8 Minutes of Safari
Last week we considered various ways of "experiencing" an indigenous culture in the wilderness: 1) through a report by John Muir on a journey in Alaska, 2) through my touristy visit to the Hazda in Tanzania, and 3) in Joel Bushcraft's much more immersive experience...
John Muir and the Indians
OK, listen up! "I care to live only to entice people to ____________________________." Complete this statement. If you say "look at Nature’s loveliness," you are quoting John Muir correctly. But if you say, "show the superiority of the White race," believe it or not,...
Wilderness Vibrations: a Storm, a Porcupine, and a Dance
Herewith three wilderness-related stories occasioned by three weeks I spent during fall, 2011, at Acadia National Park in Maine -- examples of some of my own reflections on life close to the wilderness. 1. On the Edge of a "Northeaster" -- I was "camped" in my RV...
A Lake Ross Journey
By Motorboat in Ross Lake National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park During the fall of 2012 I spent several days at Ross Lake with my son, Ted, and my granddaughter, Oona, age four. Reviewing a video I made of the trip now several years later, I find...
Compass Bearings
We are about half way through the quarter right now -- a good time to review some of the major themes in the class so far. Thus "compass bearings." I think it is useful to consider the course in relationship to where we are today -- where we are in terms of public and...
Walden Pond — Wilderness Therapy
During the past couple of months in History 453 we have often discussed the spiritual value of wilderness; and during the past couple of weeks we have studied a closely-related concept, the therapeutic value of wilderness -- think Nash and "Wild.". Ann Walden Pond I...
Koliganek Journal
October, 2021: I wrote the fireside talk that follows several years ago, while visiting a "History of the American Wilderness " student, Brian O'Riley. At the beginning of the class that year -- as this year also -- the students introduced themselves online. It...
My “Big Trip” to Mars
Wadi Rum is a marvelous wilderness of sand and rock in the Kingdom of Jordan. Long ago it was the setting for some of the scenes in the film "Lawrence of Arabia." Recently it was the setting for all of the "Martian" scenery in the film of that name. It was rather hot...
Tanzania Journal (3)
Again and again in History 453 we have encountered the question, what is wilderness? I would argue that one of the most useful concepts in answering this question is to do away with absolutes -- with the idea that "wilderness" is an absolute. -- That some region is...
Tanzania Journal (2)
Tanzania Journal (2) Recurring Introduction: During August, 2021, I went to Tanzania with my family -- eight of us in all. During this Fall Quarter I will post notes and images about our Safari for our course on the American wilderness. Now, of course, Tanzania is not...
Danger in the National Parks
Even as we have "tamed" the wilderness, we SEEK new ways of experiencing danger outside. In our Nash reading this week, we learned about Joseph Knowles who ventured naked and alone into the wilderness in Maine to show that risk and hardiness were still possible in a...
Mosquitos: Danger from Creatures Great and Small
During the past several weeks we have considered the wilderness, as did the early pioneers as a fearsome place in inhabited by fearsome creatures. Usually these have been large animals, such as the bear that attacked Hugh Glass and haunted the dreams of Bill Bryson....
Delight and Fear in My Encounter with a Moose
In Chapter Three of Wilderness and the American Mind ("Romantic Wilderness"), Roderick Nash tells us that during the late eighteenth century European essayists studied human feelings in the presence of nature. He tells us that writers such as Edmund Burke and...
Thanksgiving and Wilderness
I thought of posting what follows as an announcement. Then I thought, why not post it as a Fireside Talk. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you: One of my fields of study as an historian is colonial America and the Pilgrims. So every Thanksgiving when my family gathers, I...
Wilderness in a Japanese Garden
In History 453 we will often confront the question, "Just what is wilderness anyway"? You will notice that your instructor tends to "cast a wide net" to include many different kinds and degrees of wilderness. I sense wilderness sometimes among the trees of the...
Nearby Wilderness
As we approach the end of the quarter in History 373, I want to encourage you to reflect that some fine wilderness places are near at hand. You have heard about and perhaps taken art appreciation or music appreciation courses. The object in these is to enhance your...
Walden Pond: The Case for Optimism
(This post, written several years ago, reviews some of our previous lessons about wilderness in general and Walden Pond in particular.) As we continue our History 453 visit to Walden Pond this weekend, I will show you more of the pond and its most famous resident,...
My (Long Ago) Encounter with a Grizzly Bear
My Encounter with a Grizzly Bear Grizzly bears were not always as scary as they are today. I know because in 1962 one lumbered through a Yellowstone campground and ambled right across my sleeping bag – and I am here to tell about it. Now admittedly I was not in the...
Patagonia Bound: Wilderness Near and Far
Fireside Talk: From Cheney to Patagonia November 18, 2021 During this Fall Quarter we have often discussed the concept of degrees of wilderness, both subjective and objective. Every Fall during the past ten years, I have taught the History of the American Wilderness...
Walden Pond — More on Thoreau and his Cabin
Note: I originally wrote this post several years ago -- it is still relevant! Hello, Friends, Several years ago I wrote a Fireside Talk from the shores of Walden Pond -- the most famous pond in the universe (really!) and the "wilderness" home of Henry David Thoreau,...
What are those Sheep doing in a National Park? (Peak District in England)
(Original post: 2016) This post is based on a visit I made several years ago to Peaks District National Park in England. As I wrote this I was at a hotel in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. I mentioned this to underscore the worldwide character of the national park...
Petra — in the Kingdom of Jordan
(Composed in 2016) Friends, this little film I made about Petra in Jordan, which I visited a couple of weeks ago, provides information for the two-part question on Petra, which I will give you in a moment. Background: first you were assigned the Wiki article on Petra...
Parkology: Wadi Rum in the Kingdom Of Jordan
When I first arrived in Wadi Rum several years ago, I had only recently visited several of Utah's storied national parks: Grand Escalante, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches. Like those places Wadi Rum is a collection of rock formations in a desert. More of the...
Didi and the Snow Bike — Another Form of Park Travel
One of the many sub-topics of our National Parks course is the question of defining what constitutes "park friendly" modes of travel in the parks -- automobiles, historic trains, gondolas, snowmobiles? In a hike in the national forest bordering the Grand Tetons...
Recent Events – The Tongass National Forest
Again and again in History 452, National Parks, we have seen the battle between utility and preservation. Often the battle was over whether to create new parks at all. Sometimes the battles were between park supporters and those who wanted to "invade" the parks for...
“Leave it as it is” – Bears and Skunks in the Great Smokies
Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. (Fall 1918) This simple phrase, uttered by Theodore Roosevelt beside the Grand Canyon in 1904, has been a loadstone for our class, a constant reference point...
Jellystone Park — Nature and Entertainment
I'm posting this "Fireside Talk" in a different way than some others; read this introduction and then click below to see the talk itself. It addresses a question that we will see a lot in our study of the parks: to what extent are they there to allow people to...
Free Solo-ing El Capitan in Yosemite Valley
"What if he falls?" On June 3, 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person ever to free solo El Capitan, a vertical rock formation rising almost 3000 feet above the valley floor in Yosemite. Let's break that down: in climbing, "free" means climbing without artificial...
John Muir Climbs a Tree
Long before Alex Honnold free-soloed El Capitan, John Muir had his own climbing adventure in the Yosemite environs during a windstorm. Fortunately many (most? all?) of John Muir's writings are available on line. I have chosen this story for what it shows us of Muir's...
Restore Hetch Hetchy
There is a movement afoot to "restore" Hetch Hetchy. Once a park has lost some of its grandeur, can it be recovered? These folks hope so: they advocate draining Hetch Hetchy Canyon and restoring its primitive glory. This web site provides some striking images...
Touring and Poaching in Akagera National Park, Rwanda
Usually my "Talks" in History 498 are based on places I have actually visited and filmed. But this morning a news article about Akagera National Park in Rwanda caught my eye. We will look at the article later but first here is some information about the park from the...
Reflections on Graffiti in National Parks and Elsewhere
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/reflections-on-graffiti-in-national-parks-and-elsewhere
Walking with Thoreau
(Note: I wrote this post two years ago, but it is as relevant for our class today as it was then.) November 22, 2019 I am writing this post from my lodging near Walden Pond. Let's begin with a map: I'm staying across the road at "Thoreau's Walden Bed and Breakfast" --...
Jackson Hole Journal — 2018
Fireside Talk: Jackson Hole Journal, November 7-11. 2018 One of the things we learn in the History of National Parks is to recognize ways in which distinct park phenomena are part of wider patterns or topics. During the past four days, I have tested that...
Central Park and Yosemite Park: The Olmstead Connection
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/central-park-and-yosemite-park-the-olmsted-connection
Blake Island: A Hive of Wasps and a “Special Deer”
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/blake-island-a-hive-of-wasps-and-a-special-deer
Jerusalem’s ‘Wailing Wall’ — a Mingling of Past and Present
Fireside Talk: Jerusalem's "Wailing Wall" -- a Mingling of Past and Present Posted November 15, 2016 (Written and Photographed in Jerusalem, November 13-14, 2016) J. William T. Youngs This evening I beheld a remarkable site: hundreds of Jews standing and...
The Turkey “Problem” at Capitol Reef National Park
The Turkey "Problem" at Capitol Reef National Monument Fireside Talk November 1, 2016 J. William T. Youngs The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the Capitol Reef campground was a herd of deer, ambling comfortably between the tents and RVs. Then I spotted a flock...
What’s that Cattle Herd Doing in a National Park?!
Fireside Talk: What's that Cattle Herd Doing in a National Park? Posted November 6, 2016 (Recorded in Capitol Reef National Park, October 31, 2016) J. William T. Youngs (Note: perversely some of the images in this post do not stay posted. I have spent most of my...
Capitol Reef: Mother Nature and a Historic Orchard
Capitol Reef: Mother Nature and a Historic Orchard Fireside Talk October 31, 2016 J. William T. Youngs As I write this, I am sitting in an RV in a campground at Capitol Reef National Park. It is 4:30 in the morning, and I have been awake since about 3:00. I stepped...
Turning Back the Clock on National Monuments?
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/turning-back-the-clock-on-national-monuments
A River of Elk and one “Moose”
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/a-river-of-elk-and-one-moose
A “Wilderness Wuss”?! Viewing Spokane City Clouds
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/a-wilderness-wuss-viewing-spokane-city-clouds
The Super Blood Moon and “Spectrums” of Wilderness
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/the-super-blood-moon-and-spectrums-of-wilderness
A Polar Bear’s Death: Longyearbyen
With our recent readings and films in "The History of the American Wilderness" we have seen the way that over time Americans have become more and more dedicated to what Aldo Leopold calls the "land ethic" -- the idea that animals, plants, and even rocks have rights as...
With our recent readings and films in "The History of the American Wilderness" we have seen the way that over time Americans have become more and more dedicated to what Aldo Leopold calls the "land ethic" -- the idea that animals, plants, and even rocks have...
What’s that Motor Scooter Doing on a National Park Trail?!
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/whats-that-motor-scooter-doing-on-a-national-park-trail
A Visit to John Muir National Historic Site
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/a-visit-to-john-muir-national-historic-site
Parkology: Taiwan’s Taroko National Park
Note: earlier on this quarter we had another visit to Taroko National Park in Taiwan, focusing on a local resident and a motor scooter. We will see them again in this post, but this is a larger post, telling us a lot more about the park. I wrote the original Talk,...
The Taxis of the Marne, 1914-2014
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/the-taxis-of-the-marne-1914-2014
The Battle of the Marne Begins, 1914
"French Soldiers Waiting for Assault behind a Ditch" Wikipedia, Public Domain, Original in Biblioththeque National de France Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/the-battle-of-the-marne-begins-1914
In Praise of Clouds: America’s Unsung Beauty
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/in-praise-of-clouds-americas-unsung-beauty
The Outbreak of the Great War, My Grandfather’s Diary, and an Elephant Ride
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/the-outbreak-of-the-great-war-my-grandfathers-diary-and-an-elephant-ride
U-Haul History Lessons: Minnesota’s Kensington Runestone: An “Enigma” in Minnesota—and Real-Life Vikings in Greenland
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/u-haul-history-lessons-minnesotas-kensington-runestone
Reenacting the Battle of the Wilderness in Deep Creek, Washington
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/reenacting-the-battle-of-the-wilderness-in-deep-creek-washington
Connecting with World War II Correspondent Ernie Pyle in Dana, Indiana: A Memorable Encounter in a Small Indiana Town
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/connecting-with-world-war-ii-correspondent-ernie-pyle-in-dana-indiana
Do Fence Me In — Reflections on Iconic Fences in Jackson Hole
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/do-fence-me-in-reflections-on-iconic-fences-in-jackson-hole
A Winter Walk alongside the Grand Tetons: Rock, Snow, Clouds, Trees, and Very Few Words
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/a-winter-walk-alongside-the-grand-tetons
When Washington Wept — or Did He?!: Exploring George Washington’s Response to the Fall of Fort Washington, 1776
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/when-washington-wept-or-did-he
“Over There”: World War I Veterans Sing Songs of the Great War, 67 Years Later: Listen as Two WWI Veterans in their 90s Sing Songs from the Great War
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/over-there-world-war-i-veterans-sing-songs-of-the-great-war-67-years-later
“In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress”: How Ethan Allen “Justified” the American Capture of Ticonderoga During the American Revolution
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/in-the-name-of-the-great-jehovah-and-the-continental-congress
“Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies”: Reflecting on a National Anthem in the Cheney Palouse
Click here to read the full article: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/oh-beautiful-for-spacious-skies
Henry David Thoreau and the Felling of a “Noble Pine”: A History Lesson Amplified with a “Quizlet”
Click here to read the full article: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/henry-david-thoreau-and-the-felling-of-a-noble-pine Click here for the Quizlet: ...
“Curse You, Patrick Henry” — Memorizing the “Liberty or Death” Speech: A Film Wherein a History Professor, Way out West… Struggles to Learn Patrick Henry’s Great Speech
From the Film: Photography by Cory Carpenter and Jake Shelley I like to learn speeches, documents, and poems by heart to "pull out of my hat" while teaching American history. A couple of days ago I talked about and "channeled for" Patrick Henry and his "Liberty or...
Captured by Indians: Mary Rowlandson and the Problem of Memory
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/captured-by-indians-mary-rowlandson-and-the-problem-of-memory
Would Henry David Thoreau have “Scored” an iPhone 5s?
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/would-henry-david-thoreau-have-scored-an-iphone-5s
Swimmers at Walden Pond: Henry David Thoreau and his Successors
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/swimmers-at-walden-pond-henry-david-thoreau-and-his-successors
On the Road with History 498: “The History of the American National Parks”
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/on-the-road-with-history-498-the-history-of-the-american-national-parks
Indian Pow Wows in Spokane: Past and Present (3) – Indians at Expo ‘74
Click here to see the full article: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/-indian-pow-wows-in-spokane-past-and-present-3-indians-at-expo-74
Indian Pow Wows in Spokane: Past and Present (2) – The Nez Perce War
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/indian-pow-wows-in-spokane-past-and-present-2-the-nez-perce-war
Indian Pow Wows in Spokane: Past and Present (1) – Two Cultures, One Dance Floor
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/indian-pow-wows-in-spokane-past-and-present-1
“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?!”
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/-come-on-you-sons-of-bitches-do-you-want-to-live-forever
Memories of the Lafayette Escadrille at the American Cathedral in Paris
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/memories-of-the-lafayette-escadrille-at-the-american-cathedral-in-paris
Hiroshima, 68 Years Later
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/hiroshima-58-years-later
How I helped Gore Verbinski and Jerry Bruckheimer film The Lone Ranger
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/-how-i-helped-gore-verbinski-and-jerry-bruckheimer-film-the-lone-ranger
Uncle William Wheeler at Gettysburg
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/uncle-william-wheeler-at-gettysburg
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Resplendent in Greens and Yellows
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/turnbull-national-wildlife-refuge-resplendent-in-greens-and-yellows
New York’s Central Park: A Wilderness?
Click here to see the full talk. https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/new-yorks-central-park-a-wilderness
A Disturbing Presence: Earth Movers in our Wheat Fields
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/home-page/a-walk-in-cheney
ALP (Appreciation, Lamentation, Preservation) Revisited
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/alp-appreciation-lamentation-preservation-revisited.html
“Sustainability at Our National Parks”
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/sustainability-at-our-national-parks.html
Visiting Barron Gorge National Park by Railway and Cableway
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/visiting-barron-gorge-national-park-by-railway-and-cableway.html
Machines in the Parks: Snowmobiles in Yellowstone
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/machines-in-the-parks-snowmobiles-in-yellowstone.html
Danger Down Under (2)
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/danger-down-under-2.html Postscript, 2018: I recall, but did not include in that original post some additional information about dangers down under. Do you remember that sign on the beach at the...
Uluru-Kata Tjuta – an Aboriginal National Park “The real thing is listening to everything.”
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/uluru-kata-tjuta-ndash-an-aboriginal-national-park-ldquothe-real-thing-is-listening-to-everythingrdquo.html
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (William O. Douglas helps found a national park.)
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/chesapeake-and-ohio-canal-national-historical-park-william-o-douglas-helps-found-a-national-park.html
Ross Lake Journey (Ross Lake National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park)
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/ross-lake-journey-ross-lake-national-recreation-area-and-north-cascades-national-park.html
“This time I’ll let you do the talking.”: J. William T. Youngs and His Students
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/ldquothis-time-irsquoll-let-you-do-the-talkingrdquo.html
Stephen Mather and the Tioga Road (Yosemite National Park)
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/stephen-mather-and-the-tioga-road-yosemite-national-park.html
Honor the Landscape
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/honor-the-landscape.html
A Visit to Hetch Hetchy
A few years ago, while teaching The History of the American National Parks, I visited Hetch Hetchy, the canyon and reservoir that play such a prominent role in our Roderick Nash reading this week. Here is what I wrote then about my feelings as I approached the...
Danger Down Under (Australian National Parks)
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/danger-down-under-australian-national-parks.html
A Visit to Muir Woods National Monument
Click here for the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/a-visit-to-muir-woods-national-monument.html
Serenity: The Watchword of Crater Lake National Park
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/serenity-the-watchword-of-crater-lake-national-park.html
ALP = Appreciation, Lamentation, Preservation
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/alp--appreciation-lamentation-preservation.html
John Muir’s “Glad Tidings” at Ashland — and Elsewhere
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/john-muirs-glad-tidings-at-ashland----and-elsewhere.html
Historian’s Journal: Acadia National Park, Fall, 2011
Click here to see the full talk: https://www.americanrealities.com/historians-journal-acadia-national-park-fall-2011.html