The Saviors of America’s National Parks (In-Person)
Fall (9 - 13 hours) | Available (Membership Required)
The development and preservation of America’s national park system demonstrates that individuals do make a difference. There would be no Yosemite without John Muir; no Everglades without Marjorie Stoneman Douglas; Dinosaur National Monument and Grand Canyon National Park would have been dammed had it not been for David Brower and the Sierra Club; without the Craighead brothers grizzly bears would have disappeared from the parks entirely.
The national park system in the United States represents one of the world’s great triumphs in the protection of wildlife and scenic resources and historical sites. But the system did not emerge instantly with the establishment of Yellowstone, the first national park, in 1872. Rather, it evolved over many years.
The course will focus on people of determination and talent who played a major role in protecting the national parks in the last 150 years. To better appreciate them, we will watch excerpts from Ken Burns’s documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, and other films. We’ll read and discuss several articles and short essays, and the instructor will employ PowerPoint lectures.
This course will combine lecture with class discussions.
- There are no required books for this course.
Mark Harvey
Mark Harvey is a historian of the American environment with a special interest in the history of U.S. national parks and wilderness areas. He worked as a seasonal ranger at Mesa Verde National Park and Dinosaur National Monument, and at a private boating concession in Grand Teton National Park. He retired from teaching history at North Dakota State University, Fargo in 2022 and now lives in Vershire, Vermont.