The National Parks: America's Best Idea

For many people, when thinking about the beginnings of the National Park Service, Theodore Roosevelt comes to mind. Some think of the environmental philosopher, John Muir. Through this award-winning documentary series viewers will learn that in addition to these two well-known historical figures, the story of our national parks system involved an eclectic array of individuals spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who felt a deep connection to places of overwhelming beauty throughout the United States, especially in the west. Each cherished these natural wonders and worked to galvanize other citizens to fight to protect them from powerful political and commercial interests that wished to exploit them for economic gain. This series chronicles the evolution of the national park concept, from the creation of the first national park, Yellowstone, in 1872, through the founding of the National Park Service in the early 20th century, to its current state that now includes both natural wonders and places of historical significance to our nation. Although I have long been interested learning more about our National Park Service, I had never gotten around to watching this series, which was released 2009 – that is until recently. During the summer of 2018 my family took a whirlwind trip out west. Over the course of 10 days, we visited four national parks, one monument, and a national battlefield. It was a fun and exciting adventure. When we got back home my wife and I were motivated to finally watch this program. I hope you’ll enjoy this fascinating story as well.