An Exaltation of Parks

John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s Crusade to Save America's Wonderlands

Steve Kemp

• Publisher: University of Utah Press
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN:
  9781647692254
• Print ISBN:
  9781647692247
  9781647692230
• Subtopic: North American History

Uncovering the partnership that saved America's natural treasures

America's national parks are facing unprecedented challenges. With visitation pressures mounting and the National Park Service struggling to keep up, author and former park ranger Steve Kemp looks toward one exceptionally effective historical example of conservation philanthropy and park building—the collaboration between John D. Rockefeller Jr. and NPS legends Stephen Mather, Horace Albright, and Arno Cammerer.

An Exaltation of Parks reveals the inspiring story of this collaboration, showing how the partnership transformed some of America's most cherished national parks, including Acadia, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. It recounts Rockefeller's lifelong dedication to conservation, digging into his own pockets and toiling as a volunteer to achieve his goals for converting private land into public use. Bringing to life the history and significance of America's most magnificent landscapes, this volume is both a tribute to past conservation victories and a call to action for the future, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance to preserve these national treasures for generations to come.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Island Idyll: Acadia, 1908–1913
• An Altruist Goes to Washington: Acadia, 1914
• Coal, Catastrophe, and a Road Toward Redemption: Ludlow, Colorado, 1913–1915
• Friends, Foes, and Favors in Our Nation’s Capital: Acadia, 1915–1916
• A New Park and a New National Park Service: Acadia, 1916–1924
• Drive-Through National Parks: Acadia, 1919–1924
• Longing for Enlightenment: National Park Museums, 1920–1932
• Colorado High Desert High: Mesa Verde, 1924
• Long Trip Through Wonderland: Yellowstone, 1924
• The Landscape Architect: Yellowstone, 1924–1930
• Country Mice, City Mice: Mesa Verde, 1925
• The View from Lunch Tree Hill: Grand Tetons, 1926
• That Isn’t What I Had in Mind at All: Grand Tetons, 1926
• Clouds of Dust, Honks of Horns . . . and Smells of Gasoline: Acadia, 1924–1932
• Both Sorts of Green: Great Smoky Mountains, 1923–1926
• Rich People Are Temperamental: Great Smoky Mountains, 1926–1927
• Sight Unseen: Great Smoky Mountains, 1927
• Angels Can’t Do More: Great Smoky Mountains, 1927–1928
• The Lingering Sorrow of the Dispossessed: Shenandoah, 1924–1935
• The Sugar Pines’ Last Stand: Yosemite, 1928
• Friends in High Places: Yosemite, 1928–1930
• A Hell Made from Heaven: Grand Tetons, 1927–1933
• Throwing in the Towel: Grand Tetons, 1943–1947
• Never Say Never: Grand Tetons, 1947–1950
• Of Trees and Men: The Redwood Forest, 1917–1968
• Back in the Game: The Blue Ridge Parkway, 1950–1952
• Conclusion
• Epilogue
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index