ABOUT THIS BOOK

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.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Steve Kemp is a former seasonal ranger in Yellowstone and Denali and served as publications director for the Great Smoky Mountains Association. He has written for National Parks, Outside, Outdoor Life, and Smokies Life Journal, and is the author of Trees of the Smokies, and Great Smoky Mountains Simply Beautiful.

REVIEWS

“A significant contribution to understanding the history of national parks, the importance of philanthropic giving to their conservation and development, and the history of John Rockefeller, Jr.”—Jonathan Foster, Great Basin College

“This book is a clarion call to preserve more parklands for future generations before it is too late. Kemp argues compellingly that in our new Gilded Age in the twenty-first century, private philanthropy akin to Rockefeller’s may be our only viable path forward.”—Theodore Catton, Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Book Award–winning author ofAmerican Indians and National Forests

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

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