Catalog Search Results
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Yankee whaling, shore whaling, and modern whaling were sometimes occurring simultaneously. Each type of whaling went through periods of discovery, stability, and then a gradual decrease as the products lost their markets or the number of whales began to wane as some species moved toward commercial if not actual extinction due to over-fishing. Small whaling operations from California, called shore whaling, continued from the 1850s until Secretary of...
Author
Series
Language
English
Appears on list
Description
The majestic beauty of Grand Teton National Park has moved people throughout time. Native Americans believed in the spiritual power of the towering mountain peaks and journeyed there to gain special powers. Early fur traders, who had just crossed less ominous mountain ranges, viewed with trepidation the massive obstacle that loomed before them on their passage to the Pacific Northwest. In others, the Tetons ignited vision and passion-a vision to preserve...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Idaho's state parks have been called the "jewels" of the Gem State. The story of how those jewels came to be involves political intrigue, much resistance, some philanthropy, and a touch of irony. Sen. Weldon B. Heyburn famously said that state parks were "always a political embarrassment." Idaho's first state park was named after him. Today, Idaho's 30 state parks host five million people a year. Visitors come to boat, camp, bike, climb, hike, fish,...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is a jewel of America's National Park Service. Established by legislation and signed into law by President Roosevelt in 1944, today the park encompasses thousands of acres spanning three states as well as the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. While the town was ravaged by repeated floods and war, it rose like a phoenix from the ashes. As a Civil War soldier presciently wrote, "In future years travelers...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Major accomplishments are often completed by unknown, extraordinary people. The vision and determination of the founding members of the Special Commission on State Parks swayed the 1913 Connecticut General Assembly to create the Connecticut State Park Commission. Seven years later, Hammonasset Beach State Park finally opened. In the early 1920s, many enjoyed the beach fully clothed (the norm for the day), while some opted for rental bathing suits....
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
The Eisenhower farm was the first and only home that Dwight Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, called their own. During Eisenhower's military career, he and Mamie lived around the world, but he always hoped to own a piece of property and leave it better than he found it. That wish led to the purchase of the Allen Redding farm in 1950 and the Eisenhowers thorough renovation of its dwelling. During Eisenhower's presidency, the farm served as a retreat...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
From the crest of the High Cascades eastward to the High Desert, the Deschutes National Forest is one of America's great national treasures. Timber, water, and forage were plentiful in Central Oregon and provided the building blocks for the region. Today, the national forest's scenery and year-round outdoor recreational resources play major roles in sustaining a vibrant and diverse modern economy and a unique way of life. Since 1905, these resources...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Denali means "The High One" in Athabascan. Standing at 20,237 feet, Denali is the tallest mountain in North America and has roughly 14,000 feet of vertical relief from base camp to summit-more even than Mount Everest. While native populations had lived within the boundaries of today's Denali National Park and Preserve for over 7,000 years, white settlers only arrived en masse starting in the 1890s. When they did arrive, it was to chase after Denali's...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Located in one of the most isolated places on the earth, thousands of miles from the nearest landmass, the area surrounding the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was created by violent earthquakes and fiery volcanic eruptions. Shrouded in ancient myth and legend, the park's history dates back to a time before the Hawaiians first arrived. It was a time when gods and goddesses roamed throughout these islands; the most famous, the fierce goddess of the...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Yellowstone National Park contains over half the world's active geysers, with more than 700 within its 3,472 square miles. The most famous geyser is Old Faithful, named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition. In 1871, the US Geological and Geographical Survey, led by Dr. F. V. Hayden, reached the Upper Geyser Basin. In just over a day, the explorers witnessed eruptions of many geysers still seen today, including Giantess, Beehive, Grotto,...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
The Mount Hood National Forest is the closest national forest to Portland and encompasses the northern end of Oregon's Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River Gorge. Established in 1908 as the Oregon National Forest and renamed the Mount Hood National Forest in 1924, it now consists of more than a million acres. The forest is home to Oregon's tallest mountain, as well as eight designated wilderness areas covering more than 300,000 acres. The forest...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
For more than half a million years, volcano Mount Mazama towered over southern Oregon. From time to time, it erupted, spreading pumice, ash, and cinders for miles around. Then, approximately 7,700 years ago, Mount Mazama erupted with such force that the volcano could no longer support itself and it collapsed, leaving a large caldera. Eventually, the volcanic action subsided and all was calm. Over the next centuries, water and snow accumulated in the...
13) Fort Macon
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Silently standing guard on the eastern point of Bogue Banks overlooking the entrance to Beaufort Harbor, Fort Macon is the centerpiece of one of the most visited North Carolina State Parks. Since Fort Macon State Park was established in 1924, it has been a familiar destination for millions of visitors to the "Crystal Coast" of Carteret County, North Carolina. The old historic fort itself, standing today in venerable repose, harkens back to another...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Cape Hatteras National Seashore was authorized by Congress on August 17, 1937, and established on January 12, 1953. As the nation's first national seashore, it encompasses 30,000 acres and crosses three islands, Bodie, Hatteras, and Ocracoke, for approximately 70 miles. Nearby Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, located within the authorized seashore boundary, is 5,880 acres. Over the centuries, the seashore has witnessed major historic events, including...
Author
Series
Language
English
Formats
Description
Hot Springs was one of the first areas set aside as a federal land reservation in 1832predating the first national park at Yellowstone by 40 years. In 1921, it was officially designated a national park. Physically the smallest of the 59 US national parks today, Hot Springs measures just larger than 5,500 acres. Its 47 on-site springs produce more than 700,000 gallons of thermal water per day. From early natives who quarried novaculite found in the...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Letchworth State Park, located in the Genesee Valley of western New York State, is renowned for its natural beauty, scenic roads, trails, and recreational facilities. Created from the private estate of William Pryor Letchworth in 1907, the park quickly grew in size and popularity. A series of ambitious expansion and development plans were under way when the Great Depression struck, threatening the park's future. That future was restored when President...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
In 1952, Jacob "Jay" Gurley explored a Marshall County, Alabama, curiosity known as Bat Cave. Amazed by its stalagmites and sheer enormity, he purchased the site and began transforming it into Cathedral Caverns, a spectacular tourist attraction that eventually became a national natural landmark in 1973 and a state park in 2000. Had it not been for Gurley's hard work and dedication, this cave, a geological treasure of international renown, might have...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
A stone wall along Seneca Street in East Aurora, New York, welcomes visitors to Knox Farm State Park with its charming buildings, woodlands, and open fields. The farmland was purchased by Seymour H. Knox, an entrepreneur from Russell, New York. Successful in the five-and-dime store industry with his cousin F.W. Woolworth, Knox expanded his business interests to include raising horses and developing a self-sustaining farm. Following his death in 1915,...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
The first fire lookouts in the Glacier National Park region were simply high points atop mountain peaks with unimpeded views of the surrounding terrain. Widespread fires in the 1910s and 1920s led to the construction of more permanent lookouts, first as wooden pole structures and subsequently as a variety of one- and two-story cabin designs. Cooperating lookouts in Glacier Park, the Flathead National Forest, and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation provided...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
The Russian River tells a rich story of Sonoma County, both historically and ecologically. For as long as can be remembered, there has been an intimate relationship between the people of the Russian River and the fish, specifically the salmon and the steelhead. This tale of fishing begins with the Pomo people's communal fishing forays, winds through Russian exploration and early American settlement, and lands in the present time. For millennia, fishing...
Didn't find it?
Can't find what you are looking for? Suggest a purchase. Submit Request