Press Release - National Parks the Focus of Consecutive Exhibitions, Commemorate Centennial

Geographies of Wonder: Origin Stories of America’s National Parks, 1872–1933
On view May 14–Sept. 5, 2016

Geographies of Wonder: Evolution of the National Park Idea, 1933–2016
On view Oct. 22, 2016–Feb. 13, 2017

SAN MARINO, CA – In a wide-ranging examination of the evolving role of the national parks in American life, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens will commemorate the centennial of the U.S. National Park Service in exhibitions that run consecutively from May 2016 through February 2017 in the West Hall of the Library building. The exhibitions will touch on a variety of roles the National Parks have played over time—as scenic wonderlands that have become iconic markers and essential destination points for tourists, adventure-seekers, scientists, government surveyors, businessmen, and explorers of all stripes. The exhibitions also will examine the tensions that emerged as a result of diverging priorities and competing agendas.

“The national parks are our nation’s crown jewels,” said Peter Blodgett, H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western Historical Manuscripts at The Huntington, and exhibition curator. “The centennial of this remarkable system of public lands gives us a perfect opportunity to reflect a little more deeply, explore the dynamic interplay between these great American landscapes and the people who seek to define them.”

The first exhibition, Geographies of Wonder: Origin Stories of America’s National Parks, 1872‒1933, is on view May 14 through Sept. 5, 2016 and features some 100 items—all drawn from The Huntington’s collection of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, prints, and related materials. Among the treasures on display will be a mammoth 1873 photo album by one of the premier photographers of the day, William Henry Jackson. The book will be opened to a photo of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. Jackson’s photographs, according to historians, played an important role in convincing Congress in 1872 to establish Yellowstone National Park, the first landscape to be so designated by the federal government.

Origin Stories highlights early Euro-American encounters with scenic landscapes that eventually would acquire international renown. Initially, these were eastern settings—the White Mountains in New Hampshire, Natural Bridge in Virginia, and Niagara Falls, N.Y. But as settlers moved west, great scenic discoveries included Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite Valley. “In those early years of Euro-American settlement, we could claim no great cultural assets like the Louvre or the castles on the Rhine,” said Blodgett. “So these places quickly became our icons. They were essential to our cultural identity and began to draw people from all over the world.”