Building the National Parks: The Historic Landscape Design of the National Park Service

Since its founding in 1916, the National Park Service has been charged with two equally important and often conflicting missions: to preserve America's natural wonders for future generations and to develop national parks for the appreciation and enjoyment of visitors. Recalling the era of the great lodges at Yellowstone and Yosemite, this book tell the story of how the new bureau's landscapes designers, architects, and engineers met each of these challenges, forging a rich legacy of buildings, roads and trails that both harmonized with the natural scenery and accommodated visitors to the parks. Their achievements have greatly influenced the design of state and local parks and other recreational areas across the United States.