Encyclopedia of American National Parks

The great and well‐known Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, one of several parks (Yosemite, Sequoia and Crater Lake) that shared a combination of beauty and remoteness meaning that the acquisitive nineteenth century USA found no reason to develop them. The crucial feature of these parks was the fact that, even if remote, they were open to all Americans. Now, a century later, and with the democratisation of travel, they are no longer simply national parks or national monuments but encompass an array of categories from single houses to huge wilderness areas. It is interesting to compare American national...