An Act Establishing Yellowstone as a public Park (1872)

This act was created by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872.  The declaration is officially titled “An Act to set apart a certain Tract of Land lying near the Head-waters of the Yellowstone River as a public Park.” The intended audience for this declaration is for all American’s to enjoy the benefits of the park. Some main points of this document are that Americans may go and enjoy the park however may not claim property or establish homes there. Specifically, the document goes into the roles of the parks secretary of interior to protect the park. This serves as the first point of this projects timeline. I found this source in the Library of Congress website.

Rules and Regulations: Yellowstone National Park (1881)

This rules and regulations document was signed off by the secretary of the park S. J. Kirkwood and P. W. Norris the superintendent of the park. The rules and regulations guide was written by the Department of the Interiors whose intention was to protect the natural resources in Yellowstone. This was intended to be seen by all those traveling into the park to understand the norms of the park. Some key points in the document are cutting of timber, fires, hunting, trapping, fishing and finally the sales of “intoxicating liquors” is strictly prohibited. This primary source explicitly highlights the preservation efforts by the parks service. This source is fantastic because it gives examples of intentions of preservation as early as 1881. Finally, I also found this source on the Library of Congress website. 

Organic Act (1916)

The Organic Act of 1916 was signed into law by Congress on August 25, 1916 and it was intended to declare a new section of government, The National Parks Service. This declaration was intended to be heard by all Americans. The Act established salaries, regulations and norms for this new section of government. Section four of the document declares this act, “”An Act relating to rights of way through certain parks, reservations, and other public lands.” This source serves as my final source in chronological order. I discovered this source on the National Parks service Website.