Wilderness and the American Mind

This chapter presents two of the first intentional conservation initiatives in the US: Yellowstone National Park and New York’s Adirondack Forest Preserve. By 1870, the preservation movement was gaining steam—and in 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park. Nathaniel and Cornelius Hedges were early supporters of protecting the Montana landscape as a park for others to experience as they had. Many other supporters saw profit, not wilderness protection, as their motivation. Entrepreneurs were quick to see the prospect of turning Yellowstone into a tourist haven much like Niagara Falls was. Nash describes the motivation behind the creation of Yellowstone National Park: “[P]rotecting wilderness was ultimately important for the preservation of civilization” (112). Interestingly, after the park’s creation, the public did not see it as we do now, as a land of remarkable natural beauty. People instead likened it to a “museum” and envisioned the capitalist speculation that would turn it into something not wilderness. In addition, a large and vocal group opposed the creation of Yellowstone National Park, as many still viewed it as a waste of resources and a loss of potential income. Nevertheless, the conservation mindset prevailed.

For the Adirondacks Mountains of northern New York State, the argument centered on the needs of industry versus the need to protect wilderness.