Influences on the Establishment of Yellowstone and Yosemite Essays

Influences on the Establishment of Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks The National Parks System was not begun by any one person, but created over a number of years in response to a variety of causes and interests. The first National Parks, Yellowstone and Yosemite, and future national parks were established as a result of many differing influences from money making ventures, writings of current authors, the press, political activists, conservationists and preservationists to the new interest of the East coast citizens in the adventure and natural wonders of the West coast. The focus of this paper is the influence of artists, railroads and newly emerging conservationists and preservationists in promoting and establishing Yellowstone and Yosemite and the idea of National Parks in the United States from 1860 -1890. First to be considered are the artists, landscape painters and photographers, of the mid 1800?s and their influence on the development and popularity of Yellowstone and Yosemite. The distance and cost to travel to the Western reaches of the United States from the populated and settled East coast made it difficult for most Americans to really know the wonders of the West in the early 1800?s. Some writers of the time tried to ?paint a picture? but their words could not convey the breathtaking beauty of Yellowstone and Yosemite. As a result of the interest in what was being written and reported, artists were hired to paint and portray these regions. These visuals proved the writer?s words were not exaggerating the natural beauty. The Hudson River School of landscape painting in the Northeast was popular at the time, but their techniques did not work to show the size and magnificence of the western wonders. The Rocky Mountain School of landscape painting, which began during the late 1850s and 1860s, was co-founded by Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. [1] The artists of the Rocky Mountain School of landscape painting followed a different course in portraying the rugged mountains, deep canyons and waterfalls of Yosemite and Yellowstone. They used bright colors and exaggeration to emphasize the dramatic scenery and natural wonders of these treasured areas in the west. Albert Bierstadt, the main artist influencing the establishment of Yosemite as a park, traveled west to the Rocky Mountains in 1859 and sketched the mountains of the Wind River area in Wyoming. He returned to his home in New York and displayed his work. His painting, The Base of the Rocky Mountains, Laramie Peak, was huge (4? by 9 feet) and caught the interest of many viewers. Bierstadt returned west in 1863 and traveled to California this time where he saw Yosemite Valley. His sketches during a seven week trip, following the path of earlier visitors, lead to a series of paintings. His popular paintings from the sketches from this trip include The Rocky Mountains (1863), Valley of the Yosemite (1864), and Domes of the Yosemite (1867). The painting, Domes of the Yosemite, with a size of 9 ? feet by 15 feet sold for $25,000 in 1867, a record breaking price to be paid for a painting by an American artist. [2] The works of artist Thomas Moran and photographer, William Henry Jackson, gave push to the establishment of Yellowstone as a national park. Thomas Moran was an artist known by financier Jay Cooke of the Northern Pacific Railroad. In 1871 Mr. Cooke recommended to Dr. Hayden that he should invite Moran to join his expedition into the remote Yellowstone region. During the forty day journey Moran documented sites with his sketches and kept a diary. His sketches with Jackson?s photographs grabbed the nation?s attention and helped encourage Congress to establish Yellowstone as the first national park in 1872. Congress even bought one of his landscapes for $10,000. [3] The paintings and photographs made known the magnitude and majesty of the scenic Yellowstone region more than any written or oral descriptions could. The dramatic visual presentation of the area helped in persuading President Grant and the US Congress that Yellowstone should be preserved. The railroads, specifically the Northern Pacific and Union and Central Pacific, played roles in the development of Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks. A growing interest in vacationing in California and the west instead of Europe created a