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For more than half a million years, volcano Mount Mazama towered over southern Oregon. From time to time, it erupted, spreading pumice, ash, and cinders for miles around. Then, approximately 7,700 years ago, Mount Mazama erupted with such force that the volcano could no longer support itself and it collapsed, leaving a large caldera. Eventually, the volcanic action subsided and all was calm. Over the next centuries, water and snow accumulated in the...
2) Fort Macon
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Silently standing guard on the eastern point of Bogue Banks overlooking the entrance to Beaufort Harbor, Fort Macon is the centerpiece of one of the most visited North Carolina State Parks. Since Fort Macon State Park was established in 1924, it has been a familiar destination for millions of visitors to the "Crystal Coast" of Carteret County, North Carolina. The old historic fort itself, standing today in venerable repose, harkens back to another...
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Southern Colorado's unique Great Sand Dunes rise to a height of 750 feet above the San Luis Valley floor and are the nation's highest dunes not adjacent to an ocean or lake. The sweeping dunes were protected as a national monument in 1932 and as a national park in 2000. From prehistoric hunter-gatherers to the historic Ute Indian tribe, inhabitants have long used the resources of the land around the dunes. Zebulon Pike was the first American explorer...
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A stone wall along Seneca Street in East Aurora, New York, welcomes visitors to Knox Farm State Park with its charming buildings, woodlands, and open fields. The farmland was purchased by Seymour H. Knox, an entrepreneur from Russell, New York. Successful in the five-and-dime store industry with his cousin F.W. Woolworth, Knox expanded his business interests to include raising horses and developing a self-sustaining farm. Following his death in 1915,...
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Yankee whaling, shore whaling, and modern whaling were sometimes occurring simultaneously. Each type of whaling went through periods of discovery, stability, and then a gradual decrease as the products lost their markets or the number of whales began to wane as some species moved toward commercial if not actual extinction due to over-fishing. Small whaling operations from California, called shore whaling, continued from the 1850s until Secretary of...
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Best known for its pivotal role in opening up the western frontier and its association with explorers and pioneers, the legendary Cumberland Gap has long been celebrated in music and literature. To better preserve that history, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was authorized in 1940 and now covers more than 24,000 acres in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. Daniel Boone is remembered here, as well the Native Americans who used the path through...
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Denali means "The High One" in Athabascan. Standing at 20,237 feet, Denali is the tallest mountain in North America and has roughly 14,000 feet of vertical relief from base camp to summit-more even than Mount Everest. While native populations had lived within the boundaries of today's Denali National Park and Preserve for over 7,000 years, white settlers only arrived en masse starting in the 1890s. When they did arrive, it was to chase after Denali's...
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The first fire lookouts in the Glacier National Park region were simply high points atop mountain peaks with unimpeded views of the surrounding terrain. Widespread fires in the 1910s and 1920s led to the construction of more permanent lookouts, first as wooden pole structures and subsequently as a variety of one- and two-story cabin designs. Cooperating lookouts in Glacier Park, the Flathead National Forest, and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation provided...
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The Russian River tells a rich story of Sonoma County, both historically and ecologically. For as long as can be remembered, there has been an intimate relationship between the people of the Russian River and the fish, specifically the salmon and the steelhead. This tale of fishing begins with the Pomo people's communal fishing forays, winds through Russian exploration and early American settlement, and lands in the present time. For millennia, fishing...
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Yellowstone National Park contains over half the world's active geysers, with more than 700 within its 3,472 square miles. The most famous geyser is Old Faithful, named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition. In 1871, the US Geological and Geographical Survey, led by Dr. F. V. Hayden, reached the Upper Geyser Basin. In just over a day, the explorers witnessed eruptions of many geysers still seen today, including Giantess, Beehive, Grotto,...
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The majestic beauty of Grand Teton National Park has moved people throughout time. Native Americans believed in the spiritual power of the towering mountain peaks and journeyed there to gain special powers. Early fur traders, who had just crossed less ominous mountain ranges, viewed with trepidation the massive obstacle that loomed before them on their passage to the Pacific Northwest. In others, the Tetons ignited vision and passion-a vision to preserve...
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Hot Springs was one of the first areas set aside as a federal land reservation in 1832-predating the first national park at Yellowstone by 40 years. In 1921, it was officially designated a national park. Physically the smallest of the 59 US national parks today, Hot Springs measures just larger than 5,500 acres. Its 47 on-site springs produce more than 700,000 gallons of thermal water per day. From early natives who quarried novaculite found in the...
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Situated on the Hudson River, the Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal operated its railroad/maritime complex for over 100 years in this area. After its shutdown in 1967, community advocates, already lobbying for nine years, continued their successful campaign for the site to become a public park. With over 1,000 acres, Liberty State Park opened on Flag Day-June 14, 1976. Today, this recreational landscape features the Nature Interpretive Center,...
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The Mount Hood National Forest is the closest national forest to Portland and encompasses the northern end of Oregon's Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River Gorge. Established in 1908 as the Oregon National Forest and renamed the Mount Hood National Forest in 1924, it now consists of more than a million acres. The forest is home to Oregon's tallest mountain, as well as eight designated wilderness areas covering more than 300,000 acres. The forest...
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Located in one of the most isolated places on the earth, thousands of miles from the nearest landmass, the area surrounding the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was created by violent earthquakes and fiery volcanic eruptions. Shrouded in ancient myth and legend, the park's history dates back to a time before the Hawaiians first arrived. It was a time when gods and goddesses roamed throughout these islands; the most famous, the fierce goddess of the...
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Cape Hatteras National Seashore was authorized by Congress on August 17, 1937, and established on January 12, 1953. As the nation's first national seashore, it encompasses 30,000 acres and crosses three islands, Bodie, Hatteras, and Ocracoke, for approximately 70 miles. Nearby Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, located within the authorized seashore boundary, is 5,880 acres. Over the centuries, the seashore has witnessed major historic events, including...
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Letchworth State Park, located in the Genesee Valley of western New York State, is renowned for its natural beauty, scenic roads, trails, and recreational facilities. Created from the private estate of William Pryor Letchworth in 1907, the park quickly grew in size and popularity. A series of ambitious expansion and development plans were under way when the Great Depression struck, threatening the park's future. That future was restored when President...
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The picturesque Gettysburg Battlefield has long been memorialized as an iconic landscape of America's national identity. The tumultuous Civil War battle and Abraham Lincoln's subsequent address transformed the country in profound ways that continue to echo throughout the ages. In the aftermath of the struggle, Gettysburg National Military Park was embraced by citizens not only as a shrine of commemoration but also as a public space utilized for leisure,...
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Located on a seven-mile peninsula on the shores of Lake Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania, Presque Isle State Park attracts four million visitors each year. With its designation in 1921, Presque Isle became the second state park in Pennsylvania. From this beginning, the citizens of Erie and surrounding areas developed an affinity and appreciation for the park. Presque Isle has been left relatively unchanged over the years, and when improvements have been...
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In 1952, Jacob "Jay" Gurley explored a Marshall County, Alabama, curiosity known as Bat Cave. Amazed by its stalagmites and sheer enormity, he purchased the site and began transforming it into Cathedral Caverns, a spectacular tourist attraction that eventually became a national natural landmark in 1973 and a state park in 2000. Had it not been for Gurley's hard work and dedication, this cave, a geological treasure of international renown, might have...
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