The U.S. national park system does not have a single “inventor,” but the modern National Park Service (which manages the system) was created by an act of Congress signed by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916, with Stephen T. Mather as its first director.

Quick Scoop

  • The idea of setting aside large natural areas for public enjoyment and protection grew gradually in the 1800s, especially as Americans explored the West and saw places like Yellowstone and Yosemite.
  • Yellowstone was established by Congress in 1872 as the first U.S. national park, often cited as the world’s first true national park, helping launch the broader national park concept.
  • In the early 1900s, conservationists such as John Muir and J. Horace McFarland pushed hard for a unified federal agency to manage these scattered parks and monuments.
  • In 1916, Congress passed the “Organic Act,” creating the National Park Service to manage and protect national parks and monuments “for the enjoyment of future generations,” and President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law.
  • Businessman and conservation advocate Stephen T. Mather, who had lobbied for this agency, became the first director of the National Park Service and helped shape the early national park system into a more organized, professional network.

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