PBS - The National Parks: America's Best Idea (HD) (2009) Part 2 “The Last Refuge” (1890–1915)

THE NATIONAL PARKS, a film by Ken Burns, is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved for everyone. The series traces the birth of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years, chronicling the addition of new parks through the stories of the people who helped create them.

Part 2: “The Last Refuge” (1890–1915)

Theodore Roosevelt uses the presidential powers of the Antiquities Act to add National Monuments, including Devils Tower, Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest, Muir Woods, Crater Lake and the Grand Canyon. Hetch Hetchy Valley is lost through damming. Roosevelt's speech at the dedication of Yellowstone's Roosevelt Arch states the ultimate purpose of the National Parks: For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.

The National Parks (Wikipedia).

Full Version Available Upon Request