PBS - The National Parks: America's Best Idea (HD) (2009) Part 3 “The Empire of Grandeur” (1915–1919)

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 3: “The Empire of Grandeur” (1915–1919)

Covers the creation of the National Park Service and the influence of its early leaders Stephen Mather and Horace M. Albright, and wealthy industrialists who Mather persuaded to help him champion the park system.

The National Parks (Wikipedia).

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