Hometown History

Desolation Peak, Washington. Great image of God with four finger pointed straight at me. Through halos and rolls and gold folds that were like the existence of the gleaming spear in his right hand would say it. Come on, boy, go thou across the ground. Go moan for man. Go moan. Go groan. Go groan alone. Go roll your bones alone. Go thou and be little beneath my sight. Go thou and be my new to seed in the pod. Go thou, go thou, die hence. And this world reports you well and truly.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 85 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 87 (San Juan Islands, Washington)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

In the volcanic highlands of southern Oregon lies Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States and one of the most pristine bodies of water on Earth. Formed approximately 7,700 years ago by the catastrophic eruption and collapse of Mount Mazama, Crater Lake's impossibly blue waters descend 1,949 feet into the caldera of an ancient volcano. For the Klamath people, who witnessed the mountain's violent transformation, the lake called Giiwas remains a sacred place where mythology and geology converge in a landscape shaped by fire, water, and time.

The Klamath tribes' oral traditions tell of a fierce battle between Llao, the spirit of the underworld dwelling beneath Mount Mazama, and Skell, the spirit of the sky. When Mount Mazama erupted with devastating force, the Klamath people watched as their sacred mountain collapsed into itself. Archaeological evidence confirms these oral histories, sandals and other artifacts have been found buried beneath layers of volcanic ash, proving that Indigenous peoples were present during the eruption that would reshape the landscape forever.

The lake remained largely unknown to Euro-American settlers until June 12, 1853, when prospector John Wesley Hillman stumbled upon its azure waters while searching for gold in Oregon's southern Cascades. Hillman initially called it "Deep Blue Lake," captivated by water so clear and so intensely blue it seemed almost supernatural. But it would take another thirty-two years before Crater Lake found its champion in William Gladstone Steel.

In 1885, Steel visited Crater Lake for the first time and immediately committed himself to protecting it. For seventeen years, he lobbied Congress tirelessly, organized scientific expeditions, and rallied public support for designating Crater Lake as a national park. His persistence finally paid off on May 22, 1902, when President Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation creating Crater Lake National Park, Oregon's only national park and one of America's earliest protected landscapes.

Timeline of Events:

• c. 5677 BCE: Mount Mazama undergoes catastrophic eruption, witnessed by Indigenous peoples; caldera collapses creating what will become Crater Lake
• June 12, 1853: John Wesley Hillman becomes first documented Euro-American to sight the lake during gold prospecting expedition
• 1886: U.S. Geological Survey conducts first scientific survey; geologist Clarence Dutton measures depth using piano wire and lead weight
• 1896: Geologist Joseph S. Diller first documents "Old Man of the Lake," a floating hemlock log that has been drifting vertically for over 120 years
• May 22, 1902: President Theodore Roosevelt signs legislation establishing Crater Lake National Park after William Gladstone Steel's 17-year campaign

These events occurred during America's Progressive Era, when the national park idea was still revolutionary and when scientific understanding of volcanic processes was just beginning to develop.

Historical Significance:

Crater Lake represents a remarkable intersection of Indigenous oral tradition, geological science, and early conservation history. The Klamath tribes' detailed accounts of Mount Mazama's eruption demonstrate the extraordinary accuracy of oral traditions passed down through millennia, their stories match what geologists now understand about the volcanic event that created the caldera.

The park's creation in 1902 reflected the early 20th-century conservation movement's vision that America's natural wonders should be preserved for future generations. William Gladstone Steel's 17-year campaign exemplified the power of individual dedication in the face of governmental inertia, setting a precedent for grassroots environmental advocacy that continues today.

Scientifically, Crater Lake provides an unparalleled natural laboratory. Because no rivers flow in or out, the lake is fed entirely by rain and snowmelt, its waters are among the purest on Earth. This purity, combined with the lake's exceptional depth, creates the intense blue color that captivated John Wesley Hillman in 1853 and continues to mesmerize visitors today.

Sources & Further Reading:

• U.S. Geological Survey - Crater Lake Volcanic History: Official geological research and eruption documentation https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/crater-lake
• National Park Service - Crater Lake National Park: Park history, tribal connections, and visitor information https://www.nps.gov/crla
• Crater Lake Institute: Research publications, historical documentation, and educational resources https://www.craterlakeinstitute.com
• Oregon Encyclopedia - William Gladstone Steel: Detailed biography of Crater Lake's conservation champion https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/steel_william_1854_1934_/
• Travel Oregon - The Creation of Crater Lake (Klamath Perspective): Tribal oral traditions and Indigenous history https://traveloregon.com/things-to-do/destinations/lakes-reservoirs/creation-crater-lake/

Subscribe to Hometown History every Tuesday for forgotten American stories.

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

Washington, DC. I know you could be anywhere else right now, so I'm glad you're here. Let's get started. The unsung heroes of America's park systems are the men of the CCC, the Civilian Conservation Corps, established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the height of the Great Depression. In 1932, American unemployment hit a record high of nearly 25 percent. That same year, FDR made the CCC a major part of his political platform.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 83 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

Lake Mead, Nevada. Off in the background of every National Park success story is another story of catastrophic failure. One giant, towering, cascading, cautionary tale. Our government was so willing to protect areas like Death Valley because we had already blown our one chance to protect the first great natural attraction America ever had, Niagara Falls.

TIMELINE

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 82 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 91 (Reno, Nevada)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

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Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

Death Valley, California. In 1820, the well-known British writer Sidney Smith mocked the United States for its lack of culture and sophistication. In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book, or goes to an American play, or looks at an American picture or statue? This was a common sentiment at the time. America was a young country, barely 40 years old, and most Europeans viewed it as a lowbrow hillbilly backwater.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 81 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 88 (Crescent City, California)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

Grand Canyon, Arizona. There's a scene in the show Mad Men that shook me up the first time I saw it. It's probably not the one you think. In the very first episode, the Draper family picnics along the interstate. The grass is green, the birds are out, and a small portable radio placed softly on a red and white checkered blanket. It's a deeply nostalgic picture of 1960s America. Is Bobby in the car again? No, he's running around. So I don't understand. You'd rather play checkers than my Look at the Clouds game.

TIMELINE

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 80 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 187 (Globe, Arizona)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

Eureka, California. One of my favorite movies as a kid was The Lorax, the original with this song. Under the trees, happy-deppy barbaloots. Under the trees, in our barbaloot suits. Under the trees, eating traculate fruits. Boldly succulent, deliciously deliciously sweetly succulent, fluous traculate fruits. When I first saw The Lorax, I had some sense that it was about protecting the environment, but it's more than a cartoon. It's a thinly-veiled environment manifesto.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 79 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 88 (Crescent City, California)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

In March 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law, establishing the world's first national park. But Yellowstone's creation wasn't simply a political decision, it was the result of a deliberate artistic campaign. Long before most Americans knew about Yellowstone's geysers, hot springs, and dramatic landscapes, three artists began documenting its wonders: photographer William Henry Jackson, painter Thomas Moran, and watercolorist Henry Wood Elliott. Their photographs, paintings, and sketches captured Congress's imagination and convinced legislators to set aside 3,472 square miles, larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined, as "a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." This episode explores how art literally changed reality, creating the world's first national park and inspiring a global conservation movement that now protects more than 1,200 parks in over 100 nations.

The path from wilderness to national treasure wasn't smooth. Yellowstone's first superintendent, Nathaniel P. Langford, served from 1872 to 1877 without salary or budget. He visited the park only three times during his entire tenure. His successor, Philetus W. Norris, became the first paid superintendent and built much of the park's early infrastructure, including roads that survive today as the Grand Loop Road. But by 1886, poachers, vandals, and squatters had devastated the park's resources to such an extent that the U.S. Army was called in. For 32 years, cavalry troops patrolled Yellowstone, establishing enforcement policies and ranger traditions that the National Park Service would adopt when it was created in 1916.

The evolution of park rangers themselves began at Yellowstone. In 1880, Harry Yount became the park's first gamekeeper, protecting wildlife from commercial hunters. Though he served only 14 months, his recommendations for a formal ranger force earned him recognition as the "father of the ranger service." Stephen T. Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, later described these early rangers as "a fine, earnest, intelligent, and public-spirited body of men" whose duties ranged from blazing trails to rescuing floundering animals to managing bears in hotels.

Today, Yellowstone remains a marvel of geothermal activity. The park contains more than 10,000 thermal features, including Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the United States and third-largest in the world. At 330 feet in diameter with water temperatures reaching 160 degrees Fahrenheit, its rainbow-colored bands have made it one of the most photographed features in American parks. Old Faithful, the park's most famous geyser, continues erupting roughly every 74 minutes, maintaining a tradition of reliable wonder that has drawn visitors for over 150 years. The park's wildlife population includes the nation's largest remaining bison herd on public land, with over 5,000 animals descended from the same herds that nearly disappeared to poaching in the 1880s.

• 1807-08: Mountain man John Colter becomes first known European explorer to describe Yellowstone's geothermal features; area nicknamed "Colter's Hell" because people think he's lying
• 1871: Hayden Geological Survey expedition includes photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran, creating visual documentation that proves Yellowstone's wonders exist
• March 1, 1872: President Ulysses S. Grant signs Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, creating world's first national park
• 1880: Harry Yount hired as first gamekeeper, recommends formation of ranger force that inspires modern park ranger profession
• August 1886: U.S. Army assumes management of Yellowstone after civilian administration fails; cavalry troops patrol for next 32 years
• 1916: National Park Service created; Army transfers Yellowstone management to civilian ranger force following military-established policies

This transformation occurred during America's Gilded Age, when rapid industrialization threatened natural landscapes nationwide. The Yellowstone precedent inspired creation of Yosemite (1890), Sequoia (1890), and eventually a system that has become one of America's most significant contributions to global conservation.

Sources & Further Reading:

• National Park Service - Yellowstone History: Comprehensive historical resources including Army administration, early superintendents, and park establishment (https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/historyculture/index.htm)
• National Archives - Act Establishing Yellowstone National Park: Original legislative documents from March 1, 1872, including President Grant's signature (https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/act-establishing-yellowstone-national-park)
• Yellowstone Forever - Safeguarding Yellowstone: The US Army Years: Detailed account of military administration 1886-1918 (https://www.yellowstone.org/safeguarding-yellowstone-the-us-army-1886-1918/)
• Smithsonian Magazine - How the U.S. Army Saved Our National Parks: Analysis of military protection period and its lasting influence on park management
• HistoryNet - The Untold Story of America's First Park Ranger: Biography of Harry Yount and his influence on the ranger profession

Subscribe to Hometown History every Tuesday for forgotten American stories.

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

In 1864, three years into the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln signed legislation that would change America's relationship with nature forever. The Yosemite Valley Grant Act claimed California's magnificent valley for conservation, establishing a precedent that would lead to the National Park Service and inspire similar movements worldwide. While Yellowstone would become the first official "national park" eight years later, Yosemite holds the distinction of being America's first federally protected wilderness, "in fact if not in name," as the National Park Service notes.

This episode explores how America invented the modern concept of the national park, a uniquely democratic idea where natural wonders belong to all citizens, not just royalty or religious institutions. Unlike Mongolia's 18th-century Bogd Khan Mountain (protected for imperial hunting and religious ceremonies), American national parks were designed as secular, recreational spaces for everyone. From the beginning, these parks embodied the revolutionary principle that "the country belongs to the people."

To understand what visiting Yosemite is really like today, host Shane Waters spoke with Jim Burnett, a retired National Park Service ranger with over 30 years of experience. Burnett, author of "Hey Ranger: True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America's National Parks," shares essential advice for navigating one of America's most beloved, and most crowded, destinations. His insights cover everything from the 2022 reservation system (required May 20-September 30) to the dangers of leaving food in your car overnight, where black bears have been known to literally rip doors off vehicles in pursuit of a Snickers bar.

Timeline of Key Moments:

• 1864 , Abraham Lincoln signs Yosemite Valley Grant Act, first federal protection of wilderness
• 1872 , Yellowstone becomes America's first official "national park"
• 1890 , Yosemite becomes third national park; El Capitan and Half Dome added to boundaries
• 1998 , Peak of bear-vehicle conflicts with 1,584 reported incidents annually
• 2018 , Aggressive food storage campaign reduces bear incidents to just 22 per year
• 2022 , Reservation system implemented to manage overcrowding in Yosemite Valley

Historical Significance: The establishment of Yosemite and the National Park System represents one of America's greatest contributions to world culture. Today, most developed nations have adopted the American model of public parks, creating protected spaces for future generations. The conservation movement that began at Yosemite, championed by figures like John Muir and later Theodore Roosevelt, fundamentally changed how humans interact with the natural world. As FDR observed, "There is nothing so American as our national parks." The shift from viewing nature as an adversary to be conquered to a treasure worth preserving marked a turning point in human history, one that continues to shape environmental policy worldwide.

Burnett's stories from three decades as a ranger illustrate both the majesty and the challenges of managing America's natural treasures. From tourists attempting to hike the 211-mile John Muir Trail in flip-flops to the man who reported "terrorists had blown up his car" (it was actually a bear ransacking his groceries), Yosemite's history is as much about human folly and redemption as it is about waterfalls and granite cliffs.

Sources & Further Reading:

• National Park Service official Yosemite website (nps.gov/yose) for current alerts and reservation information
• "Hey Ranger: True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America's National Parks" by Jim Burnett
• YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) for bus service avoiding reservation requirements
• National Park Service mobile app for offline access to maps and visitor information

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history