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National Heritage & National Parks
The various lands,
historic sites, battlefields, and monuments in the
National Park System were selected over a long period of
time on the basis of their reflection of our national
history and character. Undoubtedly, the history of our
national parks reflects the history of our changing
cultural views of our national past.
 Yellowstone
and Yosemite are
significant not only as examples of stunning natural
scenery but also as testimony to a particular time in
our young nation’s history. The majesty of the rugged
mountains was seen to rival the great cathedrals of
Europe as
national icons and contributed to a sense of national
pride. Westward expansion also led to concern over the
potential destruction of this grand scenery, resulting
eventually in the creation of our national park system.
Thus, these and other parks are important not only for
their natural resources but also as significant aspects
of our cultural heritage.
While no list could ever
be considered exhaustive, several major types of
resources comprise our national heritage. These include
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Natural and
cultural resources |
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Ethnographic
resources |
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Built
resources |
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Archeological
resources |
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Landscape
features, including designed landscapes, cultural
landscapes, forest reserves, and wildlife |
In addition to their
national significance, many heritage resources also are
important at the local or regional level.
Local and Regional Heritage
Local and regional
significance does not supplant the national importance
of our natural and cultural resources but, instead,
helps explain more fully our
nation’s history. The
increasingly sophisticated and educated public is often
wary of interpretation through broad brush strokes that
gloss over details of historical events. Singular and
personal details that describe important
historical
figures and sites in human terms can provide visitors
with greater opportunities to make intellectual and
emotional connections to the
resource—that is, history
that is relevant to their lives.
“First-Person” Heritage
“First person” accounts,
such as those derived from oral histories, personal
diaries, and other tangible lines of evidence, often
provide ways for visitors to make intellectual and
emotional connections to cultural resources. Such
accounts speak of a person, place, or thing more
directly and specifically than broad themes of national
political and military history, two common themes in
many efforts to interpret our national history.
Archeology can often provide important “first person”
lines of evidence, particularly in the form of
artifacts, such as personal effects, that are unearthed
during excavations at historic houses, battlefields, and
other sites. Such items allow the public to make
intellectual and emotional connections to the story
being told about real individuals, not just historic
events. |
