I couldn’t resist wishing a Happy Birthday to the National Park Service, which was started on this day in 1916. Preserving more than 400 parks, historical sites and more, the NPS sees more than 275 million visitors a year. (http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm)
I was fortunate to work for the National Park Service for two summers at Fort Vancouver, a fascinating historical site that served as one of the key posts in the settlement of the West Coast. Thousands of pioneers set out to Oregon Country and would stop at the Fort to trade and replenish supplies.
The “Father of Oregon,” John McLoughlin (for the record, it is pronounced mac-LOCK-lin) served as Chief Factor here and helped the American settlers, despite his employer’s chagrin. The Hudson’s Bay Company wanted the area untainted and prime for fur trading, after all.
So much history, all preserved and passed on to each generation through volunteers and staff as part of the National Park Service. Do you have a favorite national park?
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