US History

Science and Technology

The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)

Social Movements

This collection uses primary sources to explore environmental preservation efforts during the Progressive Era.

The 1916 Congressional bill to establish the National Park Service.

A 1939 film promoting tourism to national parks.

A photo taken in 1902 of the Sapphire Pool, a geyser in Yellowstone National Park.

A 1920 article by John Muir calling on readers to preserve the Sierra redwoods.

An excerpt from the 1916 annual report of the Secretary of the Interior, which discusses national parks.

A 1893 petition written by John Muir asking the House of Representatives to preserve Yosemite National Park.

Transcript:

To the Chairman of the 
Committee on Agriculture 
House of Representatives 
Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir, 
	Whereas at a meeting of the Sierra Club of Saturday, November 5th 1892, said club being a corporation formed for the purposes, to wit: “To explore, enjoy and render accessible the mountain regions of the Pacific Coast; to publish authentic information concerning them; to enlist the support and co-operation of the people and the government in preserving the forests and other natural features of the Sierra Nevada Mountains” a resolution was introduced and unanimously adopted directing the Board of DIrectors to prepare a memorial to Congress against Bill HR 5764 introduced by Mr. Caminetti and to use every effort to defeat it,

Therefore The Board of Directors of the Sierra Club in accordance with the above resolution do respectfully and emphatically protest against the diminution of the Yosemite National Park situated in California as contemplated in Bill HR 5764 introduced by Mr. Caminetti and referred by the House of Representatives to your honorable Committee
	
As shown in the accompanying map all

[page 2]

the territory outside of the blue lines is to be taken out of the Yosemite National Park Reservation, which would

First: endanger in JHS, R25E and R26E, J3S, R25E the headwaters of the San Joaquin River, a river on whose water the irrigation of the whole San Joaquin Valley is dependent.

Secondly: in J1S, J2S, R19E, J1S, J2S, R20E it will denude the watersheds between the branches of the Tuolumne River and Merced River of the most valuable timber, destroy forests which in their magnificent growth form an attraction to visitors not only from the State of California, but from all over the United States and from abroad and although provision is made in said bill to reserve a tract one mile square containing the Tuolumne Big Tree Grove and also a similar tract about the Merced Grove the destruction of the surrounding forest will necessarily cause a great danger through forest fires to these two groves of Sequoia gigantea, which ought to be and have heretofore been protected by the United States Government with singular interest.

Thirdly: The taking out of the Reservation of J2N, J1N, R19E will hand over to private ownership most valuable reservoir sites which ought to be zealously guarded for the benefit of the state at large.

Fourthly: The exemption of J2N, R20E, of J2N, R21E, J2N + ½ J1N, R22E, of J2N + ½ J1N R23E of J2N + ¾ J1N R24E and of J1S R25E will endanger the watershed of the 

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tributaries of the Tuolumne River as it passes through the Grand Cañon of the Tuolumne River and finally through Hetch-Hetchy Valley, a valley which in grandeur + uniqueness is in many respects the peer of Yosemite and will in future form one of the principal attractions of the Sierra Nevada of California.

If the territory of the Yosemite National Park should be reduced in accordance with the bill HR5764, the dangers to guard against which the Park was originally set aside, would again arise, the herds of sheep which now for two seasons have successfully been kept out of the reservation would denude the watersheds of their vegetation, the forest fires following in the wake of the herds would destroy the magnificent forests and thereafter the reservation itself and the timber of priceless value to the prosperity of the State would become the prey of the speculator.

The Directors of the Sierra Club respectfully point out that Senate Bill No 3235 proposed by Mr. Paddock will meet any objections in the interest of mining or farming industries, if there be any, to the continuance of the present limits of the Yosemite National Park Reservation.

John Muir 
President Sierra Club

Warren Olney 
FIrst Vice-President Sierra Club

J. H. Senger 
Secretary Sierra Club

San Francisco, January 2nd 1893

An excerpt from a 1908 essay by Gifford Pinchot about conserving natural resources. 

An excerpt from a speech by Theodore Roosevelt in 1905 advocating for the creation of forest reserves in the Appalachians.

An excerpt from a 1908 text calling for forest preservation in Alabama.

A photograph of John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt taken in 1903.

A photograph of a tunnel through a large tree, taken in 1899 in Yosemite National Park.

Questions

1. After reading the [1916 Congressional bill](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/913), the [1920 article by John Muir](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/916), the [1916 annual report of the Secretary of the Interior](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/917), and the [1893 petition](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/918), define the movement for the “preservation” of natural resources. What did the authors of these sources propose to do?
2. After reading the [1908 essay by Gifford Pinchot](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/919), the [speech by Theodore Roosevelt in 1905](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/920), and the [text calling for forest preservation in Alabama](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/921), define the movement for the “conservation” of natural resources. What did the authors of these sources hope to achieve? How did their views differ from the authors of the sources used in the previous question?
3. Drawing upon the [1939 film](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/914), the photo of the [Sapphire Pool](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/915), the photograph of [John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/922), and the photograph of a [tunnel](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/environmental-preservation-in-the-progressive-era/sources/923), discuss why people visit national parks. What experiences are they hoping to have? What does “nature” mean to them and what does it include? 


Activity

Ask students to use sources like the *New York Times*, the *Wall Street Journal*, newsela.com, and additional resources from the school or university library to research the topic of hydraulic fracturing, often referred to as “fracking.” Stage a mock debate over the issue, with one side articulating the “pro-fracking” arguments and the other the “anti-fracking” arguments. Have students consider the connections between such debates and earlier ones between Muir and Pinchot.


Teaching Guide: Exploring Environmental Preservation in the Progressive Era

Resources

1. [The Evolution of the Conservation Movement](http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/conservation/history.html), Library of Congress. 
2. [John Muir Digital Collections](http://www.pacific.edu/Library/Find/Holt-Atherton-Special-Collections/Digital-Collections.html), University of the Pacific. 
3. [John Muir](http://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/default.aspx), Sierra Club. 
4. [*The National Parks*](http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/) by Ken Burns, PBS. 
5. [The Early Conservation Movement](http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/beyond-the-textbook/25578), teachinghistory.org. 
6. [Theodore Roosevelt and Conservation](http://www.nps.gov/thro/learn/historyculture/theodore-roosevelt-and-conservation.htm), National Park Service. 

Overview

During the late nineteenth century, American industrialization, the expansion of railroads into the West, and the rise of large corporations led to the widespread destruction of areas of the Plains, as well as increased pollution of land and water. In response to these threats, a complex environmental movement emerged, supported by President Theodore Roosevelt. John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, advocated preservation of natural resources from use, while Gifford Pinchot, a forester, called instead for conservation, the proper use of natural resources. Together, environmentalist advocacy of different types led to the establishment of the National Park Service by Congress in 1916, and the preservation of areas including Yosemite and Yellowstone. The government documents, photographs, films, and passionate appeals presented here allow one to answer the era’s critical questions about the environment. How should it be maintained? Who should take responsibility for its care? 

English

Environmental Preservation in the Progressive Era

environmental-preservation-progressive-era_11_cb9d66763280af59d56c478f770a8ed2.jpg

Courtesy of California Historical Society via University of Southern California Libraries.

Pierce, Charles C. “A stagecoach passing under a tunnel cut through a large sequoias tree in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park,” 1899, Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/cb9d66763280af59d56c478f770a8ed2.

A photograph of a tunnel through a large tree, taken in 1899 in Yosemite National Park.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 11 of 11 in the Primary Source Set Environmental Preservation in the Progressive Era